Organ restoration project begins at St. Mark's

Organist-Choirmaster Jordan Williams shared the following letter with the Parish on August 30, 2024

Next week restoration work will finally begin on our historic Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Organ. Pipe by pipe, the project will come to life, and you have a chance to witness the work yourself!

In May, the Vestry voted unanimously to hire Stephen L. Emery, Incorporated of Quakertown, Pennsylvania to complete the restoration. As we spoke with experts across the country about the project, we were reportedly told, “Steve Emery is your guy. Steve is the man for the job.” And we agree. Steve enjoys a cherished reputation within the organ world, and he frequently visits East Texas to oversee maintenance on a historic Aeolian-Skinner organ in Kilgore.

What will happen?

THIS SUNDAY is your last chance to hear the organ before the project begins. The Emery firm and its employees will arrive Tuesday, September 3. The restoration will include the removal of nearly all of 2,830 pipes and organ components.

YOU ARE INVITED to join us Saturday, September 7 between 10AM and 1PM to watch the packing process and perhaps help load a few pipes into the truck! Please call the church office, or email me if you’re interested in signing up.

The project will also include upgrades to the console (where the organist sits) and to the wiring and electronic control mechanisms. All cotton-covered wiring will be replaced with plastic-insulated wire in keeping with National Electrical Code regulations. The restoration will cost approximately $600,000. The St. Mark’s foundation voted to cover half of that cost, and we are pursuing grants and fundraising to cover the remaining $300,000. Designated gifts can be made to the parish office via check or “On Realm” by selecting “Organ Fund.”

Why now?

Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1391 is considered one of the finest examples of organ building from this time period. Renowned American organist and composer Dr. Charles Callahan once called the instrument, “a magnificent work of organ building…that has been lovingly cared for.” We’ve provided regular maintenance, but the instrument is now 62 years old, and many of the components need restoring to preserve the instrument’s integrity for future generations. Our goal is a comprehensive refurbishment, to address all components of the organ. Leather is located throughout the organ chamber (under pipes, connecting tubing, and covering air reservoirs.) Experts tell us, the fact that the leather is still functioning after 62 years is nothing short of a miracle. It’s a testament to the quality of leather that was used and the construction of the instrument. The leather that will be employed in the restoration is superior to what was available in 1962, and we believe this is an investment that will last a lifetime.

What happens in the meantime?

St. Mark’s has purchased a digital organ that will be installed in the Church. For several weeks, you’ll hear only piano. We anticipate having the digital organ ready to use in late September. Speakers will be installed in the chamber where the pipes usually sit. It will look and sound different, but we’re confident God will still be praised!

When will the pipe organ be back?

The entire project will take a year, maybe a little longer. St. Mark’s has retained organ consultant Jonathan Ambrosino to oversee the restoration process. This will include visits to Mr. Emery’s workshop in Pennsylvania and a visit (or visits) to Beaumont once the organ is re-installed. After each pipe is placed in its proper place, each must be carefully regulated through a process known as tonal finishing. Our goal is not to “change the sound” of anything, but rather to bring the instrument back into regulation and recreate the sound parishioners heard decades ago – a cleaner, perhaps more precise sound!

I’m immensely blessed to be overseeing this project, and I look forward to answering more of your questions as the project moves forward. My continued thanks to Father James, the Vestry, and the Foundation for their unwavering support. God has blessed us with the people and the means to make extraordinary music at St. Mark’s, and I ask for your prayers and support during this restoration.

Jordan Williams

Organist-Choirmaster