New Organs

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

But Will It Fit?

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.

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

Scott Smith Pipe Organs, 

Lansing, Michigan

Newman Residence, 

R. Karstens Organ Works, Ltd 2010

24 stops, 28 ranks, 1,722 pipes

Schoenstein & Co., 

Benicia, California

First Lutheran Church, 

Patrick J. Murphy & Associates, Inc., Stowe, Pennsylvania

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church, 

Carnegie, Pennsylvania

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, 

Opus 90, 2012

The Joseph W. Schreiber Memorial Organ, Independent Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

Létourneau Pipe Organs, 

Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada

Opus 118 (2010)