Holy Trinity Anglican Church works to restore much-loved, 90-year-old pipe organ
After 90 years, Holy Trinity Anglican Church’s king of instruments is getting a makeover.
A large pipe organ restoration and enhancement project is underway at the 100-yearold Anglican Church at 10037 84th Ave. in Old Strathcona, the largest upgrade since the Casavant organ was installed in 1923 in memory of parishioners who served in the First World War.
Music director John Brough said the church recently completed the first phase of a four part upgrade, which is expected to take more than three years to complete.
“There’s been system faults in the old organ that we’ve had to repair through means of a duct tape and string approach,” Brough said. “We decided we really needed to do something to repair this instrument we use all the time.”
The organ, one of the oldest operating Casavant organs in the Edmonton area, provides the main accompaniment for three weekly services and is used daily for rehearsals, Brough said.
“We talked about a couple of approaches. One was just to fix the things that were wrong, or we could think about expansion and future use, for concerts and visiting choirs,” Brough said. “Our goal is that when this is finished we’ll be able to have recitals here.”
The original organ console from 1923 was removed last December and replaced by a new console, played for the first time at an Easter service in March.
“It’s like going from driving an old car that needed a lot of work to driving a brand new 2013 car,” Brough said of playing the organ. “It’s completely different.”
The “new” 1,100-pound console is actually a 1918 Casavant organ rebuilt with modern technology.
Brough said Quebec-based organ maker Casavant Frères, the “Rolls-Royce” of the organ world, recently finished a large organ project at a Catholic Church near Montreal.
“They had this console sitting in the shop and they stripped all the paint off and took all the inside out and rebuilt it with modern technology,” he said. “It looks the same on the outside, but inside it’s completely different.”
The computerized system allows for presets and programming, meaning the church’s four organists can store their own settings.
Brough, 41, has been playing the organ since he was 16. He moved to Edmonton from Ontario to complete a master’s degree and PhD in choral conducting, and balances his job at Holy Trinity with roles as a conductor and adjunct professor.
While two of the church’s four organists are retirees, Brough notes there is plenty of interest in the instrument in Edmonton from young people.
“I’m always amazed at how much that traditional service with the choir and the organ does draw younger people in,” Brough said. “Whether there’s a nostalgic view about it or people just like to have that tradition within the modern times, young people come.”
For people entering Holy Trinity, the massive organ pipes decorated with fleur-delis designs immediately stand out from their spot on the left side of the sanctuary.
Behind the large organ facade lies the organ chamber, accessed through folding attic stairs.
Brough expertly ducks in the darkness of the chamber to reach the cranny where the new computer system lies.
“The actual brains of the system is no more than your household computer,” Brough said. An identical processor also exists in the organ console, and the two systems communicate through one cable.
The first repair, which cost $180,000, will be followed by pipe and pedal work, as well as adding a new rank of pipes in the organ chamber, set for 2016. The 1923 console had two keyboards, called manuals, while the 1918 console has three, so new pipes are needed.
“We’re going to blow a hole in the wall and behind it will be the third manual of the organ. It will add a lot of colour and different sounds, and make it a more versatile instrument from a church and concert standpoint,” Brough said.
The 300-member congregation raised $100,000 for the first phase of the restoration, and received additional funds from grants. The cost of the remainder of the work is expected to be between $200,000 and $300,000, with fundraising ongoing.
Similar pipe organ restorations have taken place at other city churches, including All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral and First Presbyterian Church, both located downtown.
Keeping the instrument working for another 100 years is important, Brough said, and something the congregation has been supportive of since the project started.
“I think people here take a lot of pride in what we have, not just the organ but the building itself,” Brough said. “We’re very aware of this building being a heritage building and the history behind that.”