TLC Organ Proposal
 

A New Organ at Tallmadge Lutheran Church

A Proposal

 

The TLC Organ Committee has been meeting since February 2022.  The Organ Committee members include LaVonne Dolliver (our current organist), Annie Alberts (TLC Music Director), Jonathan Vanaman (TLC Audio/Visual Director), Pam Klicman, Dick Bock and Pastor Andy Alberts.  This committee was tasked with evaluating our current organ, exploring options for obtaining a new organ, and make recommendations to the congregation.  The following report and recommendations were shared with and approved by both the Board of Elders and Board of Directors at the August Board meetings. 

 

The Organ Committee began by evaluating our current organ.  TLC has had issues with our 1960s 3-manual Rogers electric organ for many years (at least as far back to when Janice Kobb was our organist).  Because we installed the Rogers organ and sound system on our own, the area certified Roger’s organ repairperson refused to work on our organ.  Chris Henderson has worked on organ issues in the past but has told us there is nothing more that he can do.  Current issues of our organ include:

  • Low G in the pedal does not play.
  • Middle D on the pedal automatically couples with great stops.
  • Pedal will play without any stops pulled.
  • Middle F on great manual only plays with coupler on.
  • Middle F# on choir manual only plays with coupler on.
  • Many notes on the great manual only play sometimes and cut out when they do play.
  • Upper ranges of many stops do not sound or are very weak.

 

One of the most challenging aspects of playing our current organ is that LaVonne does not know what part of the organ is not going to work on a given day.  What might work while practicing during the week doesn’t work on Sunday morning.   The Organ Committee concluded that our present organ is no longer working optimally and most issues cannot be fixed.  It’s time for a new organ at Tallmadge Lutheran Church.

 

Why replace an organ?  The Organ committee feel strongly that an organ greatly enhances our worship life at Tallmadge Lutheran Church.  We also feel that a new organ greatly bless our traditional worship service, but it could be incorporated into other parts of worship – accompanying the choir, organ/piano duets pre- or post-service, and might even provide another layer of sound for the praise team.  The primary function of the organ in worship is not for solo playing, but for supporting the singing of the congregation.  No single instrument is better equipped for that purpose.  Performing organists say, “Listen to me.” A really good congregational organist says, “Sing with me.”

 

To learn more about organs, we began this process using LaVonne Dolliver’s connection with Pellegrino Music Center (https://www.pellegrinomusic.com/) located in Canton, OH.  John Pellegrino and Bob DeMass met with the committee several times and have helped us explore purchasing a new organ for our church.   We started out thinking/hoping that we could get a quality organ installed for $25,000 – $30,000.  We were shocked to learn that a basic new 3-manual digital electronic organ, similar to what we currently have, starts at around $55,000!  Add the speakers, amplifiers and installation and the total project cost could be upwards of $100,000.  This was very upsetting to the Organ Committee members.

 

With the sticker shock of a new organ, the Organ Committee looked into the possibility of obtaining a used organ.  We searched online for used organs on ebay and regional music stores.  Many of the organs that we found online were for use in homes.  And most of the church organs we came across were built in the 1990s – newer than our organ, but with many of the same problems.  Our committee looked at the used Allen Q300 and Allen 903 that were advertised on the Pellegrino Music Center website.   Unfortunately, both of these organs were no longer available.  We learned that pre-owned Allen organs that are fairly new do come along every once in a while, but generally speaking they are pretty rare. Most churches use their Allen organs for 30-50 years before they consider replacing them.  We were not able to find any used Allen organs in our region of the United States.

 

Below are the recommendations from the TLC Organ Committee:

 

  1. The TLC Organ committee is all in agreement that we desire an Allen digital electronic organ (https://www.allenorgan.com/).   We truly appreciate that Allen organs are made in the United States in Macungie, Allan Organ Company designs and manufactures all components of each organ – from the electronics on the inside, the keyboard, the draw stops, and the organ cabinetry.  Backed by a ten-year parts warranty, Allen Organs require no periodic maintenance or tuning.  In the unlikely event that an Allen requires service, it is performed by factory-trained Allen technicians.  The Organ Committee especially values the long-term availability of organ replacement parts Allen Organ Company provides.  Most of the other brands of organs are now owned and produced by foreign-based companies

 

The Organ Committee visited St. Paul Catholic Church on Brown Street in Akron to hear a recently installed Allen Organ.  This digital Allen Organ was installed by Pellegrino Music just this past year.  We were blown away, some of us were moved to tears, by the quality of sound this digital organ provided.  With the advances in technology, digital organs have the bandwidth to come close to matching a pipe organ sound.  This organ, speakers, and installation cost just over $125,000.

 

  1. The TLC Organ committee recommends purchasing a three-manual organ (three keyboards on the organ).  The organ committee considered having a two-manual organ, but we feel that having three manuals provides greater flexibility for the organist as well as increased layering of sounds.

 

Specifically, we recommend the purchase of the GX335 Allen Organ.  This organ is the lowest level of the three-manual Allen organs.  We feel that we did not need the additional stops provided by the more expensive Allen GX340 or GX350 organs. 

GX335-Included Features:

  • Three Manuals
  • 42 Stops
  • Touchscreen GeniSys Display
  • 9 Channel Audio System
  • Drawknob Stop Action
  • Anniversary Two-Tone Finish
  • 9 Stoplist Suites
  • GeniSys Voice
  • Allen Premium Keyboards

https://www.allenorgan.com/church-organs/gx335.html

https://www.allenorgan.com/apex.html

One reviewer of the GX-335 Allen Organ says:

“APEX Technology has taken the Allen Organ Company to unimaginable heights in the world of digital organ audio production. The organ can produce such realistic sounds that the auditory line separating digital organs and pipe organs is virtually gone. With the expansive capabilities of APEX, the realistic sounds are far beyond all expectations. I am constantly left speechless every time I play the instrument.”

