Nathan Knutson plays the Chaconne in F Minor by Johann Pachelbel on the J. F. Nordlie Company Opus 15 organ at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Ambler, Pennsylvania. The organ is based on the 1807 Conrad Doll organ at Peace Church in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It had been moved in 1887, and in 1974 the Noack Organ Company completed a restoration of the organ, in which then apprentice John F. Nordlie assisted.
In 1985 John Nordlie built two replicas of this instrument, opus numbers 15 and 16, on speculation and listed them for sale. These two instruments were not intended to be historical copies of the original, but instead an homage to Doll’s skills as a case designer and builder.
Opus 15 first went to the original worship space at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of Sioux Falls; later it was moved to First United Methodist Church of Sioux Falls, and it finally moved to the Church of the Holy Apostles. Over the years the membership at Holy Apostles has changed. The diocese reorganized their congregations as they are known to do, and the building became a place where newly settled congregations from around the world could worship. The organ was used less and less, and eventually the diocese made the decision to reorganize once more. Nordlie purchased the organ, made repairs and restoration, and installed it at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, where the next new Nordlie organ will be installed in 2026. One manual and pull-down pedal, 6 stops, 8 ranks.
The organ is featured on the cover of the August 2025 issue of The Diapason:
https://www.thediapason.com/content/cover-feature-j-f-nordlie-company-opus-15
For information: https://jfnordlie.com/
