Spring, 2024 Concerts featuring Reynolds Organs

A Busy Spring with Great Concerts!

Our tuning team, led by Jonathan Welch, is having a busy spring! Apart from the usual visits to most of our clients for their spring tunings, Jon and assistant Bob Craton have been preparing several of our instruments for exciting concerts. Here is what's happening:

Sunday, April 21, 3:00 pm, Plainfield United Methodist Church, 600 Simmons St., Plainfield, IN: The Indianapolis Pipe Organ Festival. The Indy Pipe Organ Festival is an event hosted by the Indianapolis Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. This year, the concert will include organists Ryan Brunkhurst, Matt Gerhard, Katie Gunn, Albrecht von Gaudecker, and Adeline K. Yoder. The theme this year is Music for Organ by Living Composers.

The organ is our IV manual, 49 rank instrument built in 2015.

Saturday, April 27, 5:00 pm, Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E 29th St. Indianapolis, IN: Broadway United Methodist Church welcomes international organist Monsieur Didier Hennuyer in concert.

Didier Hennuyer is the titular organist of the Cathedral of Boulogne-sur-Mer (France) and Professor at the conservatory in the same city. He travels worldwide as a recitalist and has studied at the Conservatory of Orlèans, France".
Monsieur Hennuyer will be playing an all Romantic program with works of Joseph Jongen, Cesar Franck, Joseph Ermend-Bonnal, Charles-Marie Widor, Gaston Litaize, and Alexander Guilmant.
Concert is free and the public is welcome.

The organ is Reynolds Associates' III manual, 54 rank instrument at Broadway United Methodist Church. The organ was built in 2001 and completely restored in 2021 following a fire.

Thursday, May 16, 7:00 pm, St. Augustine Catholic Church, 48 N. Hanover St., Minster, OH: Martin Ellis in Concert. The name of Martin Ellis is well-known in the central

Indiana area as a recitalist, and also from his former positions at the consoles of Second Presbyterian Church and North United Methodist Church. Now, after an absence of nearly 10 years he returns for two concert engagements on Reynolds organs. Martin has been living in Portland, Oregon. He is organist and Music Director of First United Methodist Church of Vancouver, Washington. He has continued to concertize in both the classical and theater organ worlds, and has lately been concentrating on composing for organ. He has produced a number of brilliant pieces, several of which have been published by Lorenz. On May 16, he will play the new III manual, 67 rank organ at St. Augustine. The organ is splendid. The acoustics are splendid. The music is splendid. Minster is just 45 minutes east of Portland, IN - an easy drive on a beautiful spring evening. Why not join us?

First United Methodist Church, Noblesville, IN, Sunday, May 19, 4:00 pm, First United Methodist Church, 2051 Monument St., Noblesville, IN: Dedication of the new Reynolds Associates Pipe Organ! Martin Ellis in Concert! Don't miss this chance to hear the new III manual, 33 rank organ at FUMC in Noblesville. Martin Ellis, a Hoosier native, will play music by Bach, Langlais, Reger, Marianne Kim, Denis Bedard, Brenda Portman, Jaebon Hwang, and Martin Ellis.

Especially for this occasion, Mr. Ellis has composed a new choral anthem, "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," commissioned for the new organ and performed by the 80-voice chancel choir under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Wright. What a great chance to hear this stirring new organ doing the work it was designed to do! If you have ever attended a Martin Ellis concert, you know what a treat it will be to hear him on this new pipe organ.

First United Methodist Church, Noblesville, IN

New Noblesville Organ will Support Large Choral Music Program!

We are pleased to announce the completion of our new III manual, 33 rank pipe organ for First United Methodist Church in Noblesville, IN. Built in symphonic style, the new instrument is designed to support worship in this growing and thriving congregation. As with any good church organ, it will lead hearty congregational singing and play a wide range of works for solo organ, both during worship and in concert. But it was also designed with First Church's 80-voice choir in mind. Under the direction of Dr. Jeff Wright, the choir sings a very wide range of choral music, requiring variety and versatility from the organ. Al Lucas, First Church's talented and experienced organist, has had fun exploring the new organ's possibilities! He, Dr. Wright and committee chair David Meats, have been involved almost every day as the installation has taken shape.

This instrument has developed ensembles in all its divisions. The Great alone has three Principal choruses or varying scales. All three manual divisions have both open and stopped flutes at unison pitch.

