St. Dunstan`s Campaign to Build a Tracker Action Pipe Organ

Sykes Chapel, University ofTampa
St. Dunstan’s Campaign to Build a
Tracker Action Pipe Organ
Why a Tracker Organ?
“Much inspiration and
healing can come by our
creating the most beautiful
music possible, and to that
very end, we envision a
beautiful organ suited to
our space.”—Dr. Steve
Denmark, Organist at St.
Dunstan’s
A Tracker Action Organ
is an organ that allows for
maximum expressiveness in
playing by minimizing
electrical components.
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Tracker organs in Europe
and the United States stand
as works of art, and last for
hundreds of years.
Our goal is to work with
the renowned artists at
Dobson Pipe Organ
Builders of Lake City, Iowa,
who have built organs for
spaces as small as private
homes, and as large as the
new Roman Catholic
Cathedral in Los Angeles.
We aim to grace the
Monterey Peninsula with an
artistic treasure, and a
lasting legacy for future
generations to enjoy.
Our goal is to build an
instrument that will be a
gift to the entire local
music-loving community.
Music touches the heart
in ways that words alone
cannot. Music speaks a
universal language that
transcends barriers.
A true pipe organ has the
special advantage of
profound physicality. Unlike
with an electronic organ, that
can only play back samples
of pipe organ sounds
through speakers, a true pipe
organ uses wood, air, leather
and metal to create moving
sounds that you not only
hear with your ear, but you
feel with your body. In fact,
the entire room becomes the
sounding chamber of the
instrument.
Great organs are built
for the spaces they inhabit.
In commissioning an organ
by Dobson Organ Builders,
Ltd., we seek to add a
timeless piece of art to the
riches of the music scene on
the Monterey Peninsula, and
to create here a new venue
worth celebrating.
“A Dobson organ on the
Monterey Peninsula would
be something to really
celebrate.”
—The Rev. Rob Fisher,
Rector of St. Dunstan’s
The organ will not be the
largest in our area, but it will
have balance and
finesse as well as
presence and
power.
“I am
impressed by the
way the organ
design team at
Dobson takes care
to craft their
instruments for
their respective
spaces—both
sonically and
visually.
“They are artists. They
pour their hearts into every
instrument they create.
—A Statement from Dobson
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Our organ will have pipes as small as
a straw and as large as a small tree. It
will have roughly 1,000 pipes in all.
Bach himself was a tester
of pipe organs, and he called
the organ the “king of
instruments.” Pipe organs
have been used since Old
Testament times, and as they
blend voicing across various
kinds of pipes, there is
nothing better suited for
leading a congregation in
singing.
While the Monterey
Peninsula is a place where
the arts are enthusiastically
embraced, there is a shortage
of fine pipe organs that are
perfectly suited to their
performance spaces. There is
only one tracker organ
currently, and that was
designed for a different
space than the room where it
is now played.
We see a great
opportunity for making St.
Dunstan’s Church in sunny
and accessible Carmel Valley
a new and cherished venue
for community musical
gatherings, for education,
and for spiritual uplift.
What makes a tracker action
organ special?
Modern pipe organs
often utilize electronic
components that send
signals from the keyboards
to the pipes. With a tracker
organ, the keyboard is
physically connected to the
mechanism that releases air
into the pipes. This is the
ancient way of building
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organs. Tracker instruments
allow for greater expression
by the organist, and they
hold up better over time.
“I was very pleased to
learn that St. Dunstan’s
Church plans to install a
first-rate tracker action organ
in its Carmel Valley
sanctuary. New venues for
the performance of fine
music enhance the cultural
scene in Monterey County,
and make beautiful music
available for more people. I
encourage community
support for the organ project
at St. Dunstan’s.”
