The project
The building committee's brief was a single instrument capable of leading hymn-singing for a full congregation and playing solo literature convincingly, on a modest budget that ruled out a large pipe count. The stop list was built around a complete Principal chorus on the Great through mixture, a warmer Swell division under expression for accompaniment, and a full-length 16′ pedal Bourdon rather than a stopped 16′ extension, because the room's wood floor and low, flat ceiling needed real pedal weight to anchor congregational singing. Mechanical tracker action was chosen specifically for the direct touch it gives an organist leading hymns from a small loft with no sightline to the choir.
The completed instrument was voiced over two visits three months apart — once immediately after installation, and once again after the building had gone through a full heating season, to confirm the voicing held once the room’s humidity swung to its winter extreme.
