The organ console was dismantled on January 2nd and is being transported to R. A. Colby, Inc., Organ Builders. The stops will be refitted with new knobs and additional stops will be added. New digital voices will be installed in July to add an Echo division in the South gallery and additional stops in the main organ.
The keyboards will be replaced with new ivory and ebony keyboards as rebuilding the original keyboards was not practical. While the console upgrades are taking place, the organ will be played using two MIDI keyboards.
The restored Festival Trumpet pipes were installed on December 16th, just in time for Christmas, and they sound great (and loud!). The valves in the wind chests for the trumpet and the Positiv division have been replaced with new felt and leather by Chaz Dewsbury, skilled organ builder and curator of the organ. There are over 1200 valves to be replaced.
The pipes in the Great division have been voiced. Voicing (also called "tonal finishing") is the process of cutting and manipulating the parts of each pipe to produce the best tone. Each set (rank) of pipes is voiced so that they match each other in tone and volume, and each rank is voiced to blend with the other ranks in each division. Voicing is a meticulous process which requires technical skill and musical knowledge. Our tonal finisher, Bob Gladden, is a church musician and organ builder, and the sound of the organ is already noticeably improved as a result of his work.
John Parkyn is the consultant for the project. His experience and success as a consultant is evident in many churches in the area: The Cathedral-Basilica, Trinity Episcopal, Grace United Methodist, First United Methodist, and St. John's Episcopal Cathedral.
The restoration is expected to be completed in the fall of this year.
Ray McDonald
Organist and Director of Music
