First Presbyterian Church Organ
First Presbyterian Church Organ
As I noted in my annual report for 2010, the caretakers of our organ, Joe Dzeda and Nick Thompson-Allen, wrote to me late in 2009 that they think that, since the organ is now 40 years old, it is due for a thorough cleaning, inspection, and repair. On their recommendation, I invited Scot Huntington, a tracker-organ builder in Stonington, to come and evaluate the organ, and draw up an estimate of the cost of doing the work that he finds necessary. Scot spent a Saturday morning here in September, and sent me his estimate in late November.
Although the organ has been essentially trouble-free for 40 years, there is now considerable work which needs to be done to keep it performing consistently and well: it needs a new blower; the electrical circuits need to be updated; a number of parts need to be replaced; and the organ needs to be taken apart, both for a check of its inner workings, and for a thorough, once-in-40-years cleaning of all the pipes and chests. Scot’s estimate of $57,000 for all that needs to be done is a bit daunting, but it is essential that we maintain the organ carefully and responsibly, since we want it to last another forty years and more.
Accordingly, the Session voted earlier this year to go ahead with the project, and to contract with Scot Huntington to do the work. We do not have a formal contract yet, but he has definitively agreed to take on the project, and to do it early next year—sometime in the period from early January to mid-March. We have not secured funding for the entire project, although there is an existing organ fund which will get the work started.
Stay tuned for more on the organ project and its funding!
Pat McCreless
Director of Music
