Don’t miss The Mystical Organ recital and lecture tonight at 7:30 pm in the Sanctuary. Help celebrate the rebuilding of our pipe organ regulator! Did you know that our pipe organ required 15,000 feet of lumber to build, contained more than 3,000 pipes (which, if laid end to end, would extend for two miles), and weighed nearly 15 tons? The organ also used more than 35 miles of electric wiring and utilized 3,800 pneumatic bellows and pouches! Thanks to the generous contributions of FPC members and friends, the static regulator for the organ was rebuilt earlier this fall.

Come to the album release concert for “Hand Me a Hymnal” by the group The Banner Days on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 pm. In “Hand Me a Hymnal,” Northwest songwriters Beth Whitney and Bradford Loomis, along with Beth’s husband/upright bassist, Aaron Fishburn, teamed up  with producer, Brandon Bee, to capture their unique take on some beloved hymn classics both ancient and modern. The “Hand Me a Hymnal” album spans the wide breadth from soulful, joyous gospel, to brooding Appalachian ballads; from foot stomping bluegrass to swanky R&B and makes the distance seem minuscule. With their dramatic crescendos, minimalist intensity, and intricate harmonies, The Banner Days have elicited comparisons to The Civil Wars and the Swell Season. The concert also features The Owl Parliament and Emily Ann Peterson.

 

All ages seated. 7:30 pm, show start. 7:00 pm, doors open. TICKETS: $10 Adv. Brown Paper Tickets or $12 Door

 

Experience God in a new way as the First Presbyterian Church (FPC) sanctuary is filled with the powerful and mysterious music of the pipe organ at a special FREE lecture and organ recital on the evening of Monday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 pm. The event will feature Sarah Duffy, who is earning her doctorate in music arts in organ performance from the University of Washington. During the first half of the evening, Duffy will tell the story behind the organ work L’Orgue Mystique and its composer. During the second half of the evening, she will perform selections from the work. Written by French organist and composer Charles Arnould Tournemire (1870-1939), L’Orgue Mystique (“The Mystical Organ”) has been hailed as a “blockbuster” organ work. Inspired by Gregorian Chants, L’Orgue Mystique took five years to complete and provides music for every part of the church year. Deeply Christian, L’Orgue Mystique has also inspired a series of paintings by noted artist Tom Walker. Celebrate the recent rebuild of our organ’s static regulator by attending this concert, and invite your family and friends!

Sarah Duffy is a professional organist, vocalist, and pianist from Allyn, WA. Currently, she is organist at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Tacoma. Prior to that, she was organist for North American Martyrs Parish in Seattle for five years. Both parishes celebrate the Latin Mass, a beautiful liturgy in which the organ has a historical place. Sarah is also a DMA candidate in organ performance at the University of Washington, where she had experience as a music history TA and as a writing instructor. She is studying the music of Charles Tournemire, which is especially linked to the Latin Mass and Gregorian chant. Before coming back to Washington (Sarah grew up in Gig Harbor), she earned a Master in Sacred Music at the University of Notre Dame, and a Bachelor in Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Sarah’s husband Thomas is a general dentist in Shelton, and they have two lovely daughters who fill their house with giggles and joy.

About FPC’s Pipe Organ
FPC’s organ was originally built by the Reuter Organ Co. of Lawrence, Kansas and was presented to the church in memory of Edwin Swan by his wife Anna Rumbaugh Swan and was dedicated to “the glory of God.” According to a Tacoma News Tribune article from 1924, the organ required 15,000 feet of lumber to build, contained more than 3,000 pipes (which, if laid end to end, would extend for two miles), and weighed nearly 15 tons. The organ also used more than 35 miles of electric wiring and utilized 3,800 pneumatic bellows and pouches. Thanks to the generous contributions of FPC members and friends, the static regulator for the organ was rebuilt earlier this fall.