—Betsey Pearson, President
The Carmel Bach Festival
The Proposed Instrument
15 Registers • 16 Stops • 17 Ranks • 950 Pipes
Details of Construction:
• Three manual attached
console
• Manual compass of 58
notes, Pédale compass of
32 notes
• Manual keyboards have
blackwood naturals and
bone-covered rosewood
sharps
• Pedalboard has hard
maple naturals and
rosewood sharps
• Drawknobs placed in
vertical jambs
• Music rack and
pedalboard lights
• Bench with height
adjustment blocks
• Console mirrors
(removable)
• Mechanical key action for
the manuals; electric key
action for the Pédale
• Electric stop action with
10 level solid-state
combination action
• Bone-colored thumb
pistons with black
engraving
• Toe pistons of polished
brass with inset black
rubber surfaces
• Freestanding case made
of white oak
• Double-thickness swell
box with tightly fitted
shades
• Balanced rosewood
expression shoe with
brass toe plate
(mechanical linkage)
• Walkboards, ladders and
case lights provided for
ease of tuning and
maintenance
• Quiet-running blower in
silencing enclosure
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How this dream will become a reality
Our goal is to raise $750,000, and as of early September 2014, we have already
raised $450,000, which is well beyond half of what we need. In addition to this, one
household has made a commitment for a gift of $50,000 through their will to endow
a maintenance fund for the instrument.
We will record all contributions on a permanent donor wall:
!
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$250,000 and above
!
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$100,000 to 249,999
!
Jennifer Denmark Memorial Level
!
!
$50,000 to $99,999
!
Patron Saint Level
!
!
$25,000 to $49,999! !
!
!
$10,000 to $24,999
!
!
$5,000 to $9,999 !
!
Angel Level
!
!
$1,000 to $4,999!
!
Cherubim Level
!
!
Up to $999!
!
Supporter Level
!
! Visionary Level—with naming rights
Celestial Level
!
Archangel Level
You may give anonymously, or you may use your gift to honor someone special to you.
Also, all donors will receive an invitation to the celebratory debut concert!
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There are many advantageous ways to give.
If you would like to see this project become a reality, here are ways you might be
able to leverage your support. We have experts that can guide you in setting up
any of the following:
u A pledge of installments over time.
u A “Life Income” gift, such as a pooled income fund, charitable gift
annuity or charitable remainder trust.
u A Living Trust gift of a pledged asset (such as a home) that can be used
to secure major funding for the Organ yet will allow the donor to
maintain the residence until it is no longer needed. We have worked out
financing arrangements from Thrivent Financial for this project. This
would be especially apt for reaching the Visionary Level with
accompanying naming rights.
Please contact The Rev. Rob Fisher (831-402-9000, rob@stdcv.org) or
Dr. Michael Hendrickson, chair of the Organ Campaign (831-624-6646,
office@stdcv.org) for further information.
We thank you for your interest and your support!
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The Organ Project Q&A
How soon will the organ be
built?
We have reserved a place in Dobson’s building schedule for beginning
the project in September 2014. (We are in line right before a major
project by them at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue!) The organ will take about a
year to build.
How much will the project
cost?
We need to raise $750,000, total. We are more than half-way to this point
already. We locked in the price of the instrument at 2013 values with a
design retainer. The instrument alone is $705,000, and we are aiming to
raise $45,000 more for renovating the chancel as needed around the
new instrument. A separate maintenance fund has already been
established.
Can I give a planned gifts?
Yes! In fact we already have one living trust gift for $50,000 and one gift
of $50,000 toward maintenance. Thanks to Thrivent Financial, we are
being offered the opportunity to finance the building of the instrument in
the meantime until the principal arrives. The loan is designed to function
as a revolving loan with no prepayment penalties.
How many organs has
Dobson built in California?
Ours will be only the third. Their most recent California instrument was
built for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels for the Archdiocese of Los
Angeles, one of the largest organs in the country with 109 stops and
over 6,000 pipes.
How will this new organ
compare to the other organs
on the Peninsula?
This organ will mesh a sensitive and subtle tactile connection at the
keyboard to an extremely warm and rich sound. It will serve the needs
of church as well as for all sorts of added musical offerings, including
master classes held by Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley,
and concerts for the Carmel Bach Festival. It will be one of only two
tracker action pipe organs on the peninsula, and will be the only one
designed specifically for the space in which it is installed.
What are the maintenance
costs of such a pipe organ?
This organ would be expected to require tuning once or twice per year
and cost as little as $300 to $600 per year. Currently our electronic
organ maintenance is $1000 to $2000 per annum.
Physical Address: 28003 Robinson Canyon Road in Carmel Valley
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 101, Carmel Valley, CA 939243
office@stdcv.org • 831.624.6646