Reginald Foort was the first official BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938, during which time he made 405 broadcasts on the organ at St George's Hall, Langham Place.
16 Facts About Reginald Foort
2.
Reginald Foort was born in Daventry, England, on 23 January 1893.
3.
Reginald Foort became both an Associate and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists by the age of only 17 under the tutelage of Sir Walter Parratt and began his career as organist and choirmaster at St Mary's, Bryanston Square, London.
4.
In 1930 Reginald Foort became solo organist at the Regal, Marble Arch, performing on a Christie organ.
5.
Reginald Foort did a five-month spell at the City Theatre, Amsterdam, and broadcast on the Dutch radio station Radio Hilversum, returning to London to take up a post as organist of the four-manual Compton organ at the Paramount Theatre, Tottenham Court Road.
6.
In 1936 Reginald Foort was appointed as Staff Theatre Organist at the BBC, performing at St George's Hall, Langham Place, and attained widespread popularity, not only for his musicality but for his personal charm.
7.
Reginald Foort remained in the role of Staff Theatre Organist until 1938, continuing to make broadcasts for the BBC on a freelance basis.
8.
Reginald Foort settled with his wife and family in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1952.
9.
Reginald Foort made recordings on the Mosque Theatre organ in Richmond, Virginia, and used the pseudonym Michael Cheshire for his recordings of light music, which were not considered serious enough to fit with Standaart's reputation.
10.
Reginald Foort was invited to work for the Chicago-based firm Baldwin Organs, a role that he retained for many years.
11.
In 1941 Reginald Foort loaned the organ to the BBC after theirs was destroyed by German bombing.
12.
Since 1979 it has been installed at Pasadena Civic Auditorium, California, where Reginald Foort attended its 23 April 1980 inaugural performance.
13.
Reginald Foort made his first broadcast from Marconi House, playing the piano, on January 15,1923.
14.
Reginald Foort featured as a castaway on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs on 8 May 1971.
15.
Reginald Foort made many recordings while in the US, in Virginia, Chicago, Pasadena and other locations.
16.
Reginald Foort described his first LP, recorded at Boston Symphony Hall, as his finest recording.