The Organ Restoration Project
The original organ at Trinity was built by the Wicks Organ Company of Highland, Illinois. The organ console and switching had deteriorated after many years of use. The pipes were of good scaling and design. and worthy of reuse in the new tonal pallet. The wind system had been updated over the years along with portions of the chamber switching. After visiting several instruments of similar design, the organ committee decided to commission the Peragallo Organ Company to refurbish and update the organ.
The reed pipes and the console of the organ were removed to the Peragallo factory in Paterson, New Jersey. The organ committee made a Saturday field trip to the Peragallo workshops to see the instrument being restored.
The Trivo Reed Company of Hagerstown, Maryland re-voiced the reeds. These include the 8’ Trumpet - 61 pipes; 8’ Oboe - 61 pipes and the 8’ French Horn - 61 pipes. The expression louvers were refurbished and adjusted to provide ultimate control of the expression dynamics.
At the Peragallo factory, the console was refinished and fitted with new key claviers featuring maple-and rosewood-covered naturals and sharps. A new pedal clavier was provided. A new backlit nameboard was installed, providing for the new tonal specification. A new state-of-the-art switching system was installed, providing playback and recording capability, a transposer, multiple levels of combination memory, a piston sequencer and many additional features.
The tonal resources of the organ were expanded with digitally sampled stops from the Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. A complete two manual and pedal stop list is now capable of providing for all service music and concert repertory.
The tonal finishing of the organ was completed by the third and fourth generations of the Peragallo firm, now celebrating 100 years in business!
The Peragallo Organ Company is now in its fourth generation of family business – 100 years of continuous operation – founded in 1918 by John Peragallo Sr. who apprenticed with the E.M. Skinner Organ Company. The firm has completed a new organ for the United Methodist Church of Colonial Williamsburg, our Opus 711, and a new organ for Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona, and refurnished the Wurlitzer Organ at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. We have refurbished the famous Kilgen Organs and currently serve as the curators at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. We are also curators of the G. Donald Harrison - Aeolian Skinner organ at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University in New York City.