Quarterly Status of the American Organ Institute

This page will be updated as significant events occur. The latest Quarter is listed at the top of the page.

 

2nd Quarter ~ 2009

Dr. John Schwandt, playing the 3/14 Möller, along with the OU Symphony Orchestra, performed the world premiere of OU Professor of Music (Composition) Dr. Marvin Lamb's "Bop! for theatre organ and Orchestra" (2009) during the 2009 OU President's Concert in late April. During April the 3/14 Möller was played by Dr. Schwandt or AOI Graduate Students during eight OU School of Music concert events. Planning has started in earnest for a gala celebration in early October to commission the 3/14 Möller, Opus 5819 in Sharp Concert Hall as well as celebrate the 10th anniversary of the C. B. Fisk, Opus 111 in Gothic Hall.  The event will be the weekend of October 2-4, 2009. The 2-manual, 3-rank, Möller Artiste Opus 10,736 was removed from service and preliminary restoration of the reservoir and the windchest pouchboards was started in the AOI Organ Shop.  Work continues on the 1/5 Hinners being erected in the pipe organ shop.  John Riester and OU Students Drew Mangus, Dan Sliger, and Jeremy Wance traveled to Michigan to pick up the Möller Artiste Roll Player Perforator and 760+ Master Rolls.  The perforator and master rolls are used to make the rolls that were distributed to Möller customers with roll players on their instruments. AOI student Jeremy Wance won the 2009 E. Power Biggs Fellowship.  The Fellowship, established in 1978, provides financial assistance for any age individual to attend the National Convention of the Organ Historical Society.  The 2009 convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio from July 5-10, 2009.   Additionally, the award provides two years of membership in the OHS.  Early admission activities for the University of Oklahoma's School of Music have enrolled 23 undergraduate and graduate students in the AOI organ program. Pipe organ builder John Goulding spent a week at the AOI Organ Shop supporting restoration of the Hinners mechanical action organ and instructing students on custom windchest design.

1st Quarter ~ 2009

Dan Sliger has been appointed the AOI Pipe Shop Student Team Leader for the Spring 2009 Semester. With the ten horsepower Spencer Orgoblo operating and providing air to the Mini-Mo during December the activities turned to completing the routing of windlines and wiring in the chambers at Sharp Concert Hall. At the AOI Pipe shop students carefully cleaned and restored each of the metal sets of pipes that will be installed.  Zinc pipes had their distressed lacquer coatings removed and were relacquered in the shop paint spray booth.  Reed pipes had their brass components cleaned and carefully reinstalled.  New felt was installed on tuning collars as required. The AOI Pipe Shop Voicing Jack saw heavy use during January as each set of Mini-Mo pipes was set up on the apparatus after cleaning and reassembly so that Dr. Schwandt could insure optimum speech from each of the nearly 1200 pipes being installed. The last Saturday in January brought most of the AOI team together to install the flue pipes in the two Mini-Mo chambers in Sharp Concert Hall.  In early February the remaining reed ranks of pipes were installed. Robert Maucere, Dan Sliger, Jeremy Wance spent began the tedious process of tracking down minute air leaks to insure the instrument will be as quiet as possible. Electrical Engineering Seniors Brian Spinner and Jarel Walker completed the final wiring installation of the instrument in Sharp Concert Hall.  The console was connected to the chestwork in the chambers and checkout of the instrument continues with fine adjustments being made as problems surface. The tuned percussions and sound effects will be completed and playable in late March completing the basic instrument. Theatre organists Richard Hills and Brett Valliant visited OU during February and provided those working on the instrument a sampling of the instrument's theatrical capabilities.  Plans are being drawn up to formally commission the instrument at the start of fall classes. The 1/5 Hinners is being erected in the pipe organ shop.  Donated to AOI in crates without drawings or documentation, the instrument is being assembled to understand how it goes together and insure all the parts are there.  It will have air applied to further check its overall condition.  The instrument will then be carefully disassembled and undergo a through restoration before being installed in a Catlett Music Center practice room. The School of Music has approved an AOI plan to restore one of the Möller Artiste practice organs.  The 2-manual, 3-rank, Möller Artiste Opus 10,736 will be restored during the summer.  Plans for the restoration are being developed by OU Organ Performance & Technology major Brennan Ebeling. The management and creation of new information on the AOI Website will have more involvement from AOI students.  A student team has been formed to work on various sections of the website to improve the navigation and information provided.  The student team will be updating the AOI website to comply with the latest OU website guidelines.

