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First Presbyterian Church Organ

An Update from Music Director Pat McCreless

The renovation of our Hillebrand tracker organ has begun! You’ll remember that our organ tuning and maintenance technicians recommended, about a year and a half ago, that we undertake a
once-every-forty-years refurbishing of the organ. The instrument has been virtually maintenance-free since its installation in 1969, but, not surprisingly, it now has some parts that are worn, it needs a thorough cleaning, and in general it just needs a complete goingover to insure that it is as dependable in its next forty years as it has been in its first forty.

The Thompson-Allen Organ Company, which has maintained the organ since it was installed, told us that they do not do major work on tracker organs like ours, and they suggested that we work with Scot Huntington, of SLH Organs in Stonington. The session approved our contracting with him for the work, and we drew up a contract with him in the fall.

The first stage has been to move, update, and bring up to code the electrical wiring for the organ.  A local electrician, working with Scot, did this work in early January. This enabled Scot to
dismantle and remove the old blower motor, do some significant repair work for (an unpleasant surprise!) water damage, and install the new motor. He completed the work on January 23.

We can already hear a dramatic difference: the new motor is far quieter than the old one–so quiet that a number of choir members noticed instantly that they could barely hear the organ running on the first Sunday after the installation. The next stage is the large-scale removing and cleaning of the pipes, and the inspection and repair, as necessary, of all inner parts. Scot cannot begin this work until late May or early June, at which point the organ will be unusable for a month or so.

And so, we’re in good shape–on budget, with the new work already making a substantial difference in the performance of the organ. Thanks to all church members who generously donated to a fund for the renovation!
Pat McCreless
Music Director

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