The West Parish Memorial Pipe Organ was installed in February 2005 by Mander Organs Ltd. of London, England after a five year process of research, visitation and many discussions of the Organ Committee.
The Organ Committee was made up of individuals from both the West Parish Memorial Foundation and the Church. The former Director of Music and Organist of the West Parish Church, Babette F. Bach, was a non-voting member of the Organ Committee.
The Committee started to meet in January 2000 after a visit was made by the Boston Advisory Committee of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The Advisory Committee made their visit to the Meetinghouse in 1999 and a report from each member was sent on to the Foundation and members of the Church Music Committee.
After careful consideration of each report, it was agreed that an Organ Committee be formed to determine what should be done: rebuild, restore, or install new custom built organ or historic pipe organ.
The dedication recital was performed by concert organist, Kent Tritle, on Friday, June 24, 2005 with John Mander, organ builder, present.
Another dedication took place during a worship service of the West Parish Congregational Church on Sunday, April 24, 2005 during worship service specifically designated as "Music Sunday".
Peter Smith, Chair of the Organ Committee, expressed our thanks to John Mander for an instrument that could be characterized as "solid yet gentle in its sound and harmony."
May this instrument help remind us now that we should be solid in our own individual faith, yet gentle and harmonious in our actions with one another and may God help us in this place to pass this legacy unimpaired from generation to generation.
West Parish
Organ Recital Series
The West Parish Memorial Foundation organizes this series bringing
local as well as nationally and internationally recognized concert organists to the Cape.
Please go to the Organ Recital Series page to view the current schedule of recitals.
Click here to view the specifications of the instrument
Click here to go to the Mander Organs Ltd website
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Back Row (L-R): Dr. Richard N. Johnson, Dr. Peter R. Smith, Lloyd Bishop (Mander Organs Ltd)
Front Row (L-R): Sarah E. Bach, Joyce L. Joakim, Michael Blighton (Chief Voicer, Mander Organs Ltd), Renato Lucatello (Site Foreman, Mander Organs Ltd), Albert A. Amerigian, Babette F. Bach
Dr. Peter R. Smith, Chair
Albert A. Amerigian
Sarah E. Bach
Joyce L. Joakim
Dr. Richard N. Johnson
Allen R. Nelson
Babette F. Bach
Barbara Owen, Organ Consultant
We are so fortunate to have a beautiful organ designed and built by Mander Organs Ltd.
John Mander, Managing Director of Mander Organs Ltd., from the beginning to the end of this organ project offered us so much in the way of advice, his
tremendous expertise of building/designing an organ and historical considerations. His firm made it possible for us to
have a versatile instrument yet properly fit an organ into a c.1717 Meetinghouse. The majority of the pictures cover
the very beginnings of the delivery and installation (two weeks). John Mander arrived to help install pipework and begin the
process of tuning each and every pipe installed, a process lasting four weeks.
Statement from Organ Committee: Dr. Peter R. Smith (Chairman)
Statement from Organ Consultant: Barbara Owen
Statement from Organ Builder: John Pike Mander
List of Mander Staff who worked on the new organ
Statement from the Church's Director of Music and Organist: Babette F. Bach
