Telephone Number : 07940 269260
Email address : donald@donaldmackenzie.org.uk
Website : www.donaldmackenzie.org.uk
Address : Please, contact, me via, email.
Donald was born in Ayrshire (Scotland) in 1970. In October 1993 he was appointed House Organist of the Odeon Cinema Leicester Square when he was engaged to play the organ for 5 weeks before each performance of the Disney film, ‘Aladdin’. Since then he has appeared regularly at film premieres, special events and organ concerts. He has broadcast from the Odeon on BBC Radios 2, 3, 4 and the World Service. He has been featured on a number of television programmes and Donald has played for numerous Royal Film Performances, including several in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen.
When he is not playing for concerts Donald specialises in the art of improvised accompaniments to silent films - his first public appearance accompanying films was aged 14, for a special evening screening in Paisley Town Hall. He has now more than twenty feature films ‘under his fingers’ including many of the major classics of the silent screen, as well as many different types of short silent films. These have been acclaimed by the critics and the audience absolutely love the experience of Donald’s accompaniment to a film. His stylish accompaniments have led to numerous engagements (with many repeats) throughout the UK at venues such as The Victoria Hall - Hanley, The Usher Hall - Edinburgh, The Alexandra Palace - London, The Music Hall - Aberdeen, The Caid Hall - Dundee, Leicester Cathedral, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, St Anne’s Cathedral - Belfast, Clonard Monastery - Belfast, Demontford Hall Leicester, The Musical Museum - Brentford, The Organ Museum - St Albans and also in Europe and the USA.
His overseas concert appearances have included - in Poland at the Bielsko Biala Bach Festival, in Philadelphia (USA) at the Wanamaker Store and Girard College, in Holland for the Nederland’s Orgel Federation and several times in Germany playing the Moller organ in the music hall of the world famous organ building firm of August Laukhuff. At this venue he has also played for silent film evenings as part of the Hohenloher Cultural Summer Festival. In 2008 he was honoured to become a Patron of the Lancaster Town Hall Organ Restoration Project.
A highlight of Donald’s 2009 concert season was an appearance at the 70th Anniversary Concert for Blackpool Opera House where he accompanied the 1925 silent classic film ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. Highlights of Donald’s 2012 concerts included a capacity house at the Usher Hall cheering Donald’s accompaniment to ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ and him playing at The Royal Film Performance in the presence of The Duke of Cambridge.
2013 will see Donald debut appearance at the London’s iconic Cinema Museum and the Notting Hill Mayfest - in addition to returning to many venues in the UK and Germany for one of his celebrated accompaniments to a classic silent film or a concert of popular music played in his own inimitable style.
| Concerts in 2013 | |
|---|---|
| February 26th | Leicester Cathedral (more details) Accompaniment to the silent feature 'The Black Pirate' - http://www.cathedral.leicester.anglican.org |
| March 2nd | The Cinema Museum, 2 Duggard Way (Off Renfrew Road), SE11 4TH (more details) Silent Film - 'Peter Pan' please note this will probably be accompanied on the piano |
| March 9th | St Albans Organ Theatre, 320 Camp Road, St Albans. AL1 5PE. (more details) Silent film accompaniment to 'The Shiek' starring Rudolph Valentino |
| March 16th | The Markfield Compton. Concert in aid of Chernobyl Children (more details) Please email me if you are interested in more details about this event |
| March 24th | Peterborough Theatre Organ Preservation Society (PTOPS) |
| April 14th | Musical Museum, Brentford (more details) Silent film afternoon of Laurel & Hardy Films - www.musicalmuseum.co.uk |
| April 14th | Brentford Musical Museum (more details) An afternoon of Laurel & Hardy with Donald MacKenzie at the Mighty Wurlitzer |
| April 20th | Wolverhampton Civic Hall (more details) Concert on the dual-purpose Compton organ at 2pm |
| May 10th | St John's Church, Notting Hill, W11 2NN (more details) Accompaniment on the restored organ to 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame" Further info at http://www.nottinghillmayfest.org.uk/node/9 |
| May 11th | St Albans Organ Theatre, 320 Camp Road, St Albans. AL1 5PE. (more details) 1920s Evening with the New Foxtrot Serenaders and 'me' at the Wurlitzer |
| May 19th | Ipswich Light Organ Music Society |
| June 8th | Penistone - Paramount Cinema |
| June 15th | The Cinema Museum, 2 Duggard Way (Off Renfrew Road), SE11 4TH (more details) Silent film accompaniment - film tbc |
| June 22nd | Wizard Compton, Bristol (more details) Concert on the Compton Theatre organ at 7pm |
| July 13th | St John The Baptist Church, Stone, Nr Aylesbury (more details) Concert on the church organ |
| August 28th | The Tywyn Wurlitzer (more details) Concert on the ex-Granada Woolwich Wurlitzer |
| September 4th | Christchurch Priory, Dorset (more details) Accompaniment to 'The Phantom of the Opera' classic silent film |
| September 7th | Rochdale Town Hall, Greater Manchester (more details) Lunchtime concert at 12 noon |
| September 22nd | Salomons Welte Organ (Tunbridge Wells) (more details) Silent film accompaniment on the Welte organ at 6pm |
| September 29th | Musical Museum, Brentford (more details) Silent Film accompaniment to a film starring Ivor Novello |
| October 12th | St Albans Organ Theatre, 320 Camp Road, St Albans. AL1 5PE. (more details) Steam on the Screen - the return of the ever popular event at 7.30pm |
| October 18th | St Paul's Church, Royton, Oldham (more details) An evening of silent films and music from the movies at 7.30pm on the fine Harrison & Harrison organ. |
| October 31st | Usher Hall, Edinburgh (more details) Halloween with a spooky Silent film (t.b.a) |
| November 2nd | All Saints Church, Leamington Spa (more details) Silent film accompaniment - film tbc |
| November 9th | St Aidan's Church, Bristol (more details) Silent film accompaniment - film tbc |
| November 16th | The Victoria Hall, Hanley (more details) Accompaniment to 'The Phantom of the Opera' classic silent film |
| November 17th | West of England Theatre Organ Society (more details) 2pm. |
| November 23rd | St John's Church, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead (more details) Silent film accompaniment - film tbc |
| November 30th | The Cinema Museum, 2 Duggard Way (Off Renfrew Road), SE11 4TH (more details) Silent film accompaniment - film tbc |