New Organs

From the organbuilder

Victor Gonzalez/Robert Martin, 

Paris, France

Mercer University, 

Macon, Georgia

Mercer University has acquired and has dedicated a new organ for the organ teaching studio in McCorkle Hall, Townsend School of Music. The instrument, the Giuseppe Englert Memorial Organ, was originally built by Victor Gonzalez in 1953 in Paris. Its home for 59 years was the salon in the apartment on the Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg (in full view of the impressive gold-leaf dome of Les Invalides, where one finds the tomb of Napoléon) of Giuseppe Englert and his wife, Jacqueline Englert-Marchal, the daughter of celebrated blind French organist André Marchal.

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders,

Hartville, Ohio

Bryn Athyn Cathedral

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania

From the organbuilder

Building a new studio teaching and practice organ for the Curtis Institute of Music came with some unusual parameters. The available space was the former percussion studio, a pigs-ear room for an organ, buried in the basement of the former mansion on Rittenhouse Square. Totally padded with carpet and acoustically absorbent material, it was obvious that an acoustician was going to be needed, not only to tell us what could be done to improve the situation, but also to warn us how bad it might actually be!

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders,
Bellwood, Illinois

St. Benedict’s Catholic Church,
Chesapeake, Virginia

From the builder

Christianity was first established in Japan by the Portuguese missionary St. Francis Xavier in 1587. The Anglican Communion was not established until 1859 in Nasaki, but was only permitted to serve the British and American communities in the Nagasaki foreign settlement until 1860, when restrictions on religious freedom were lifted. The first Anglican bishop, the Rev. William Ball Wright, was appointed in 1866. In 1881 the first Cathedral Church of Kobe was established. The existing Cathedral Church of St.

Glück Pipe Organs,
New York, New York

St. John’s of Lattingtown Episcopal Church,
Locust Valley, New York

An historic idyll

The hamlet of Lattingtown, a sub-enclave of Locust Valley on New York’s Long Island, is named for the locust trees that forest the terminal moraines left by receding glaciers. The land was purchased from the Algonquin-speaking tribe of the Lenape nation in 1667, and during the late nineteenth century, the region became known for its quiet serenity while enjoying proximity to New York City, where many of the area residents also kept city homes and offices for their business interests.

Temple Organs has built a new pipe organ for First United Methodist Church, Burlington, Iowa, to replace an earlier Temple organ destroyed in a catastrophic arson fire in 2007. The organ comprises 60 ranks, with a four-manual console, and includes a polished copper Trompette-en-Chamade. The exposed Great, Solo, and horizontal Trompette surround the unique rose window, which is six windows around one, whose concrete frame was salvaged after the fire. A large oak frame will enclose a future LCD screen.

From the organbuilder

In their search for an organbuilder, Memorial Presbyterian Church identified an ability to lead hymn singing as a priority for their new instrument. The accompaniment of the church’s choir and the needs of the organ repertoire were important but less significant considerations; this pipe organ’s raison d’être was to support a large congregation in song. As a result, our Opus 122 was designed to offer the perceptive player a wide array of colors and textures for leading hymns and word painting.

From the organbuilder

While our firm has been very prolific as a builder of new instruments since our founding in 1973, our company also has been very significant as a rebuilder and maintenance firm. So in 2011, when our firm was invited to Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, we approached a situation that required all of our skill sets.

Andover Organ Company, 

Lawrence, Massachusetts

Opus R-345, Christ Episcopal Church, Charlottesville, Virginia

From the builder

In projects, journeys, and lives, there are milestone events that mark progress or achievements. The dedication of Andover Opus R-345 at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, was such an event. It was a milestone for three long journeys: the completion of a seven-year project for Andover; the culmination of a decade-long sanctuary renovation process for Christ Church; and the latest chapter in the 143-year odyssey of a resilient New England organ.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church, Bethesda, Maryland

Lively-Fulcher Organbuilders, Rocky Mount, Virginia

The Parish of St. Jane Frances de Chantal was founded in 1950 and is part of the Archdiocese of Washington. The original church building, which was designed by Philip Frohman (architect of Washington National Cathedral), underwent a major renovation and expansion project in 2001. The new sanctuary has a seating capacity for over 800 persons and features a wide nave with 65-foot ceilings. Parts of the Frohman building were preserved, including the former choir loft, which is now the liturgical south transept.

Randall Dyer & Associates, Inc.,

Jefferson, Tennessee

Cathedral of Christ the King,

Lexington, Kentucky 

Our new organ for the Cathedral of Christ the King closely follows the concept we have recently espoused for ideal three-manual design in an organ of moderate size, affordable for many situations. The concept includes: 

• Two expressive divisions 

• 16′ Open plenum on the Great with English Trumpet 

Marceau Pipe Organ Builders, Inc., Seattle, Washington

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation,

Great Falls, Montana

Marceau Pipe Organbuilders of Seattle, Washington, has completed a major project to the M.P. Möller pipe organ at this historic Great Falls church. The original instrument was installed in 1949, as Möller’s Opus 7821, in two expressive chambers. The Great and Choir were located in the right chamber, the Swell and Pedal in the left chamber. The tonal design was typical of the period, with a bold-sounding Diapason chorus on the Great, a rather timid-sounding Choir, and a Swell that provided the most successful variety of chorus and solo stops.

John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois

Opus 42, St. Bridget Catholic Church, Richmond, Virginia

From the builder

The new organ at St. Bridget Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia, is the 42nd new organ to come from the workshop of John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders in Champaign, Illinois. It was completed on October 1, 2013, and inaugurated by Ken Cowan in concert on November 15.

Bigelow & Co., Inc., Organ Builders, American Fork, Utah

St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Salt Lake City, Utah

St. Ambrose Parish in Salt Lake City has been blessed with a beautiful, large, and acoustically gracious worship space, a talented and ambitious director of music (Christopher Huntzinger), excellent choirs, and supportive clergy (Rev. Andrzej Skrzypiec)—but, until recently, only a seven-rank pipe organ (with no reeds). When the 44-rank Holtkamp organ from St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Salt Lake City became available (replaced by a new Bigelow instrument), St. Ambrose’s musicians and clergy wasted no time in procuring it.

Schoenstein & Co.,

Benicia, California

Fordham University Church,

New York City

But Will It Fit?

Siedle Organ Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Queen of the World Church, St. Marys, Pennsylvania

On Preserving a Dream

In memory of Jane Slaughter Hardenbergh

Samford University began life as Howard College. For those interested in its history, a Google search will produce details of its fascinating history in a turbulent part of the country. When the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ was purchased, it was still Howard College after 100+ years.

Fabry, Inc., Antioch, Illinois

Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Immanuel Presbyterian Church, located in the historic Yankee Hill neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has long held a place of prominence in both the religious and social lives of Milwaukee. The congregation is a direct descendant of the first congregation to be organized in Milwaukee. Fabry, Inc. has maintained the historic pipe organ, which now comprises 69 ranks, for many years. Fabry, Inc.

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Inc.

Bellwood, Illinois

Luther Memorial Chapel, 

Shorewood, Wisconsin

Goulding & Wood Organ Builders, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Opus 50

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Lexington, Kentucky

From the organbuilder

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois: 

Opus 41, Trinity Lutheran Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders,

Champaign, Illinois

Scott Smith Pipe Organs, Lansing, Michigan: Newman Residence, Clio, Michigan

Scott Smith Pipe Organs, 

Lansing, Michigan

Newman Residence,