There is also abundant string and flute tone, ranging from a narrow and keen Salicional and Voix Celeste in the Swell to a Flute and Flute Celeste in the Choir.

The new organ will be dedicated on Sunday afternoon, May 19, 2024, with a concert featuring Martin Ellis, and Indiana native currently living in Portland, Oregon. Formerly the organist at North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Martin is respected in both Classical and Theater organ circles. He is also a gifted and published composer.

For this event, Mr. Ellis has composed a new choral anthem, "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," which was commissioned for the occasion and will be premiered during the concert by the choir under the direction of Dr. Wright.

Hallelujah! Soli Deo Gloria!

James Miller RIP

A Tragic Loss

We are very sad to share with our followers that one of our organ builders, James Miller, passed away recently following an automobile accident. The accident occurred on the afternoon of Friday, March 22, as Jim was driving home from work. He had worked all day with us on our new organ at First United Methodist Church in Noblesville, IN. and had started for home. The accident occurred only five blocks from our shop.

Jim was a man of many talents. He was a skilled woodworker and had had experience in the construction trades as a carpenter and roofer. He had taken to the organ business readily, and we were grateful to have his skills and his bright can-do attitude.

Jim’ s mother suffers from several health problems, and Jim was her caregiver. He shopped, cooked, managed their home, and transported his mom to medical appointments and dialysis treatments. He was a caring and giving man and he is truly missed.

James Miller was 56 years old.

First United Methodist Church, Bloomington, IN.

Reynolds Selected to Build for Historic Bloomington Church!

Reynolds Associates, Inc., has been selected to build the new pipe organ for First United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana. The church is on the edge of the Indiana University campus, and has one of the great music programs in the Bloomington area. Dr. Charles Prestinari holds the position of Director of Music and organist, succeeding Dr. Charles Webb, Dean Emeritus of the Jacobs School of Music at IU who had been organist of the church for several decades.

This is our second organ in Bloomington. In 2002, we built an organ for Fairview United Methodist Church. That instrument was dedicated with a concert in April of 2003, in which Dr. Webb participated.

The present organ at First Church has had a long history of revisions and improvements over the decades. The organ started out as a small Pilcher instrument, and has seen additions by Aeolian-Skinner, M.P. Möller, and others. As is often the case, additions - even quality additions - can sometimes lead to a lack of tonal cohesion, as is the case here. Mechanically, some parts date back to the 1930s, and the organ contains parts from almost every decade since. The Möller console, in particular, is in very poor condition, with many dead and undependable notes.

Our design retains much of the tonal material from this well-known instrument. The existing pipework will be cleaned, reconditioned, and revoiced, and married with new pipes to give the organ a clean ensemble, while retaining its essentially Romantic character.

We contracted for this project with the church in 2023, but because your editor is behind in his work, we are only just now posting this project which is by now well along. As of this writing in April, 2024, most of the new pipes have been built and the windchests are underway in our shop. We are also completing the design of the new III manual drawknob console, which will be built of rift-sawn oak with our standard solid cherry interior.

More as the project proceeds...

St. Augustine Church, Minster, OH

Magnificent New Minster Organ Completed

We are delighted to announce the completion of our new III manual/67 rank pipe organ for St. Augustine Catholic Church, Minster, OH. This magnificent new organ in a truly glorious room (visually and acoustically) has been long in the planning and building. Construction had just begun when the Covid pandemic created all sorts of troubles including vendor closures and shortages, overseas shipping problems, and illnesses. We weathered all these problems, however, and the result is an organ that fills this beautiful 1848 gothic building with glorious sound.

St. Augustine has a rich heritage of music including a large men's choir. The program is under the direction of Jared Post, a gifted organist, who assisted in the tonal design of the instrument. Special thanks to the numerous parish members who assisted with the installation, particularly during the days of heavy moving.

Reynolds Associates team members including David Reynolds, Cory Kline, Jonathan Welch, Jim Miller, and Thad Reynolds took part in the project.

First United Methodist Church, Wabash, IN

Beautiful New Reynolds Organ Dedicated!

December 12, 2021 was a beautiful early winter day in Wabash Indiana. On that afternoon, Ken Cowan, one of the world's most popular and capable concert organists dedicated the new Reynolds Associates pipe organ at First United Methodist Church. This new three-manual organ boasts 47 ranks with a total of 2,666 pipes. The congregation selected Christmastime for the inaugural concert even though the new Fanfare Trumpet has yet to be installed due to Covid-related delays. (These pipes are nearly completed and should be installed by spring.)

