J.F. Nordlie organ at First United Methodist, Sioux Falls, South Dakota re-consecrated

Bedient Pipe Organ Company, Roca, Nebraska, Opus 81
First Congregational Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
As organbuilding and organ performance evolve in the beginning of the 21st century, as financial resources of churches are often limited, there is renewed incentive to incorporate the good of past American organbuilding into new instruments. That is what we have done at First Congregational Church, Sioux Falls.
Although the practice of incorporating elements of former instruments into new ones has been perhaps shunned by some of our better builders in past decades and certainly by me, it was common in earlier times of organbuilding history for organbuilders to recycle functional components. Look at many stoplists of Arp Schnitger as reported by Gustav Foch and more often than not, some stops on a new instrument will be attributed to an earlier builder, or simply “vor Schn.”
This practice has certainly occurred in American organbuilding throughout our history and with varying degrees of success. The advisability and resulting success depends on the style of organ being built and the skills of the organbuilder.
Based on our successful combination of new and old in our Opus 81, the practice of “reuse and renew” continues to be a logical organbuilding technique.
Our goals were: 1) To rebuild and enhance the existing organ to make it reliable and visually attractive; 2) To create an organ rich in fundamental sound that would generate a wide dynamic range for various accompanimental tasks as well as lead hymn singing; 3) To create a variety of beautiful sounds for playing organ literature; 4) To integrate the old with the new in such a manner that the two work together seamlessly; and 5) To improve the internal layout of the organ to make it an easy organ to tune and service.
The lack of a comprehensive approach to work that had been done over the past 40 years had left things in a state of disarray. A new control system had been installed a few years before our involvement. The main control panel had been removed from its wooden packing crate, set on top of the crate, leaned against a windchest leg and wired in place! There was a nightmare of cables and individual wires running helter-skelter. Pipes were leaning to and fro. The layout of main windchests and offsets was illogical and used the space inefficiently. The Great windchest had serious defects and had to be replaced. This allowed us to totally reconfigure the Great and Pedal organs and their related offset chests. Some offset chests were retained, and a new Pedal windchest was made, allowing us to clean up the Pedal division and organize it in a meaningful way. The available space behind the façade for the Great and Pedal divisions was limited, but we were able to make a very good and serviceable layout.
What most people know about an organ is what they can see. We were able to make a dramatic change in this instrument by replacing the uninteresting façade of non-speaking pipes with one of dynamic appearance that also creates inviting, living sounds. If an organ looks beautiful, the viewer is more inclined to want to hear the instrument. If it sounds great and looks beautiful, the viewer’s expectation is realized and it sounds even better than anticipated.
Besides the non-speaking façade, the organ we inherited was characterized by a marked lack of harmonic interest. Thankfully, there were individual stops with potential that served a meaningful place in our new tonal scheme. We were able to provide an almost totally new Great division, and that was an important advantage—being able to present the core of the organ as a new division of beautiful sounds with a rich principal ensemble. Having said that, we did retain the old Great Mixture. We were able to improve it by increasing the cut-ups and making it a darker, less edgy, and generally very satisfactory sound. The new Great is an amalgamation of Germanic and French ideas from our varied tonal palette at Bedient. The Great Trompete is a dark German reed that blends well with the ensemble. When used with the Great principal chorus based on 16′ pitch or 8′ pitch, it makes a grand but not overwhelming sound and is very suitable for supporting hymn singing. The Flûte harmonique, straight out of the Cavaillé-Coll tradition, is a wonderful addition—especially in the renewed, live acoustic.
The Swell division was greatly enhanced by some revoicing and the addition of a new Trompette 8′, Clairon 4′ and a new Mixture. The Swell is now a very effective division, and there is quite a dramatic difference between Swell shades open and closed. The Choir division, previously lacking in fundamental, was greatly improved by the addition of a new Principal 8′. Adding a Mixture gave the Choir a complete chorus. The completed specification includes a principal chorus in each division.
The original specification called for a new solo trumpet stop. Well into the design, it occurred to me that this stop would be more usable and effective if it were placed en chamade instead of in the Choir chamber as planned. For those of us who have spent much of our lives clinging to ladders trying to reach and service en chamade reeds, we offer relief in this installation. Flats of pipes directly under the en chamade reed hinge outward and the stop can be tuned conveniently from a walkboard behind the façade by reaching out and up a short distance.
The Pedal division was enhanced by the addition of new reed stops as well as a Pedal Mixture. There are always many judgment calls in organbuilding. The Pedal Bombarde, Trompette, and Clairon began life in our shop as typical French, parallel shallot reeds of the French trompette tradition. It was apparent upon hearing them in the new, lively acoustic that they created too much sound. We took all of the lower registers back to the shop and put brass plates on the shallots to reduce the openings and thus the amount of sound created. They are still very prominent reeds, but fit the ensemble and help create a very exciting tutti. The bottom eight notes of the old Pedal Principal 16′ were retained as well as treble pipes of the Pedal Principal 8′ and a Choral Bass 4′.
The Möller console had been modernized at least two times before our involvement in the project. We were able to make a good stopknob layout and add the stops needed in a logical way. Piston slips were replaced to make a better piston layout. We added a “tracker touch” system to the keyboards to improve the feel. The entire console was disassembled and the finish carefully restored to match the beautiful oak woodwork in the sanctuary.
The organ has three manuals and pedals, 45 speaking stops, 57 ranks of pipes, totaling 3,138 individual pipes. The wooden organ pipes are made of sugar pine, fir, and poplar, and the metal pipes are made of zinc as well as various alloys of tin and lead. With the exception of the façade pipes, the new pipework was fabricated in the Bedient shop.
The organ façade is made of red oak and employs decorative motifs found in the decoration of the nave and its furnishings. It is enhanced by pipe shades carved of basswood, giving the organ a depth of artistic visual character.
The organbuilders who made the instrument:
Arden Bock
Jasmine Beach
Gene Bedient
Gwen Bedient
Duane Grosse
Chad Johnson
Todd Lange
Paul Lytle
Mark Miller
Eric Smith
Jason Smith
Edward Stibal
Jonathan Taylor
Fred Zander
Todd Znamenáček