 

4th Quarter ~ 2008

AOI Shop Manager John Riester coordinated the massive effort of moving the windchests, reservoirs, and facade for the Mini-Mo from the AOI Pipe Organ Shop to Sharp Concert Hall with the assistance of a team from the Organ Clearing House.  Under John's direction the instrument's mechanical components were set up in the chambers and the 29 painted facade pipes placed across the front of the chamber.  The tuned percussions, untuned percussions, and sound effects units were placed on the chamber roof.  The routing of airlines and installation of the electrical wiring for the instrument was begun.  The instrument made its first utterances on December 17th.  It will be playable from the console in early January with the pipes installed by early February.  A time-lapse video of the Mini-Mo installation is available HERE. AOI students Daniel Sliger and Jeremy Wance attended the American Institute of Organbuilders 35th Annual Convention in Knoxville, Tennessee.  AOI Shop Manager John Riester attended the convention with Daniel and Jeremy. OU electrical engineering students Brian Spinner and Jerel Walker under the supervision of Robert Wilhelm powered up and completed the functional checkout the Z-tronics relay that was assembled in Delaware by Jared Smith.  The console has been fully assembled and functionality of all controls verified.  The console was transported to a storage location in Sharp Concert Hall.  Once the Mini-Mo is playable the fine adjustment of keyboard contacts and any other irregularities will be addressed. Craig Sproat completed all the windchest wiring harnesses for the Main and Solo chamber Z-tronics Relay Driver Panels.  Kenny Qian completed installation of connectors on all chest wiring harnesses.  The Z-tronics Relay Driver Panels are complete and awaiting installation and plug-in connection to the bottomboard cables.  Bradley Fitch completed restoration of the console's pedalboard with the installation of the Peterson contact system and Syndyne toe studs.  The pedalboard has been functionally checked out with the console's combination action and Z-tronics relay system. Norman Cantrell returned the Story & Clark upright piano to AOI with a fully rebuilt player action ready to connect to the pipe organ.  Brian Spinner wired up the piano's vacuum pump and electromagnets.  The Piano was electrically connected to the Z-tronics relay and console to facilitate verifying the functionality of the console and relay systems. Olivia Buthod completed rebuilding all wooden pipe stoppers for the Stopped Flute and Tibia Clausa ranks that will be used in the Mini-Mo. Andrea Printy and Jeremy Wance completed restoration of the sound effect and untuned percussion units and prepared them for installation. John Goulding constructed wooden air trunks for air distribution from the blower to the reservoirs and between the reservoirs and windchests.  OU student Robert Maucere soldered numerous airline seams and joints as the wind distribution system is created for the Mini-Mo. Grammy nominated inde rock band Shiny Toy Guns' new album, Season of Poison was released on schedule in November.  AOI Director Dr. John Schwandt recorded several passages on the 3/45 Fisk in Gothic Hall for the album. The AOI Shop Voicing Room and Shop Test relay system was completed and fully checked out for functionality.  The unit was moved to Sharp Concert Hall to facilitate checking out of the Mini-Mo.  Completion of the airlines remains the only outstanding item to complete in order for the voicing room to be fully functional.

 

