St. Dunstan`s Campaign to Build a Tracker Action Pipe Organ
Transcription
St. Dunstan`s Campaign to Build a Tracker Action Pipe Organ
Sykes Chapel, University ofTampa St. Dunstan’s Campaign to Build a Tracker Action Pipe Organ Why a Tracker Organ? “Much inspiration and healing can come by our creating the most beautiful music possible, and to that very end, we envision a beautiful organ suited to our space.”—Dr. Steve Denmark, Organist at St. Dunstan’s A Tracker Action Organ is an organ that allows for maximum expressiveness in playing by minimizing electrical components. 2 Tracker organs in Europe and the United States stand as works of art, and last for hundreds of years. Our goal is to work with the renowned artists at Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, who have built organs for spaces as small as private homes, and as large as the new Roman Catholic Cathedral in Los Angeles. We aim to grace the Monterey Peninsula with an artistic treasure, and a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy. Our goal is to build an instrument that will be a gift to the entire local music-loving community. Music touches the heart in ways that words alone cannot. Music speaks a universal language that transcends barriers. A true pipe organ has the special advantage of profound physicality. Unlike with an electronic organ, that can only play back samples of pipe organ sounds through speakers, a true pipe organ uses wood, air, leather and metal to create moving sounds that you not only hear with your ear, but you feel with your body. In fact, the entire room becomes the sounding chamber of the instrument. Great organs are built for the spaces they inhabit. In commissioning an organ by Dobson Organ Builders, Ltd., we seek to add a timeless piece of art to the riches of the music scene on the Monterey Peninsula, and to create here a new venue worth celebrating. “A Dobson organ on the Monterey Peninsula would be something to really celebrate.” —The Rev. Rob Fisher, Rector of St. Dunstan’s The organ will not be the largest in our area, but it will have balance and finesse as well as presence and power. “I am impressed by the way the organ design team at Dobson takes care to craft their instruments for their respective spaces—both sonically and visually. “They are artists. They pour their hearts into every instrument they create. —A Statement from Dobson 3 Our organ will have pipes as small as a straw and as large as a small tree. It will have roughly 1,000 pipes in all. Bach himself was a tester of pipe organs, and he called the organ the “king of instruments.” Pipe organs have been used since Old Testament times, and as they blend voicing across various kinds of pipes, there is nothing better suited for leading a congregation in singing. While the Monterey Peninsula is a place where the arts are enthusiastically embraced, there is a shortage of fine pipe organs that are perfectly suited to their performance spaces. There is only one tracker organ currently, and that was designed for a different space than the room where it is now played. We see a great opportunity for making St. Dunstan’s Church in sunny and accessible Carmel Valley a new and cherished venue for community musical gatherings, for education, and for spiritual uplift. What makes a tracker action organ special? Modern pipe organs often utilize electronic components that send signals from the keyboards to the pipes. With a tracker organ, the keyboard is physically connected to the mechanism that releases air into the pipes. This is the ancient way of building 4 organs. Tracker instruments allow for greater expression by the organist, and they hold up better over time. “I was very pleased to learn that St. Dunstan’s Church plans to install a first-rate tracker action organ in its Carmel Valley sanctuary. New venues for the performance of fine music enhance the cultural scene in Monterey County, and make beautiful music available for more people. I encourage community support for the organ project at St. Dunstan’s.” —Betsey Pearson, President The Carmel Bach Festival The Proposed Instrument 15 Registers • 16 Stops • 17 Ranks • 950 Pipes Details of Construction: • Three manual attached console • Manual compass of 58 notes, Pédale compass of 32 notes • Manual keyboards have blackwood naturals and bone-covered rosewood sharps • Pedalboard has hard maple naturals and rosewood sharps • Drawknobs placed in vertical jambs • Music rack and pedalboard lights • Bench with height adjustment blocks • Console mirrors (removable) • Mechanical key action for the manuals; electric key action for the Pédale • Electric stop action with 10 level solid-state combination action • Bone-colored thumb pistons with black engraving • Toe pistons of polished brass with inset black rubber surfaces • Freestanding case made of white oak • Double-thickness swell box with tightly fitted shades • Balanced rosewood expression shoe with brass toe plate (mechanical linkage) • Walkboards, ladders and case lights provided for ease of tuning and maintenance • Quiet-running blower in silencing enclosure 5 How this dream will become a reality Our goal is to raise $750,000, and as of early September 2014, we have already raised $450,000, which is well beyond half of what we need. In addition to this, one household has made a commitment for a gift of $50,000 through their will to endow a maintenance fund for the instrument. We will record all contributions on a permanent donor wall: ! ! $250,000 and above ! ! $100,000 to 249,999 ! Jennifer Denmark Memorial Level ! ! $50,000 to $99,999 ! Patron Saint Level ! ! $25,000 to $49,999! ! ! ! $10,000 to $24,999 ! ! $5,000 to $9,999 ! ! Angel Level ! ! $1,000 to $4,999! ! Cherubim Level ! ! Up to $999! ! Supporter Level ! ! Visionary Level—with naming rights Celestial Level ! Archangel Level You may give anonymously, or you may use your gift to honor someone special to you. Also, all donors will receive an invitation to the celebratory debut concert! 6 There are many advantageous ways to give. If you would like to see this project become a reality, here are ways you might be able to leverage your support. We have experts that can guide you in setting up any of the following: u A pledge of installments over time. u A “Life Income” gift, such as a pooled income fund, charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust. u A Living Trust gift of a pledged asset (such as a home) that can be used to secure major funding for the Organ yet will allow the donor to maintain the residence until it is no longer needed. We have worked out financing arrangements from Thrivent Financial for this project. This would be especially apt for reaching the Visionary Level with accompanying naming rights. Please contact The Rev. Rob Fisher (831-402-9000, [email protected]) or Dr. Michael Hendrickson, chair of the Organ Campaign (831-624-6646, [email protected]) for further information. We thank you for your interest and your support! 7 The Organ Project Q&A How soon will the organ be built? We have reserved a place in Dobson’s building schedule for beginning the project in September 2014. (We are in line right before a major project by them at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue!) The organ will take about a year to build. How much will the project cost? We need to raise $750,000, total. We are more than half-way to this point already. We locked in the price of the instrument at 2013 values with a design retainer. The instrument alone is $705,000, and we are aiming to raise $45,000 more for renovating the chancel as needed around the new instrument. A separate maintenance fund has already been established. Can I give a planned gifts? Yes! In fact we already have one living trust gift for $50,000 and one gift of $50,000 toward maintenance. Thanks to Thrivent Financial, we are being offered the opportunity to finance the building of the instrument in the meantime until the principal arrives. The loan is designed to function as a revolving loan with no prepayment penalties. How many organs has Dobson built in California? Ours will be only the third. Their most recent California instrument was built for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, one of the largest organs in the country with 109 stops and over 6,000 pipes. How will this new organ compare to the other organs on the Peninsula? This organ will mesh a sensitive and subtle tactile connection at the keyboard to an extremely warm and rich sound. It will serve the needs of church as well as for all sorts of added musical offerings, including master classes held by Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley, and concerts for the Carmel Bach Festival. It will be one of only two tracker action pipe organs on the peninsula, and will be the only one designed specifically for the space in which it is installed. What are the maintenance costs of such a pipe organ? This organ would be expected to require tuning once or twice per year and cost as little as $300 to $600 per year. Currently our electronic organ maintenance is $1000 to $2000 per annum. Physical Address: 28003 Robinson Canyon Road in Carmel Valley Mailing Address: P.O. Box 101, Carmel Valley, CA 939243 offi[email protected] • 831.624.6646