The organ was dedicated on February 8, 2008 by Douglas Cleveland, who played to a capacity audience. Special thanks is offered to Eric Grane of the
J. F. Nordlie Co., who worked with me in the tuning and voicing of the instrument. It is our hope that this new instrument will provide inspiration and worship enhancement to all who see and hear it over the coming generations.
—Gene R. Bedient, Organbuilder

Like so many downtown churches, First Congregational United Church of Christ has had to ask the question, “Who are we and what are we doing here?” Circumstances such as space for the activities of ministry, adequate parking, and maintenance of our historic building keep these from being just philosophical questions. During the past decade, several groups of dedicated church members have again wrestled with these issues. These discussions have brought together and empowered a wide variety of special interests and focused them into a vision that has guided us in addressing our challenges and facing our future.
Drawing on the historic traditions of the Congregationalists in America, we seek to create an environment that encourages people to come together, not only for worship, but for learning, public discourse and the sharing of ideas. We believe that it is in the honest exploration and expression of our own creative gifts that God still speaks in our world today. Our remodeled sanctuary is reminiscent of the early meeting houses in that it is a simple, versatile space. Yet, it also inspires and enables a creative spirit with colors in the walls and windows and the magnificent new façade of the Bedient pipe organ.
Since this building was first constructed in 1907, the organ has always had a central place in the sanctuary and a central function in the things that happened there. The most recent organ was a 1932 Möller, rebuilt and enlarged in 1967 by Reuter. It seemed that about every 20 years some major maintenance and improvement was undertaken, but the organ was never fully completed. It served the congregation very well, but was missing some basic components including a swell mixture and independent pedal reeds. The console controls needed updating, as well.
An organ committee was formed to review the situation and develop a proposal. As the committee did its work, it became clear that there was strong sentiment for a more involved project to not only address the problems, but complete and expand the instrument as a significant part of the evolving sanctuary renovation that was also being planned. A preliminary specification was developed and builders were contacted for their input.
Upon the recommendation of Dr. Larry Schou, Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of South Dakota, the Bedient Organ Company was on our list of builders contacted. Initially Gene Bedient was not interested in the project as it had been presented. When he was contacted for further discussion, our conversations revealed a depth of care and concern for the art of organbuilding that impressed everyone. Further discussions, as well as a visit to the Bedient shop and several new and rebuilt instruments, convinced the committee that this was the builder we wanted to work with.
As we continued to work with Bedient, the project evolved further. The most notable suggestion that was enthusiastically adopted by the committee was the replacement of the existing “picket-fence” non-speaking façade with fully functional pipework arranged in a beautiful new oak case that complemented perfectly the existing woodwork in our century-old sanctuary. This new feature brought the organ into the mainstream of the larger sanctuary renovation project, providing a striking visual element that appealed to many who had not been particularly invested in the organ before.
