The Contract is Signed

March 12, 2015 is an historic day in the life of Johns Creek United Methodist Church. At 9:45 a.m. church officers signed a contract with Casavant Organs of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, to begin the rebuild of Aeolian-Skinner Opus 408D for our church. The work will take just short of a year and a half with installation at the church expected to begin in the summer of 2016.

Church officers signing the contract for Casavant Bros. to rebuild the organ

Facade of the Chancel Organ

I am off to Texas for a week of pipe organ saturation.

First I perform on the large new Reuter organ at Christ United Methodist Church, Plano, TX where longtime friends Pat Messick and Bart Ghent are the musicians.

On Monday I will travel from Dallas to Kilgore, TX for the East Texas Pipe Organ Festival. This festival celebrates famous organ designer and voicer Roy Perry and the Aeolian-Skinner organs he designed in that region.

With such a gathering of Aeolian-Skinner enthusiasts I hope to hear people’s memories of Opus 408D. It will also be educational to hear the these "Roy Perry" Aeolian-Skinners.

First Presbyterian Church, Kilgore, Texas

We are happy to welcome Nathan Frank as the Director of Music and Worship at Johns Creek UMC effective August 1, 2104. Nathan holds the DMA from the University of North Texas and came to us from a position at Pacific Lutheran University. Among his first tasks is raising the money for the restoration and installation of Opus 408D.

Under new leadership the organ project is back in gear. The organ fundraising committee is meeting, calendars are being consulted and creative juices are flowing.

There will be important announcements made in the next few days so check this blog for updates.

Console of the largest Aeolian-Skinner in captivity!
The Mother Church, Boston, MA

It's been 2 months since my last real post. We have  been deep in the design process with Organ Clearing House and John Bishop for the rebuild and installation of the organ. The picture below is an initial drawing of the facade. I like it and am anxious to see what the pipe shades are actually going to look like. 

The prices being talked about for the project range from $2 million to $2.7 million depending on whether we simply rebuild and install the organ as it was, reconfigure some divisions to make it more versatile, or turning it into a more symphonic instrument.

The organ committee will meet on Oct. 11, 2012 to go over the proposals and come up with a recommendation. Once a specification is finalized I will post it here.

Anyone wishing to donate to the project may do so by visiting the Johns Creek UMC website and follow the link for Opus 408D on the front page. A brochure with opportunities to donate will be published and released within the month. Wouldn't the gift of the console or a pipe or the facade be perfect in memory or honor of a loved one.

The steeple has arrived - in pieces. The pieces will be put together and the steeple raised to the top of the tower on Tuesday, Oct. 9. Check the church website for time schedule if you want to watch them finally "Raise the Steeple!"

Sanctuary with brick and concrete accents

Base of the steeple will go on top of tower.

Base of steeple sitting next to tower.

Cross for top of steeple waiting to be added.

Construction update Aug 11-12

Today I found much of the sanctuary closed in. The next time I take pictures I'll have someone with me who can stand next to the building to give persepctive to the size. It's massive!!!

View from the North

 In the coming week the steeple should arrive and be put on top of the tower making it the highest point in Fulton County! Watch the JCUMC website for information on date and time of the steeple's installation.

View of tower without Steeple, from South Side

 The tower is already pretty impressive!

View of the tower without Steeple

The next two pics are of the mock-ups of the exterior finishes. Notice the detail around the windows and the roof line.

Links!

Did you know that you can donate to the Johns Creek United Methodist Church organ fund online? Click here and become a part of the excitement in an active way!


Many people following this blog are not members of Johns Creek UMC. Visit our website to follow the church and the progress of our construction.


Here are some photos taken June 17, 2012. The construction site looks very different now and I will try to get new pictures up in the next few days.

Sanctuary Exterior, June 17, 2012

The main organ will stand on the shelf in the chancel pictured below - right now it's just a concrete slab. There is plenty of room for plenty of organ!

View towards chancel from balcony

The antiphonal divisions will stand at the back of the balcony in front of the green wall. There are tone chutes from the balcony floor through to the nave below so the antiphonal divisions may be heard under the balcony.

View towards balcony from nave