3rd Quarter ~ 2008

University of Oklahoma's Physical Plant group completed major construction of the Mini-Mo's chambers in Sharp Concert Hall.  The organ's HVAC system, scheduled for delivery in late October, is the last part of the installation yet to be completed. AOI hosted its first Pipe Shop Open House on September 1st.  Nearly 150 people attended the 2-hour event which showcased numerous Mini-Mo restoration projects the students have been working on all Summer. The College of Fine Arts interim dean, Rich Taylor, visited the AOI Pipe Shop to meet with staff and students to learn more about the organization's current activities as well as our future plans and vision. AOI Director Dr. John Schwant attended the American Guild of Organists (AGO) convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota and he and Shop Manager John Riester attended the American Theatre Organ Society's (ATOS) convention in Indianapolis, Indiana to update members on current AOI activities and plans. AOI students Daniel Sliger and Jeremy Wance applied for and have each received a scholarship from the American Institute of Organbuilders to attend their 35th Annual Convention in Knoxville, Tennessee.  AOI Shop Manager John Riester will also attend the convention which is scheduled from October 12th through the 15th. Jeremy Wance has been appointed the AOI Pipe Shop Student Team Leader for the Fall 2008 semester. The former New York City Waldorf=Astoria Möller console's stoprail has been rewired and returned to the console along with the restored keyboards.  The console successfully completed initial power-up.  Checkout of its electromechanical relay combination action system, which hasn't seen operation in years, nears completion by OU electrical engineering students Brian Spinner and Jerel Walker. Master Organbuilder John Goulding spent several weeks at the AOI shop working with OU students to erect the offset windchests in each chamber and to construct support racking for the 16' and 8' long pipes mounted on the offset windchests. AOI Director Dr. John Schwandt recorded several passages on the 3/45 Fisk in Gothic Hall for Grammy nominated inde rock band Shiny Toy Guns' new album, Season of Poison due to be released later this year. All of the Mini-Mo's Main and Solo chamber manual windchests have been reassembled having been completely restored with releathered pouchboards, all new leather gasketing, and rewired and rebuilt bottomboards.  The manual windchests are ready for installation in Sharp Concert Hall.  Assembly of the offset chests is complete. Releathering of twelve wind regulating reservoirs that will distribute and control the air pressure supplied to the various parts of the instrument have been completed.  Design of the air distribution system within each chamber has been started. The tuned percussion actions for the instrument's Xylophone, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, and Chimes have been rebuilt and tested by Columbia Organ Leathers.  They have been returned to Norman and are being mated with the actual Deagan percussion units. The Z-tronics electronic relay system has been completed by Jared Smith shipped to Norman for installation in the organ chamber where it will operate the instrument.  All chamber windchests and tuned percussions have been wired in preparation for installation in Sharp Concert Hall. Dr. James A. Fenimore, M.D of Alto, New Mexico donated his extensive library of pipe organ related books and bound music to AOI.  The collection of approximately 1,000 volumes will be catalogued and known as the Fenimore Collection in the OU Music Library.  AOI thanks OU Psychology Professor Dr. Calvin D. Stoltenberg for transporting the collection to Norman from Alto. A 3-ton air conditioning system was installed in the Pipe Shop Equipment Room to remove the heat generated by the screw air compressor and the shop organ blower. The AOI Pipe Organ Shop student staff for the Fall semester includes six organ major graduate students (two doctorial performance; three masters performance; one masters technology), one organ major undergraduate student (dual major - performance & technology); along with two music major undergraduate students.  The shop student staff also includes two students from the College of Engineering (electrical) and a student from the College of Arts and Science (criminology).

 

2nd Quarter ~ 2008

Kaighn Associates Architects completed the chamber and equipment room design for the Mini-Möller installation in Sharp Concert Hall.  The design was reviewed and approved by OU A&E and AOI and construction began soon after classes ended.  Construction will take until mid-September 2008 after which time the chambers will be turned over to AOI for the installation of the instrument. Pipe organ builder John Goulding custom fabricated the floor frame and support structure for the mini-Möller's manual windchests.  Rackboards have been fabricated and all manual chest pipes have been racked with John's expert guidance.  The expression openings for the Mini-Möller will be hidden behind a facade of 16' pipes, the largest weighing in at 160 pounds.  John designed and constructed the organ chamber facade's support structure with the assistance of the shop's summer student help. Pipe organ builder Brandley Duddy has refurbished all of the mini-Möller's electric tablet units, mounted the new Möller-style tablets to the electric tablet units, and mounted the tablet assemblies back in the console horseshoe.  The keyboards and pedalboard have been refinished and are in the process of being reassembled. The AOI student team is concentrating on the rebuilding of various windchests and reservoirs that will be used for the mini-Möller.  AOI students have constructed tuning benches for accessing the windchests duplicating the Möller design, applied shellac to the windchest rackboards and other new wooden constructs, and have completed cleaning of reservoirs and pouchboards and are in the process of applying new leather, and are performing various wiring tasks on various aspects of the console and chamber windchests.  At the end of the quarter the student team was 2/3rds finished replacing pouchboard leather and gasketing along with doing the reassembly of the 28 manual windchest bottomboards after the completion of leathering. Major update to the AOI website that includes the history of the Philadelphia Municipal Auditorium and Möller Opus 5819 including the addition of three Roll Player selections as MP3 files for website visitor listening. The Pipe Shop Voicing Room's custom fabricated windchest, tuning keyboard, and wind supply components were delivered by Organ Supply Industries and are undergoing installation.  The Z-tronics relay system that will operate the voicing room windchests as well as serve as a testing system for windchests and other organ chamber hardware undergoing restoration was delivered to the shop and is being installed. The installation of shop's sawdust extraction system was completed and the system is now fully operational.  Work continues on the shop blower system for supplying wind to organ components undergoing testing.  The shop's 36" band saw, a stationary shop tool that was part of the Opus 5819 donation, is made operational. Early admission activities for the University of Oklahoma's School of Music have enrolled 18 undergraduate and graduate students in the AOI organ program.  Two years ago the program didn't exist and the number of organ majors or students studying organ had dwindled to zero. The Pipe Shop is staffed by nine OU students including four organ majors and three organ students.  In addition there are ten volunteers and professional staff instructing and supporting shop activities. AOI is continues working with the OU Development Office seeking grants and donations to help fund the Möller Opus 5819 Project and other AOI activities.