The specification was finalized and the contract signed, and on November 11, 2007, nearly 50 members of the congregation gathered to help unload the truck containing the new Bedient organ. The organ was dedicated with a weekend of celebration February 8–10, 2008. Events included a concert by Douglas Cleveland, a Pedals, Pipes and Pizza event, and festival worship services including a formal Rite of Dedication on Sunday morning.
The organ has inspired us in our worship and attracted a great deal of interest in our developing Arts Ministry. The combination of the open versatile chancel space, excellent acoustics, and the organ located in the front of the room have already attracted several area choral groups to perform here. We hope to continue to reach out and encourage people to develop and share their creative expressions with us and each other.
Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to former Pastor Arlan Fick, whose leadership encouraged and inspired us to dare to dream this big. Thanks also to former music associate Brian Williams, who did a great deal of work in the early stages, to Rev. Norm Shomper for his leadership throughout this project, to Dave Sellers and the members of the organ committee, to Rev. Kathryn Timpany for her enthusiastic support, and to Gene Bedient, Paul Lytle and the rest of the Bedient crew for sharing their creative artistry with us.
—Jack Mohlenhoff
Minister of Music and Arts
First Congregational Church
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

When Washington High School closed its doors in downtown Sioux Falls in 1992, the citizens of this thriving Midwestern city recognized an opportunity they could not pass up “to contribute to the artistic and cultural well-being of our community and state.” The native quartzite stone building is now the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Sciences. It houses the Kirby Science Discovery Center, an Imax theater, a black box theater, a Visual Arts Center, Leonardo’s Cafe, and the Husby Performing Arts Center, whose jewel in the crown is the stunning Great Hall.
First Congregational United Church of Christ sits directly across the street from the Pavilion. Made from the same native quartzite, it is home to a visionary congregation. For several years we have been developing a mission that is reflected in our motto—“God’s hands at work in the heart of the city”—that includes offering our meeting house as a place where people can experience the intersection of faith and the arts. Our recent renovation of the sanctuary, including the completion of the organ, symbolizes our investment in that vision.
Our weekly worship services are joyous occasions. The Bedient organ, under the expert artistic direction of Jack Mohlenhoff, our Minister of Music and Arts, sings us into praise and soothes our anxieties with its rich arrays of sounds and moods. The visual panorama the organ provides, together with our vibrant stained glass windows, draws us out of ourselves and turns us toward transcendent mystery. There is a creative spirit that is active in our midst, and our organ is the breath beneath our ribs, the vehicle of our song.
It is a great privilege to serve such a congregation, one in which traditional forms of worship and instruments of artistic expression are deeply valued, and generosity is understood as a joyful mark of Christian discipleship. The Bedient organ builders have given us an instrument crafted with the same sense of reverence and perfection that we bring to all aspects of our community life The congregation and the community will be blessed by this gift for generations to come.
—Rev. Kathryn Timpany
Senior Pastor

Bedient Opus 81
First Congregational Church
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

GREAT
16′ Principal 1–8 Reuter,
9–61 new, 9–37 in façade
8′ Principal new, 1–25 in façade
8′ Bourdon Reuter
8′ Flûte harmonique new
4′ Octave new, 1–10 in façade
4′ Spitzflute new
22⁄3′ Quinte new
2′ Fifteenth Reuter
IV Mixture Reuter
8′ Trompete new
8′ Solo Trumpet (Choir)
Carillon
Zimbelstern
Chimes