Ken's concert featured mostly Christmas music, beginning with David Conte's Christmas Intrada, and ending with the Variations on "Adeste Fidelis" by Gaston Dethier. We recorded the concert in its entirety, so watch our YouTube page. We will post them as they are edited. In fact, the Dethier is being posted as I write.

The organ itself is a blend of the old and the new and includes a wonderful Echo division made up entirely of pipes made by the Estey Organ Company between 1914 and 1929. These pipes have been carefully restored to new condition and give the organ a warm Romantic sound that is carefully blended with a distinguished modern ensemble.

The native walnut case of the organ has been carefully restored, and the facade pipes were redecorated in a style reminiscent of the original 1890 Farrand & Votey installation. The facade design was created by Thad Reynolds in cooperation with the church's organ committee, and was executed by Audra Kinnard of Oyster Pipe Works. Much of the original design is used, with new colorations in red and blue with 24 carat gold leaf accents. The visual effect is stunningly beautiful.

Like most projects these days, the Wabash organ has had its share of frustrations (see the story below), but the result is a magnificent instrument that will be part of the congregation's worship experience for decades to come. Soli Deo Gloria!

Yikes!

Covid 19

It has been a nightmare for everyone. 8-10 million small businesses will never reopen in the US. Like most companies, we have been battered and bruised by this virus and by the measures that have had to be taken to protect us all. The problems have revealed themselves in strange and wonderful ways. We couldn't get a special paint, for example, not because the paint wasn't available, but because the paint company was running out of paint cans and was only packaging their most popular products "for the duration." Throughout it all, though, we have been blessed. None of our employees have suffered from the virus, and we have managed to weather the worst business year ever. Now, as society begins to return to normal, we look forward to seeing our lives and our businesses return to normal as well.

Still....2020 was an adventure I hope never to repeat!

Update: (December 26, 2021) The pandemic is still very much with us, but we seem to be learning to live with it. We really don't have a choice! Businesses are open, including ours and the firms that support us, but the same supply problems that plagued Christmas shoppers this year are also plaguing us. For example, one of our most vital materials, Baltic birch plywood, is not available at present. The problem goes all the way to the forest. During the pandemic, trees have not been harvested, mills have not been running, and material has not been being shipped. Our lumber industry sources tell us that we may see product early in 2022. We are on the waiting list. There are also issues with the metals we use, particularly copper and aluminum. Again, everyone is trying to resolve the problems, but meanwhile prices are very high and lead times are long. One the positive side, our pipe supplier in the Czech Republic has metal and is building pipes for us. These problems are temporary, but are really vexing while they are happening.

Broadway United Methodist Church, Indianapolis

Broadway's Trial by Fire

The church was dark. It was a week before Christmas 2017 and the congregation had decorated every corner of the great building. In the sanctuary, dozens of red, white, and pink poinsettias had arranged around the console of the great pipe organ. In the small gallery high above the polished tin pipes a lighted angel cast a glow on the stained glass behind. Under the sanctuary, fellowship hall was festive with garland and lighted Christmas trees.

The day before, our tuning team had finished the first day of a two-day full tuning of both pipe organs, the two-manual 9-rank organ in the chapel and the three-manual 54 rank sanctuary instrument.

Broadway United Methodist Church is one of the great congregations in the inner-city of Indianapolis. Like many big downtown churches, Broadway had been a prosperous church during its "salad days." But demographic changes to the city had caused the numbers to decline as members migrated to the suburbs. Sunday worship in the cavernous sanctuary became increasingly sparsely-attended, and evening activities were abandoned. It looked like Broadway United Methodist Church was experiencing a rapidly-moving death spiral.

But then something happened. The congregation still calls it the "miracle on 29th Street." They made the uncomfortable choice to change. If their building was to be closed, if their congregation was to be disbanded, if Broadway's story was to become history, they would use themselves up in service. The people of Broadway announced that they valued all people, and threw their doors open to all. The neighborhood responded. People of all sorts and from all segments of the community found a spiritual home at the big church on Fall Creek Boulevard. As the church grew, the leadership found new uses for the huge facility - uses that served the needs of the people.

