The Power of the Organ - Newcastle

Experience Guilmant’s magnificent Organ Symphony with the Fernleigh Young Musicians Orchestra in collaboration with Avondale University String Orchestra.

Fernleigh Young Musicians Orchestra’s first concert of 2026 will explore the power of the organ and French composer Alexandre Guilmant’s symphonic writing, featuring local organ soloists Stephen Aveling Rowe and Scott Thompson. The program will also feature the Fernleigh Junior and Intermediate Strings, and Cello Ensemble.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity! Performing at Newcastle Conservatorium of Music and Avondale University Church, our concert at Avondale is supported through the Event Funding program by the Lake Macquarie Council.

Stephen Aveling-Rowe is an emerging organist, conductor, and cellist. He holds an L.Mus.A. with Distinction in Pipe Organ (2019) from Sydney, as well as a BA with a specialization in Music from Avondale Conservatorium (2019). Stephen has performed internationally, including concert tours in the Netherlands and the UK, study tours throughout Europe, and completed an intensive in liturgical and choral music at Cambridge. He also leads as principal cellist with the Fernleigh Young Musicians Orchestra, where he collaborates with Dr. Ian Cook in a mentorship as an occasional conductor. Having studied organ under Philip Swanton, Stephen continues to refine his musical skills.

Scott Thompson is a young Australian pipe organist and French hornist. As an organist, Scott has performed on many of Australia’s finest instruments, including the Sydney Opera House and Town Hall organs. He has also received numerous awards in the Sydney Organ Competition (including 1st Prize and Best Baroque in 2019’s junior section), and now accompanies services regularly at Avondale Memorial SDA Church. Scott is currently preparing for his FTCL exam on French horn, and studying secondary education specialising in the French horn, at Avondale University. Scott, like J. S. Bach, dedicates all the glory to God alone.