SWELL
16′ Gedackt Möller
8′ Viole de Gambe Reuter
8′ Voix céleste Reuter
8′ Gedackt Möller
4′ Principal Reuter
4′ Harmonic Flute Möller
22⁄3′ Nazard Reuter
2′ Blockflote Reuter
13⁄5′ Tierce Reuter
IV Plein jeu new
16′ Contrafagott Reuter
8′ Trompette new
8′ Fagott (ext)
8′ Oboe Reuter
4′ Clairon new
8′ Solo Trumpet (Choir)
Tremulant
Carillon
Swell 16
Swell Unison
Swell 4

CHOIR
16′ Quintaton Reuter
8′ Diapason new
8′ Holtzflote Reuter
8′ Viole d’Amore Reuter
8′ Viole celeste Reuter
4′ Spitzprincipal Reuter
4′ Koppelflote Reuter
22⁄3′ Nazard new
2′ Octave Reuter
13⁄5′ Tierce new
11⁄3′ Quinte Reuter
IV Scharf new
8′ Krummhorn Reuter
8′ Solo Trumpet new,
13–54 en chamade, 1–12 inside
Harp
Tremulant
Choir 16
Choir Unison
Choir 4

PEDAL
32′ Contrebourdon (from Bourdon 16)
16′ Principal (Gt)
16′ Bourdon mixed
16′ Gedackt (Sw)
102⁄3′ Quinte (from Principal 16)
8′ Octave 1–12 new in façade
8′ Bourdon (ext)
8′ Gedackt (Sw)
4′ Choral Bass Reuter
4′ Bourdon (ext)
IV Mixture new
32′ Contrebombarde (prepared)
16′ Bombarde new
16′ Fagott (Sw)
8′ Trompette new
8′ Fagott (Sw)
4′ Fagott (Sw)
4′ Clairon new

Couplers
Great/Pedal
Swell/Pedal
Choir/Pedal
Great 16
Swell/Great 16, 8, 4
Choir/Great 16, 8, 4
Swell Unison Off, 16, 4
Choir Unison Off, 16, 4
Swell/Choir 16, 8
Reverse Choir/Great

J. F. Nordlie Company, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Ida Roberts Memorial Chapel Organ,
Kernersville Moravian Church, Kernersville, North Carolina
Dedicated on May 6, 2007, Moravian Music Sunday

