Parsons Pipe Organ Builders will hold an open house on December 2, from 1 to 4 pm, at their workshop in Bristol Center, 4820 Bristol Valley Road (Rt. 64S), Canandaigua, New York. The open house will celebrate the completion of the newly restored 1906 William & Charles Pilcher organ to be installed in the chapel at the Spa Apartments in the historic Clifton Springs Hospital. The project took more than 2,000 hours of craftsmanship.
Less than a year ago, the organ lay covered in dust and soot in a small church in Brooklyn, New York. Water damage and rot had rendered it unplayable, and no one had heard it since the early 1950s. It is perhaps the last surviving instrument made by William Pilcher.
As Ric Parsons states, “This organ opens a unique and fascinating window for us to look at the methods used by these early craftsmen. Each phase of the restoration revealed something new and interesting about the organbuilder and even the dating of the instrument. While notes found on the inside of the instrument placed its construction around 1906, techniques used by the builder point to a much earlier date, possibly as early as 1870.”
Pilcher made the organ almost entirely with hand tools, which made restoration even more challenging. Parsons decided to restore it using original materials and historic techniques.
The organ’s debut takes place on December 20 at 7 pm, featuring Denise Morphy. Jonathan Hall will play the dedication recital on January 18, 2013, at 7:30 pm.
For more details, call Parsons at 585-229-5888
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