The Bethesda Episcopal Church on Washington Street in downtown Saratoga
Springs recently added a new member to its congregation: a
state-of-the-art, computerized switching system organ.
The George and Laura Pierce Gallery Organ, named for the late parents of David Hyde Pierce, honors the family's contributions to the church. All four Pierce children, Tom, Nancy, Barbara and David, grew up at the church.
The organ, which took nearly two years to build, sits in the gallery. It's pipe work consists of carefully selected vintage ranks from the first three decades of the twentieth century, and was chosen for its similarity to the style of the E.M. Skinner organ, which sat in the gallery from 1920 to 1967. The pipe display is silver with gothic style mouths to match the façade pipes of the Casavat organ which sits at the front of the church.
The new organ was built as an addition to the Casavant; the two can be played simultaneously. With this addition, the Casavant has 3185 pipes and 56 ranks.
A dedication ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 11 at 1 p.m. David Hyde Pierce will accompany Bethesda's organist Farrell Goehring for a special concert.
"David learned how to play the organ here," Goehring said. "And his father was on the Vestry in 1967 when the Casavat was purchased. We asked his family to put in the new organ, to connect the two together."
David Hyde Pierce was also the assistant organist at Bethesda House.
According to Goehring, the name of the company that is responsible for manufacturing the organ's pipes is named Pierce, making the organ's dedication all the more suiting.
"It's fitting in memory of George and Laura," Goehring said.
The organ, which took nearly two years to build, sits in the gallery. It's pipe work consists of carefully selected vintage ranks from the first three decades of the twentieth century, and was chosen for its similarity to the style of the E.M. Skinner organ, which sat in the gallery from 1920 to 1967. The pipe display is silver with gothic style mouths to match the façade pipes of the Casavat organ which sits at the front of the church.
The new organ was built as an addition to the Casavant; the two can be played simultaneously. With this addition, the Casavant has 3185 pipes and 56 ranks.
A dedication ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 11 at 1 p.m. David Hyde Pierce will accompany Bethesda's organist Farrell Goehring for a special concert.
"David learned how to play the organ here," Goehring said. "And his father was on the Vestry in 1967 when the Casavat was purchased. We asked his family to put in the new organ, to connect the two together."
David Hyde Pierce was also the assistant organist at Bethesda House.
According to Goehring, the name of the company that is responsible for manufacturing the organ's pipes is named Pierce, making the organ's dedication all the more suiting.
"It's fitting in memory of George and Laura," Goehring said.
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