From the builder
My first encounter with Kernersville Moravian Church was a short visit in 1991. At the request of the newly appointed organist and choir director, Wayne Leupold, I made a visit to look at the new sanctuary under construction and talk about a new organ and placement in that room. It was a bit early to evaluate acoustics, with only a slab of concrete, half-completed masonry walls, and steel structure reaching to the open sky; however, the space, volume, and materials indicated by the architect’s prints showed much promise of an exciting room. Several more visits of introduction, planning, sales, and contract negotiations ensued, and in June 2003 we dedicated a new mechanical-action organ of three manuals with 40 ranks of pipes comprising its tonal resources. The promise of a new pipe organ that Wayne Leupold had envisioned when accepting the job at Kernersville Moravian Church, some 12 years earlier, was a reality.
It was first during the design of the new sanctuary organ that Wayne started to talk with me about what might be done with the organ in the now “Historic Chapel,” the original sanctuary of the Kernersville Moravian Church, built in 1867. Wayne had originally shown me the organ that he played in the chapel in 1991. It was an undistinguished four-rank unit organ tucked away in a makeshift organ chamber. The instrument was built in 1950 of supply-house parts, without builder identification. It was already suffering with reliability issues, but had a dedicated service technician to keep it functioning and a skillful organist to hide the problems. As I remember, we spent little time looking at it.
The “Historic Chapel” had seen many changes since its construction, originally built as a simple, yet elegant, rectangular room; the chancel and nave occupied the space with little architectural definition. Any music being made within these walls would have had a wonderful presence. The high plastered ceiling, wooden floor, and hard walls would have given the spoken word and music space in which to bloom. Throughout the years changes had been made to provide space for an ever-growing congregation and “modernize” the church. At one point a balcony was added to provide more seating, and at another, carpet and padded pews were deemed necessary. In 1950 a major building project was completed, adding a parish hall, kitchen, and yet further changes to the chapel. At this point, a room that had been a kitchen was opened in back of the chancel. This new space became the choir loft and home for the then new organ’s console, with the pipes speaking through a small tonal opening high and to the right. Unfortunately, the barrel-vaulted ceiling and low stage-like proscenium of this choir room did nothing to project the sound of the choir or enhance the acoustics of the room.
Our discussions regarding a new organ for the “Historic Chapel” started during our installation of the new sanctuary organ. Considered by many a “pipe dream,” the talk focused on design of the casework and—given the Moravian connection with David Tannenberg—the appropriateness of that style of cabinetry in the room. The “Historic Chapel” was now used for one weekly Sunday morning service and smaller weddings and funerals. Music was accompanied by piano, as the 1950 four-rank unit organ was unreliable and deemed no longer economically serviceable by the local technician.
In June 2004 Ida Roberts, whose initial gift started the organ fund for the sanctuary organ, died at the age of 104. One of Ida’s greatest worries was that she might not live long enough to see the new sanctuary organ complete. She lived long enough to hear the sanctuary organ in recital several times, and evidently she must have enjoyed her investment, for when her bequest was made public in September 2004, the church found that she had left a large amount of money to the organ fund. Since the debt on the sanctuary organ had been retired, it was decided that a portion of the money Ida had left would go to purchase an organ for the “Historic Chapel.”
It was at this point that I, my tonal designer and voicer Eric Grane, and Wayne started to have serious talks regarding budgetary restraints and what we needed to accomplish in the tonal design of the chapel organ. Of course, the visual and tonal design would have to reflect something of the Moravian heritage. This was even more emphasized by the recent awareness of the restoration of the 1800 Tannenberg organ in Old Salem. The instrument would have to serve the needs of the church in leading hymns and playing appropriate literature. The church had recently started identifying those interested in studying organ performance and providing lessons. It was realized that the new organ would be used as a practice instrument and must be similar in key compass and console configuration and contain similarities in tonal warmth and color with the sanctuary organ. Eric and I determined that with rescaling and careful voicing we might be able to use three of the four ranks of pipes in the existing chapel organ without detriment to the tonal quality of the new organ. This of course helped stretch our funds and pleased those that wanted a connection to the past and/or a more “green” instrument. A contract for the chapel organ was signed in July 2005.
There were those who wanted the organ to be placed in the choir loft area to preserve seating. The organ committee and I successfully argued that this placement would damage the sound and beauty of a new organ and continue to hamper the choir’s efforts. We compromised somewhat on the position of the new free-standing organ in order to preserve as much space as possible on the chancel floor. The Great and Pedal pipes stand within the casework projecting into the chapel, with the swell box at the very front of the “choir room” speaking through the façade of the Great. If anything, the position of the free-standing swell box helps the desired effect. The carpet and several rows of pews were removed from the chancel area, and hardwood floor installed. This helps project the organ’s sound and creates a marvelous space for musicians and the choir to perform.
The tireless beauty of but a few well-voiced stops in a small pipe organ never ceases to amaze me. Their limitations are only subject to the creativity of the artist playing the keys. I learned this from my wise teachers including Fritz Noack and Gene Doutt over 30 years ago, and strive to incorporate this tonal beauty into every instrument I build.
The greatest compliment I can receive is to be asked to build a second instrument for a church just having purchased one from me. I thank Kernersville Moravian Church for their trust and appreciation of my work.
—­John F. Nordlie

Those having contributed to the construction of this instrument include John F. Nordlie, design; Eric J. Grane, voicing; Paul E. Nordlie, construction; Dale Krause, construction; Arnie Bortnem, pipe shades; Betsy Oerter, installation; Neil Oerter, installation.
Suppliers include Gebruder Kaes, Bonn, Germany, flue pipes; Matters Inc., Haskell inserts; Aug. Laukhuff, blower; Klaus Knoeckel, console lighting; Eastern Organ Pipes, oboe.