Matthew Swingle            

Director of Music & Organist
Faith Lutheran Church, Naples, Florida

 
2.  The Organ Committee recommends that when we install a new organ, we should place the new organ on the main floor of our sanctuary on the pulpit side.  TLC would shorten the first two or three pews as well as the privacy panel in order to create the space for the organ to be placed on the pulpit side. 

 

We are making this recommendation for the following reasons:

Placing the organ on the sanctuary floor would…

a. allow for better communication between the pastors and the organist,
b. allow the organ to be used more frequently to accompany the Adult Choir,
c. and allow the organ to be used to collaborate with other musicians.

 

3.  We recommend building “sound pillars” in our sanctuary to house the organ and current main speakers (See below)
 

 

TLC would do our own labor of constructing these speaker pillars that would be approximately 25 ½” by 25 ½” on the inside.  We would find some type of fabric/covering that would look aesthetically pleasing while allowing the sound to flow out of these sound pillars.  We would receive guidance and instruction on where to build the shelves for the various speakers from Pellegrino Music. 
 

FINAL RECOMMEDATION

4. Our committee recommends that we would seek to obtain and install the GX335 Allen Organ from Pellegrino Music Center based on their quote of $109,730 and planning on an additional $4,000 for materials to build the Sound Pillars for a total of $113,730.

 

 

How does TLC pay for this new organ project?

The Board of Directors has approved the recommendations from the Organ Committee under the caveat that no funds from the church budget are used for this project. 

And here is where the Lord steps in…before any formal fundraising has begun, $86,000 has either been given or committed toward the organ project.   Praise the Lord!!!

On Sunday, August 7, Tallmadge Lutheran Church receive a check for $50,000 from the leftover funds from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Akron.  Good Shepherd closed this past spring with some church funds remaining.  Two former Good Shepherd members, Eric and Barbara Fink, have transferred to Tallmadge Lutheran Church.   Good Shepherd sent $30,000 to be used for mission work to the SELC District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and gave $50,000 to be an “organ donor” for Tallmadge Lutheran Church.  These funds are currently a dedicated account at TLC to be used toward the new organ.

Another TLC member has committed to providing $36,000 for the organ project over the next three years.  Before the gift from Good Shepherd, there was $1080.00 in the dedicated organ fund.

 Subtracting $87,080 from the organ project amount of $113,730 leaves $26,650 that needs to be raised to completely pay for this project. 

The Organ Committee is in the process of transitioning to an Organ Fundraising Committee in order to seek donations and 3-year pledges toward the organ project. 

 

NEXT STEPS

The Board of Directors has called for a special Voter’s Meeting to discuss these recommendations from the Organ Committee on Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 9:25am in the Fellowship Hall. 

 

Questions for TLC Members at Voter’s Meeting to consider:

 

  1. Do you agree or disagree with the recommendations of the Organ Committee, Board of Elders, and Board of Directors to move forward with organ project?

 

  1. How much money would you like in the bank before we move forward and order the organ? Enough to make the 50% down payment of $54,865?   75% or $85,298?  Or the whole $113,730 in the bank?

 

  1. Would TLC be open to taking out a 3-5 year loan in order to install the organ in the next 3-4 months?  Would TLC be open to taking out a loan if the total cost of the organ project/loan is pledged?  With no additional gifts/donations between now and the Voter’s Meeting, the highest the loan amount would be is $50,650 (Project total cost of $113,730 – $50,000 donation – year 1 donation of $12,000 – Dedicated Organ Fund $1080). 

 

 

Thank you for being part of the TLC family.  We look forward to our ongoing conversation about replacing our organ at TLC.

 

Your servants in Christ,

 

LaVonne Dolliver, Pam Klicman, Jonathan Vanaman, Dick Bock, Annie Alberts, Pastor Andy Alberts

 
 

Additional Questions and Answers with John Pellegrino

 

Q1: How much money do you need up front before ordering an organ for TLC?  Is there a certain amount that would be paid with the order and then the rest paid after installation?    

A1: Our standard organ contract payment schedule is a 50% down payment to place the order, 40% due upon delivery of the console, and 10% due within 10 days of the completion of the installation.

 

Q2: If we placed an order for an organ after our September 18 meeting, what is the general time frame for when we would have an installed organ and speakers at TLC? 

A2: The typical build time for an organ of this design would be 12-16 weeks from the day we place the order. Installation generally takes one to two weeks. If the church is in a hurry we can usually do some installation prep work so that part of the work is already done when the organ arrives. So if Tallmadge Lutheran Church placed an order on September 19th, we would expect your organ to ship out between mid-December and early January. 

 

Q3: If we wanted the Allen GX335 Anniversary edition as presented in the quote, are there organs already built like that?  Or is every organ built just as they are ordered? 

A3: Allen does build a few models for stock but generally speaking it’s difficult to find a model available that is a close enough match to a customer’s order. These are usually purchased by Allen dealers for stock or if someone needs an organ as soon as possible for a specific event. However, these stock models can sometimes be used for a customer’s order if they are early enough in the production process and this can significantly reduce the build time of an organ. And, the GX335 is one of the most common models that Allen builds for stock so there actually is a fair chance that the build time could be reduced. 
 
 

Q4: Do you help us remove the old organ? 

A4: Yes, we can remove the organ in the balcony and I have already factored this into the cost given in the
 
 

Q5: If we wanted the organ cabinet to be the same color of our altar, pulpit, and pews, how much would that cost? 

 

A5: It would be additional $1,950.00 to the quoted price to have the organ’s finish match the woodwork in the sanctuary. This would also be a single finish color and not the two-tone finish as in the proposal.