In 2001, as the miracle took hold, Broadway embarking on an ambitious program of renovation. Their first major project was the replacement of the pipe organs in the sanctuary and chapel. Broadway has always been a musical church, with a fine choir, soloists, and instrumentalists. Increasingly, contemporary and ethnic music has become part of the mix as well. Reynolds Associates had cared for the old organs for several years, and when we were asked to design and build new instruments, we were delighted. Since then, both organs had been used every week in worship and the sanctuary organ had been the focus of many concerts and special events.

So this Christmas of 2017, Broadway had much to celebrate - much to be thankful for.

In fellowship hall, an acrid odor began to permeate the darkness. A spark flared, probably around a small plastic transformer, and the plastic tree ignited. As the fire caught, it spread to everything flammable, including the plastic banquet tables and chairs that filled the room. Later, investigators said that the fire had been "oxygen-starved." With windows and doors closed tightly, the fire could not draw enough air to full support it. The result was a particularly sooty fire that was carried to every remote corner of the building. By the time the blaze was discovered and the last remnants extinguished by the Indianapolis Fire Department, the damage had been done. Every inch of every room of Broadway Church was covered with a thick coating of greasy soot.

Inside the organ chambers, all 3,000 pipes were covered inside and out with the soot. Windchests, reservoirs, windlines, nothing was spared in both organs. In the sanctuary, the console looked sooty, but in fact it was completely ruined. The console was directly over huge air exchangers that carried the smoke from fellowhip hall. This smoke and heat poured directly into the console cabinet. When we tried later to lift it out of its pit, it fell to pieces. This soot was very corrosive, and it penetrated all the electronics of the control system as well.

The building had no heat, and most of the electricity was off as well. The only light in the sanctuary came from the solitary angel high in the loft. Somehow, it seemed symbolic.

We were delayed several weeks getting started on the organs. During this time, cold, damp, and soot continued to do their damage. The insurance company had to do its due diligence before approving any work to the instrument. Finally, in late February, we got the go-ahead to begin work to save the organs.

Restoring the chapel organ was the first task, and by far the easiest. We cleaned all the pipes, cleaned and rebuilt the windchests, and replaced the console. By late spring, the chapel could be used again, and the organ was ready soon after.

The sanctuary organ was another matter. Every pipe was cleaned inside and out several times. The soot was stubborn, and a few days after a washing, a sooty haze would reappear. Cleaning out the 16' Pedal Diapason pipes was particularly difficult. These pipes are over sixteen feet long, and were as filthy inside as out. Every piece of wood in the organ had to be solvent-washed and re-lacquered. Every piece of hardware - including thousands of screws, washers, and springs, had to be replaced.

At the same time, our firm already had commitments to other customers along with our regular service and tuning schedule. Meanwhile, professional building restoration services cleaned, scrubbed, and repainted every corner of the building. By Easter of 2019 the church was finally able to resume worship in its sanctuary while work on the organ continued.

Then came 2020. We were making good progress on the organ when the COVID19 pandemic struck. During the spring, we lost ten weeks as both we and the church followed the recommendations put in place by the authorities. When work resumed in the summer, there was a sense of unreality as we found our tools and the parts we were working on where we had left them months before. Although there wasn't much left to do to finish the organ, parts that were needed from suppliers were delayed, making the small task of completing the job take months!

We completed the organ on December 17, 2020, three years to the day after the great fire. Broadway United Methodist Church shines now like a new penny, as do both of its pipe organs. Changes to materials covering the floors and ceilings of the sanctuary actually improved the acoustics, but required a number of adjustments to the pipes. At the end of the project, under the direction of David Reynolds, we carefully went through every pipe of every stop in the organ, checking and adjusting the regulation.

It is a mark of frustration that every project we tried to do in 2020 moved at the pace of frozen molasses. We managed to obey the rules, and were fortunate that none of us got sick.

Once the pandemic is over and society returns to normal, Broadway plans a rededication of its building and its organs. This series of crises has, if anything, made one of the city's most vital congregations even stronger. We look forward to the big day when we can share Broadway's reborn instruments with the community.

Soli Deo Gloria!

First United Methodist Church, Wabash, IN

A New Pipe Organ in a Historic Setting

Wabash Indiana is a busy town!

This small city, which is only about 18 miles north of our shop, has been busily reinventing itself for nearly ten years.  The efforts of the townspeople have paid off, turning Wabash from a sleepy little river town into a bustling center for shopping, manufacturing, and entertainment.  Economically, the town is fortunate to be anchored by two companies that feel a strong civic responsibility.  As plumbing moved indoors, opportunities came fast in the industry. Edwin Ford founded the Ford Meter Box Company, which pioneered the familiar water meter boxes found along many city streets. Meanwhile, Mark C. Honeywell started a company that allowed home owners to regulate the temperature in their homes. Today, the Honeywell corporation employs over 100,000 people and has annual revenues of over $40 billion.