From the consultant
This is an organ for a vibrant congregation of the Moravian Church in America. Moravians have a strong practice of not only preserving the best of their rich traditions and musical heritage but also being open to quality innovations from the present. The primary impetus in the design of this instrument is for this organ to assist the worship of God by being able to accompany with variety the many hymns that Moravians sing in every worship service. It is the result of a bequest by Ida Herman Roberts, a longtime active member of the church, who taught third grade for many years and died at age 104 without any children. Her will stipulated that half of her bequest be spent for a new pipe organ. It was decided to put the organ in the church’s chapel, an 1867 Victorian-style sanctuary that seats about 250 people. The organ is named in her honor.
The organ features mechanical action. This basic design has been essentially unchanged for many centuries, due to its simplicity, subtle musical expressiveness, and unrivaled durability. If well maintained, this organ should last for hundreds of years. The keydesk is attached to the case.
The tonal design, voicing, and façade is inspired by the 1800 David Tannenberg, two-manual, restored organ in the new auditorium of the Old Salem Moravian museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Thus, the majority of the ranks are scaled and voiced in an early 19th-century American style and possess great refinement and gentleness. Of particular interest is the Gambe 8′ on the Great whose initial speech characteristics are subtly similar to the sound of a bow striking a string on a viola da gamba. To this basic framework a judicious addition of a string Céleste 8′ was made to incorporate a modicum of historical development from the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
Thanks to the artistic skill of builder John Nordlie and his voicer Eric Grane, a beautiful, integrated artistic ensemble has been created. Thus, variety, individuality, and flexibility are artistically combined to achieve great expressiveness and a wonderful unity of ensemble.
—Wayne Leupold
Organist emeritus and organ consultant, Kernersville Moravian Church

Kernersville Moravian Church
J. F. Nordlie Company – Pipe Organ Builders

GREAT
8′ Diapason (70% tin façade)
8′ Flûte Traversière (50% spotted metal)
8′ Gambe (70% tin, 1–8 common bass)
4′ Principal (50% spotted metal)
4′ Flûte d’Amour (50% spotted metal)
2′ Fifteenth (50% spotted metal)

SWELL (enclosed, balanced mechanical swell pedal)
8′ Stopped Diapason (white oak & 50%
spotted metal)
8′ Salicional (revoiced)
8′ Céleste EE (revoiced)
4′ Flûte Harmonique (50% spotted metal)
8′ Oboe (50% spotted metal)
Tremulant
Zimbelstern (hook-down toe lever; 5 bells under expression)

PEDAL
16′ Bourdon (wood, rescaled & revoiced)
8′ Flute (extension of Bourdon 16′)

Couplers (hook-down toe levers)
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great

12 ranks, 13 stops, 703 pipes
Mechanical key and stop action with pneumatic pedal offset chests
32-note AGO concave-radiating pedalboard
Reverse color 61-note keyboards (ebony naturals with bone capped sharps)
Cone-tuned and soldered-fast metal pipework
Modified Bach WTC 1722/Bradley Lehman temperament
Single-rise sprung static reservoir
Double-rise weighted main reservoir
High-speed blower with VFD (variable frequency drive) speed control
Adjustable bench with backrest
Pencil storage drawer
Music desk and pedalboard light

The Augustana Arts - Reuter Undergraduate Organ Competition took place the first week of March at Augustana Lutheran Church, Denver, Colorado. This new national competition is unique in three ways: it is open only to undergraduates; the competitors are required to perform a concerto; and it includes hymn playing. Now in its second year, the competition is a joint effort by the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas, and Augustana Arts, a performing arts series in Denver, Colorado, based at Augustana Lutheran Church.

