An historic pipe organ that was originally part of Brisbane's Regent Theatre was played publicly in March for the first time in decades at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA).

The restored 1929 Wurlitzer Style 260 (Special) theatre pipe organ was a significant addition to GoMA's Australian Cinémathèque facilities and played for the purpose for which it was created - to accompany silent film.

As its first performance in its new home, it was played by Tony Fenelon to accompany the Queensland premiere screening of the 1906 silent film The Story of the Kelly Gang ­- one of the world's first feature films.

The main musical feature of Brisbane's 2600-seat Regent Theatre when it opened in 1929 in Queen Street, the organ was purchased by Dr Keith King in 1964 before the theatre was redeveloped.

The historic instrument was acquired by GoMA from Mrs Betty King, wife of the late Dr King, in 2004.

It was then transported to Queensland from the Kings' property in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, restored and installed pipe-for-pipe in Cinema A, GoMA's main cinema.

GoMA, which opened on 2 December, is the first art gallery in Australia to have purpose-built facilities for showing cinema as an art form.

The organ features approximately 1100 pipes and is the only Special 260 model in Australia with a French style console.

The organ can be raised and lowered using an electrically operated lift.

Filmed outside Melbourne, the original 1906 film, The Story of the Kelly Gang was long-thought lost. The surviving 17 minutes of the film, including seven minutes of newly rediscovered footage, is on loan from the National Film and Sound Archive.

< Back to Arts Update

We welcome feedback and contributions to Arts Update. Please contact the editor, Julie Geiser on (07) 3224 5807 or email artsupdate@arts.qld.gov.au