Orchestral studios in the 1960s

 

Orchestral rehearsals were held in the A.B.C. buildings located on the south-eastern corner of Hindmarsh Square and Grenfell Street for many years.  These buildings were erected in 1865 for the Congregational Church, and were acquired by the A.B.C. in 1935 (the buildings were demolished in 1982).  The conditions at Hindmarsh Square were appalling.  The orchestral studio was very hot, so ceiling fans were used for cooling which meant that the musicians had to use pegs to stop their music blowing away, even during recording sessions!  In the late 1960s, the orchestra moved to the Odeon Theatre on the corner of Queen Street and The Parade, Norwood, and from there to the purpose built studios at Collinswood in 1972.

 

- Robert Brown