The competition began with the efforts of Cindy Lindeen-Martin, former coordinator of the Ottumwa, Iowa competition, who is organist and associate minister of music at Augustana Lutheran Church. Michael Shasberger is minister of music at Augustana, which has a chamber orchstra, thus making possible a concerto component. Last year's finalists have gone on to win other competitions and play recitals around the country. Three of the last eight finalists will be heard in a special recital, "Rising Stars," at the AGO national convention in Philadelphia.

This year's competition took place on March 9 on the Reuter Opus 2071 (IV/65) at Augustana Lutheran Church. Each of the four finalists played for 45 minutes: Christopher Jacobson, a junior studying with John Ferguson at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota; Lars Gjerde, originally from Norway and now a senior at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he studies with Marilyn Schempp; Christian Lane, a junior at the Eastman School of Music, studying with David Higgs; and Rico Contenti, a sophomore student of David Higgs at the Eastman School.

First prize ($5000) went to Christian Lane; second prize ($2000) to Rico Contenti; and honorable mention ($500 each) to Christopher Jacobson and Lars Gjerde. (Total prize money of $8000 is provided by the Reuter Organ Company.) The judges for the competition were Marilyn Mason, Joseph Galema, and Joyce Shupe Kull.

On Sunday, March 10, Jacobson, Gjerde and Contenti participated in the church's 10:15 am worship service, playing the prelude, postlude and one hymn. On Sunday afternoon, Marilyn Mason conducted a masterclass at Whatley Chapel, closing the session with a performance of Bach's Toccata,  Adagio and Fugue in C, BWV 564. In the evening a concert featured Christian Lane, Cindy Lindeen-Martin, the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra, and the Augustana Chamber Choir, conducted by Michael Shasberger. The program opened with the Concertino for Organ, Strings, and Percussion by Pierre Petit, played by Lindeen-Martin and the orchestra, followed by the Te Deum by Charpentier. The rest of the program focussed on the competition, the finalists and the first prize winner. After presentations of the prizes by representatives of the Augustana Foundation, the Denver AGO chapter, and the Reuter Organ Company, Christian Lane played the Final from Vierne's First Organ Symphony. There followed Corrette's Concerto No. 2 in A, played by Lane and the chamber orchestra.

The third annual competition is scheduled for March 13-16, 2003. More information can be found on the Augustana and Reuter web sites:

<www.augustanaarts.org&gt;

<www.reuterorgan.com&gt;.

--S. Christopher Leaver

David Spicer began as Minister of Music and the Arts at First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1986. In 1996 he and Harold Robles founded the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. Spicer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Alexander McCurdy, and is a graduate of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

It hardly seems possible that twelve years have gone by since we began the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival! We have experienced outstanding applicants, who reflected wonderful, superb teaching, outstanding adjudicators, and a remarkable and consistently high level of music making.
Beautiful New England weather gave an idyllic setting for the festival. On Friday evening, September 10, our traditional opening concert was held. The service/choral portions were played by the writer:

Prelude: Benedictus, op. 59, no. 9, Max Reger (played also at the first annual festival)
Psalm 150, César Franck
Hymn: Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation (tune: Christ Church), Richard W. Dirksen
Kyrie (from Messe Solennelle, op. 16), Louis Vierne
He Comes to Us (text by Albert Schweitzer), Jane Marshall
Go Ye into All the World, Robert Wetzler
Hymn: Let Heaven Rejoice (tune: Rock Harbor) (text by Hal M. Helms), Alan MacMillan

