Music
Jon Meacham Introduces the Organ Replacement Project
September 2011 Organ Blower Update
In time for the return of the full Saint Thomas Choir of Men & Boys this September, the Spencer blower for the chancel organ has been rebuilt by Foley Baker and reinstalled in a newly renovated blower room. The blower housing has been repaired and powder coated, the internal baffles cleaned and painted and new fans installed. The old DC motor has been replaced with a new AC motor with a state-of-the art motor control and the blower room windlines have been updated.August 2011 Organ Blower Update
Great progress has been made on the refurbishment of the organ blower, which was removed from the church in June. Click on the pics below to expand.
Late June 2011 Update: In the Wind...
Mr. John Bishop, the organist, author, and organbuilder, attended an Easter service in April 2011 at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York City.
Describing the experience in his monthly column, “In the wind…,” Mr. Bishop also gives his opinion on the chancel pipe organ of our church.
Mr. Bishop is executive director of the Organ Clearing House, founded in 1959 for the preservation of pipe organs that need new homes. He graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a degree in Organ Performance. His 30 year career as a church musician includes 17 years as director of music at Centre Congregational Church, Lynnfield, Mass.
Early June 2011 Update: Organ Blower Removed & Electronic Organ Installed
During the summer choir holiday, our main organ blower, which dates from 1913, is undergoing essential maintenance and restoration. The Rector’s April Chronicle describes this in more detail. We are fortunate in having the Loening-Hancock organ on the gallery, and the Martha Dodge continuo organ in the choir to help lead our worship in the absence of the Arents Memorial Organ. But in order to provide accompaniments for some of the visiting choirs, we have moved the 3 manual Allen Electronic organ from the Choir School and placed it in the choir to be used when necessary.Photos of the organ blower, removed during the week of June 12, 2011, are below.
The blower as it was before removal (click on pics to expand):
The blower removed (click on pics to expand):
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FROM THE RECTOR:
AN URGENT MESSAGE ABOUT THE GREAT ORGAN With some urgency, I must inform the world beyond our parish — especially our many friends who enjoy presentations by The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys — of the perilous state of the Great Organ and pray that people with the financial means to do so will respond to this message. 1. The thrilling superficial sound from the Great Organ masks the fact that this royal instrument is nearing collapse. This organ, parts of it a century old, arguably gets more use from the numerous rehearsals, concerts, recitals and at least six weekly liturgical services than any other organ in any setting in the United States. 2. It is neither artistically nor financially prudent to attempt to rehabilitate the Great Organ again. Its useful life simply has ended. We cannot allow the failure of this instrument to impair our mission or threaten the musical integrity and future of our magnificent Choir. 3. We have in hand from Dobson Organ Builders an exciting design to build and install a new organ. The estimated cost is $8 million. 4. In order to finance the upkeep of the church building and Choir School, Saint Thomas already draws down too heavily on its invested funds, an issue on which the Vestry and I are keenly focused. We cannot pay for a new organ out of these invested funds. 5. Within the parish, which annually gives more than $1.2 million for general operations, we have raised an additional $10.2 million for capital projects, of which more than $3 million is earmarked for the Great Organ. (The balance went to the equally vital renovation of our stained glass windows, which were threatening to fall out.) We have thoroughly canvassed our parishioners, and we know that they have done all that they are capable of doing. 6. We need an additional $5 million in order to commence the organ project. Can you help me, or do you know someone — a person, a family, a foundation — who can? If so, please be in touch with me by telephone, mail or email, or make a donation online. With faith that God will sustain us,
The Reverend Andrew C. Mead, Rector
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March 2010: A Presentation to the Parish
On March 7, 2010, Father Andrew Mead, John Scott, Jonathan Ambrosino, Kenneth Koen and Karl Saunders updated the parish on developments toward building a new chancel organ, a much-needed project which will help us carry out our mission to "worship, love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ through the Anglican tradition and our unique choral heritage" for what we hope will be another century to come.
You may listen to an audio webcast of the presentation here.
A transcript of John Scott's remarks may be downloaded here.
You may watch a 9-minute video on the case for a new organ here.
The replacement of the Great Organ cannot begin without funding fully in place, for the simple reason that anything less than a fully built organ will be useless to the church. Please give generously to our Capital Campaign so that we can begin and complete this project according to a timeline that we choose, rather than a timeline that is chosen for us, should our current organ fail to function. The current organ currently requires weekly maintenance.
