As our current electric organ began to show signs that it was coming to the end of its life we began to dream and wonder about what the next chapter of music at St. John's might look like. Here you'll find information about the history of music at St. John's, the process of building a new pipe organ at St. John's and infromation on how you can contribute and take part in our musical legacy.
Our story so far
Music has been an integral part of worship at St. John’s Episcopal Church for nearly 150 years. Throughout the parish’s history, a succession of instruments has faithfully led congregational singing, accompanied the choir, and enriched the liturgy in the Anglican tradition.
The first pipe organ installed at St. John’s was built by E. & G. G. Hook of Boston, Massachusetts. Designated Opus 904, the instrument was installed in 1878 and served the parish for nearly seventy years. The Hook firm was among the most respected American organ builders of the nineteenth century, and the installation of one of its instruments reflected the parish’s longstanding commitment to excellence in sacred music.
In 1947, the Hook organ was replaced by a new instrument built by the M. P. Möller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. Designated Opus 7364, the organ was given as a memorial gift by Elizabeth Greene in loving memory of her brother, Russell Greene. For more than four decades, the Möller organ faithfully served the musical life of St. John’s before being removed in 1990.
Following the removal of the Möller organ, the parish installed a Rodgers digital organ, which has continued to serve the congregation since 1990. For more than three decades, it has provided dependable musical leadership for worship while the parish looked toward the future.
That future will become a reality in 2027 with the completion of a new 31-rank pipe organ by Austin Organs, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut. Designated Opus 2808, the new instrument will mark the return of pipe organ music to St. John’s after nearly four decades. Designed to lead congregational singing, accompany the choir, and present the rich repertoire of sacred organ literature, it will continue the parish’s longstanding tradition of musical excellence for generations to come.
Although St. John’s has been blessed with a rich musical heritage, much of the documentary history surrounding its earlier instruments has unfortunately been lost. Despite extensive research, original specifications, photographs, dedication programs, and other records relating to the 1878 Hook organ and the 1947 M. P. Möller organ have not yet been located. It is hoped that future discoveries in church archives or private collections will help complete this important chapter in the musical history of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
In the summer of 2025 our Organist and Choir Director Adam Schneider began looking into options for replacing our failing digital organ. In late 2025 we met with two pipe organ builders who gave us three quotes. We were immediately impressed with Austin Organs, Inc., and their proposal seemed to perfectly fit our space and not only our current music programs but where we hoped to bring those music programs.
Recognzing that this dream was a stretch we began to look into a number of grants to assist in covering the cost of a new organ. After exhausting the available grant opportunities to no avail we sent out an appeal to our membership to gauge the financial support for purchasing a new pipe organ and were overwhelmed by the response.
Choosing our next organ
What is happening now and how you can be a part of it
In April of 2026 St. John's contracted with Austin Organs, Inc of Hartford Connecticut to build our next Organ.
Since then our organ has been in the design phase, soon they will begin to construct the console and pipework. We are expecting the install to begin in the summer of 2027, being completed in August, 2027.
If you would like to take part in this exciting project pipes are able to be given in memory or thanksgiving for loved ones. A full rank of pipes can be named for a gift of $10,000, half of a rank will be named for gifts of $5,000, and individual pipes will be named for gifts of $250. Any proceeds over the cost of the organ will be set aside for the instruments care and maintenance as well as providing the funds for an annual organ concert. To make a gift please be in touch with our office.