Both these men were Wabash natives, and the companies they founded continue to support the community. The Honeywell Center, in the heart of the city, is one of Indiana's finest cultural centers.

Just up the street from the Honeywell Center is First United Methodist Church, one of Wabash's oldest. Their building houses a vital, vibrant congregation.  As they approached the renovation of their facility, the church contacted Reynolds Associates about their pipe organ.

The original pipe organ in the church was built by William King and Son and housed in a truly magnificent Walnut case. This tracker organ was rebuilt in the 1950s by Earl Bielhartz of Lima, Ohio.  Mr. Bielhartz retained many of the original pipes, but electrified the organ and added a third manual. This instrument served the congregation for nearly sixty years, but by the time other parts of the church were needing renovation, the organ too was feeling its age.

One problem was that many of its problems were difficult or impossible to repair.  The Bielhartz design for the organ made access to many of the mechanisms impossible without removing large portions of the organ.  Even routine tuning was very difficult. In addition, the internal arrangement of the pipes, chests, and swell boxes caused acoustic shadows making the balance of sounds different depending on the location of the listener. Typical of the transitional tonal designs of the time, the "new" sounds of this instrument did not blend effectively with King's original pipes.

Designing the new organ for First Church was a challenge.  The main part of the new organ needed to fit in the same space behind the organ case. The church needed a more versatile and complete organ as well.

Our plan for the new organ takes advantage of the vertical space available behind the venerable facade.  The Great division is atop the instrument, where its ensemble can speak clearly into the space, perfect for congregational singing and times when the organ's sound should be dominant. Under the Great is the Swell division, encased in a position that is vertically centered in the room.  From this position, its more colorful tones can project through horizontal swell shades.  Under the Swell, is a small Choir division, also enclosed behind horizontal shades.  This is literally a "choir" division, designed specifically to accompany singers on the platform. The choir division is mostly behind the wooden case, but is able to speak out through openings above and behind the singers. This unique design by David Reynolds allows easy access to all the organ's mechanisms for service and to all the pipes for tuning.

A unique aspect of this new instrument is the Echo division, housed in a new organ chamber high in the rear of the room. This ten-rank division is practically an organ in itself, and features unique imitative voices reminiscent of early twentieth century American organs. The Echo division will contain several unusual vintage stops that were built by the Estey Organ Company under the supervision of William Haskell. These stops include a Labial Oboe, strings, and a very rare Cor Glorieux (Saxophone), one of Haskell's most beautiful and effective creations. These pipes were sought and carefully gathered in over a period of two years.

Also planned is the restoration of the facade pipes to their original stenciled designs. Over the years, they had been painted repeatedly - most recently gold. Working with a hand-colored photograph of the original organ, our craftspeople are carefully removing layer after layer of old paint to uncover both the original stencil designs and the original color palette (which is, to say the least, distinctive). The result is going to be spectacular both tonally and visually. The organ will be completed with a new 3 manual terraced drawknob console that will echo the original keydesk design of the organ.

Installation is slated to begin in the fall of 2019, and should be completed in early 2020, with a dedication program planned for the summer.

Update: 2020 has been a wild year for everyone! The project to renovate First United Methodist Church's building ultimately became much bigger and more involved than anybody expected. By the time the church was ready for us to install the new organ, 2019 was over. The new year, of course, was dominated by the Covid19 pandemic. Throughout the year, we have worked on the installation, hampered by all the many effects of the pandemic - effects that have slowed almost everything in the economy. Now, as Christmas approaches, most of the organ is playing. Almost all of the assembly was done by David Reynolds - by himself - to follow distancing guidelines.

After much consideration, the organ committee has decided to redecorate the facade pipes adhering as much as possible to the original design. When the paint was removed from these pipes (5 coats of paint!), the original designs reappeared on the zinc pipe bodies. Now the pipes have been repaired and are ready to decorate by our master pipemaker, Oyster Pipeworks. Once the final color decisions have been made, the pipes will be painted in the classic Victorian style and reinstalled on the magnificent American walnut case.

Sometimes, good things take time, with Covid, LOTS of time, but the Wabash organ is coming together.  We can't wait to complete this beautiful new Reynolds instrument!