John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois, has signed a contract to design and build its Opus 46, a new organ for Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The three-manual instrument will have 44 independent speaking stops and 54 ranks of pipes in the following divisions: Great, Swell, Solo, and Pedal. A substantial portion of the Great division (flutes, strings, and reeds) will be placed in its own expression box, which may be independently coupled to any other division to increase registrational flexibility. The action will utilize electrically operated slider and pallet windchests.
The organ is part of the congregation’s renovation and expansion project. The organ’s visual component has been designed to honor the classical nature of the building’s architecture and features the large pipes of the 8′ stops and a portion of the 16′ Pedal Diapason. Completion is scheduled for December 2018. For information: www.buzardorgans.com.
