Collaboration on high

Glenshaw Presbyterian restores historic pipe organ

It’s got brand-new electronics, a new bench and paint job, but most importantly the majestic pipe organ at Glenshaw Presbyterian Church has been restored to create an even better sound as the musical centerpiece for the congregation.

The organ needed to be completely rebuilt, said Justin Weilnau, the church’s director of music and education ministries. It was last refurbished in 1967, which mostly included modifying the action of the organ, the part that blows air into the pipes. This time, new wiring for the solid state system was required as well as cleaning the pipes.

That part of the work meant that nearly half the pipes took a 12-hour trip to Austin Organs of Hartford, Conn. The firm, which has been in business

since 1893, is one of only a handful of continuously operating pipe organ builders in the country.

They “revoiced” a lot of the pipes, Mr. Weilnau said, meaning that the pipes were thoroughly cleaned and given new parts, where needed. “Now it has a solid, warm sound,” he said.

Keeping in mind that choirs and church members want to sing along to the music was a top priority in the restoration and renovation, he said.

“The first thing we did was design a new console,” said Jake Dowgewicz, sales director at Austin. The console holds the manuals (keyboards), pedals, stop controls and electronics for the stately instrument.

“It had to be rebuilt to accommodate the new sounds we were putting into it,” he said.

Afterward, Mr. Weilnau needed to accustom himself with the rebuilt organ. “I had to relearn exactly what I could do with it and how to bring out the sound,” said Mr. Weilnau when the months long restoration was complete.

“The organist is not just a one-note player. He’s an orchestra composer,” said Mr. Dowgewicz, who is a trained organist himself. He and Mr. Weilnau worked closely to design the rebuild. Glenshaw’s organ needed new internal pneumatic components, including an electro-pneumatic action, which opens the valves and lets air into the pipes.

Most of the pipes on the Glenshaw Presbyterian organ — about 2,150 in all — are made of metal. But the larger ones are fashioned from wood. The tallest one measures 16 feet in height.

The 16-foot open wood stop provides the organ’s rumbling bass, the foundation of the entire system. Austin maintains a collection of used stops in varying sizes at its 70,000-square-foot facility.

The leather in the organ’s action had deteriorated over time and the organ had lost wind pressure. That also has been restored.

Mr. Weilnau said the difference is palpable.

“You can really feel it’’ he said. “The choir and the congregation notice it, too.”

The Rev. Trent Hancock, Glenshaw Presbyterian’s pastor, said the organ was planned as part of the overall building project when members of the congregation funded construction of the Glenn Avenue church in 1928. It was used for the church’s first worship service in the Glenn Avenue building on April 22, 1928. The congregation was established in 1885.

The restoration project cost $250,000 and was paid for with the Glenshaw Presbyterian Church Trust and the Wallace Organ Fund. The official rededication took place during worship on Nov. 4. And the instrument’s new capabilities were on full display during the Christmas holiday services.

“It is such a blessing to have a beautiful instrument that can fill the room with sound; an instrument that can provide a stirring postlude, support congregational singing and offer more meditative tones for times of reflection,” Rev. Hancock said.

“It strengthens the choir and the congregation”, he added. I personally love the deep, resonant sounds and even the little bit of rumble I can feel through my shoes. It makes me want to sing’’.

Mr. Weilnau became interested in music as an eighth-grader in his hometown of Allentown. While piano lessons seemed somewhat of a chore, playing a hymn on the organ was a joy, he recalled.

“I’m not sure what drew me in at first, but I knew I wanted to make a career of it,” he said. “I grew up in the church. It’s kind of hard to play music like this without being religious.”

For him, he said, it all comes down to the words. So even as he studied at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., which is about 20 miles east of Hershey, and moved farther west to earn his master’s degree in pharmacology at Duquesne University, music, particularly religious hymns, drew him to continue studying music at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne.

Mr. Weilnau also directs the chancel choir and carillon choir, which uses handbells and performs monthly during worship. He also assists congregants who share their vocal and musical talents during special music services.

But the refurbished organ is the centerpiece.

“It now has a very different feel and a delightful, solid sound that is very warm. We tried to make it so people can sing along with it. The choir just loves the change.”

Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette photos Justin Weilnau, director of music at Glenshaw Presbyterian Church, practices and works the pedals on the church’s recently renovated pipe organ on Tuesday. The organ, originally installed in 1928, was completely renovated at a cost of $250,000. Its pipes were shipped to Connecticut, where they were rebuilt and toned to make the organ sound better.

Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette Justin Weilnau checks over his sheet music while practicing on the church’s pipe organ. “I grew up in the church. It’s kind of hard to play music like this without being religious,” he said.