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St. Alban’s is pleased to announce that in 2021 it will be the recipient of a new organ built by Schoenstein & Co. of Benicia, CA. The installation of the new organ will coincide with major acoustical improvements to the church itself, thus ensuring the best possible setting for the world class music that is offered weekly by the choir and organists of the parish.
The Schoenstein company has been established since 1877 and is one of America’s oldest and largest organ builders. Their outstanding work has garnered them global respect as one of the finest builders in the industry today. Schoenstein & Co. have been responsible for building some of the most notable organs in the United States in recent times: St. James’, Madison Avenue, New York, NY; St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Houston, TX; Nashville Symphony Hall, Nashville, TN; and the massive instrument for the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, UT.
Jack Bethards, President and Tonal Director of Schoenstein & Co. has the following to say about the instrument planned for St. Alban’s:
The organ we have designed for St. Alban’s is just the right size for the building and contains all of the elements necessary for successful choir accompaniment, congregational support, and special music programs. The organ has a large number of 8′ stops. These are the stops in the piano range and carry the bulk of the responsibility for tonal grandeur and variety in accompaniment quality. There is a good deal of profound deep pedal bass including an open 16′ stop of wood. Subtle high-pitched stops add brilliance. There’s a full complement of reed pipes of the brass and woodwind families as well as beautiful flutes and string-like sounds. A small division of pipes is located in the gallery for support of congregational singing and for the accompaniment of small ensembles. The visual aspect of a pipe organ is important also and our attempt is to make it look as though the instrument was designed in cooperation with the building’s architect to be an integral part of its design.
We see working at St. Alban’s to be a very special privilege. It is a vital and growing Parish with a serious dedication to good liturgy and traditional Anglican music presented by a first-class music program, all within a charming, picturesque English-style village church. What more could an organ builder ask?
The stop list for the new Schoenstein organ can be found here.
The console layout for the new Schoenstein organ can be found here.