The three judges were each invited to play a selection of their own choosing. The artists’ playing from the balcony was projected onto a screen downstairs in the historic Meetinghouse. Frederick Hohman played his arrangement of Arioso (Suite No. 3 in D) by J. S. Bach. Wilma Jensen played Méditation à Ste. Clothilde by Philip James. John Weaver then played Chorale Prelude on Ellers followed by Fantasy on Sine Nomine, both his own compositions.
Saturday morning, from 9 to noon, the three high school division finalists played the required repertoire. At 2 pm the young professional division finalists were heard. The combined repertoire of these six finalists included hymn tunes: St. Thomas (Williams), Coronation, Ein’ Feste Burg, Diademata, Slane, and Veni Creator; Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542, Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543, Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 539, Trio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat Major, BWV 525, and Trio Sonata No. 5 in C Major, BWV 529; Widor: Cantabile (from Symphony No. 6 in G Minor), Andante Cantabile (from Symphony No. 4 in F), and Andante Sostenuto (from Symphonie Gothique); Franck: Choral No. 2 in B Minor and Choral No. 3 in A Minor; Eben: Moto Ostinato (from Sunday Music); Jongen: Sonata Eroïca, op. 94; Jehan Alain: Aria; Duruflé: Scherzo, op. 2; Messiaen: Dieu parmi nous (Nativité du Seigneur, IX).
Immediately afterwards, all finalists and judges had a chance for interaction and discussion over a delicious meal provided by Dana Spicer at Mainly Tea, directly across the street from the Meetinghouse.
On Sunday, September 12, all finalists played portions of the 8, 9:15, and 11 am worship services. At 1:30 pm, a masterclass with the three judges was held. Many important topics were covered, and awards were presented.

The judges’ decisions
High School Division: first place, Bryan Anderson from Stockbridge, Georgia, a student of Sarah L. Martin; second place, Deniz Uz from Longwood, Florida, a student of Terry Yount and currently with Thomas Bara at the Interlochen Arts Academy; third place, Clarence Chaisson from South Lancaster, Massachusetts, a student of Christa Rakich.
Young Professional Division: first place, Adam Pajan from New Haven, Connecticut, formerly a student of Charles Boyd Tompkins at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and currently with Martin Jean at Yale University; second place, Clayton Roberts from Houston, Texas, a student of Robert Bates at the University of Houston; third place: Jonathan Hehn from South Bend, Indiana, a student of Craig Cramer at the University of Notre Dame.
We are very grateful to Charles Callahan for serving as the screening judge for initial recorded examples of these organists and other applicants.
We are also grateful to Leigh and Betty Standish for the $2000 award for first prize in the high school division. The young professional division first prize of $3500 was given by Robert Bausmith and Jill Peters-Gee, M.D. Thanks go to John Gorton and Richard Pilch for providing $750 for the David Spicer Hymn Playing Award, which was awarded to high school division finalist Bryan Anderson. Other prizes and gifts toward the festival—including the high school division second prize of $1000 and the young professional division second prize of $1500—came from Austin Organs, Inc., Marilyn Austin & the Austin family, and several individuals in the First Church family. We also thank Dr. Paul Bender for his gift to this festival.
Special thanks go to Bon Smith of Austin Organ Service Company of Avon, Connecticut, who was on hand throughout the Saturday competition to offer assistance, should the organ need it, as well as his gracious gift of tuning and maintenance for this festival. Austin Organ Service Company is the regular curator of this instrument, serviced by Alex Belair and Michael Tanguay.
Our thanks to William Dean, music committee chair; Andrea Volpe, ASOF chair; and Linda Henderson, assistant, for so ably performing the organizational work that made the festival run smoothly and efficiently.
Churches that allowed their instruments to be used for additional practice include Trinity Episcopal Church, Wethersfield, Bruce Henley, organist-choirmaster; St. John’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Ralph Valentine, organist-choirmaster; St. James’ Episcopal Church, also in West Hartford, Jason Roberts, organist-choirmaster; First Church of Christ, Glastonbury, Angela Salcedo, director of music ministries; Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford, Ezequiel Menéndez, music director; and Bethany Covenant Church, Berlin, Olga Ljungholm, minister of music.
The 2009 first-place winners, Bryan Anderson and Adam Pajan, will perform in recital on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at 7 pm at the First Church of Christ, Wethersfield, Connecticut.
The 2010 Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival will have the following judges for the competition: Joyce Jones, Charles Callahan, and Frederick Hohman. Plans are underway to feature these organists in the opening concert of the festival on Friday evening, September 10, at 7:30 pm. The ASOF committee is hoping to invite six qualified young organists to compete in the two divisions on Saturday, September 11. Information about the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival and current requirements for the competition are available by telephone at 860/529-1575 ext. 209, by e-mail at [email protected], or by viewing the ASOF website: www.firstchurch.org/ASOF.