 

1st Quarter ~ 2008

The AOI Pipe Shop team cleaned up both Möller Opus 5819 consoles and moved them into the outer lobby area of Sharp Concert Hall.  The consoles will remain here until chamber construction forces the close of the hall at which time they will return to the pipe organ shop for rebuilding.  To view photos of the console move, click HERE. Jeff Weiler Pipe Organ Curators, Conservators, & Consultants performed a complete analysis of Opus 5819's pipework.  Mr. Weiler will provide AOI with a report of his findings as well as recommendations for the preservation and restoration of the instrument's pipework.  To paraphrase Mr. Weiler, "The pipework is of outstanding quality and construction; surely some of the best work Möller ever accomplished.  Overall the instrument is in immaculate condition.  A remarkable achievement by Möller and an instrument OU will be proud of when playing in it's entirety". AOI prepares the specifications for what will be referred to as the "Mini-Möller" and meets with the University's Architectural & Engineering Department and Kaighn Associates Architects to detail the requirements for the instrument's temporary chambers on the balcony of Sharp Concert Hall. The American Organ Institute teams up with the American Institute of Organbuilders to plan a seminar in May on how to rebuild and releather pipe organ reservoirs and regulators.  To prepare for the seminar the AOI staff identifies 14 Möller reservoirs that will be restored and releathered as part of the seminar and used for the Mini-Möller. AOI has five students working part time in the Pipe Organ Shop as part of earning their degrees. An electrical contractor completes the wiring of all shop stationary woodworking tools. Ingersoll-Rand installs the Pipe Shop's screw air compressor and air distribution system. AOI organist provides prelude music on the Fisk prior to a bipartisan forum of political leaders in Sharp Concert Hall. The local chapter of the American Guild of Organists visits AOI for a lecture by Greg Bover of C.B. Fisk, a concert on the Fisk by OU Graduate Students, and a tour of the AOI facilities.

 

4th Quarter ~ 2007

Kaighn Associates Architects completes the initial design and cost study for the addition to Sharp Concert Hall.  The study will be presented to University President David Boren and the Board of Regents for project timing review, funding considerations, and AOI's educational and pipe organ shop plans. AOI begins a formal fund raising program to support the restoration and installation of Möller Opus 5819.  To increase project visibility the University granted permission for the two Möller consoles to be cleaned up and placed in the lobby of Sharp Concert Hall with photos and signage to highlight the fund raising program and the University's ambitious plans for AOI and the Möller. The College of Fine Arts requests AOI install a small number of ranks from the Möller using a donated 3-manual Möller console.  The concept is to install the instrument on the center Choir Balcony of the Sharp Concert Hall for project visibility and so that it may be used with OU Music programs including choral, instrumental, and silent film accompaniment. The American Organ Institute with the support of the American Theatre Organ Society secures an entirely original 3/14 Balaban II Wurlitzer Pipe Organ, Opus 1903 originally installed in the Colfax Theater in South Bend, Indiana.   To be known as the Guenther Hille Memorial Wurlitzer, the instrument will be installed entirely original at OU for use as a practice and teaching instrument. The Pipe Organ Shop is outfitted with various stationary woodworking tools including a table saw, radial arm saw, radial arm drill press, planer, jointer, band saw, and sanders. AOI.OU.EDU goes live as AOI's official website. AOI organist provides prelude music on the Fisk prior to former Secretary of State and former Chaiman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colon Powell's lecture in Sharp Concert Hall.

 

3rd Quarter ~ 2007

AOI defines the minimum woodworking tooling that will be required for routine pipe organ shop activities, obtains quotes, and places orders. All 300 crates of Möller Opus 5819 are inventoried, documented, and organized in the storage area by AOI personnel with the help of OU School of Music Graduate Assistants.  The untuned percussions and sound effect units are placed on display in the AOI Shop. AOI personnel remove a small 1930's era Möller theatre organ from an Ohio church which will be used to support Opus 5819's restoration.  The instrument is crated and stored in the AOI warehouse. University of Oklahoma's Information Technology department creates AOI.OU.EDU as a website for AOI.  Work starts on development of the website's content.

 

2nd Quarter ~ 2007

A&E Services, Kaighn Associates Architects, and AOI technical resources work together to define Möller Opus 5819's installation in Sharp Concert Hall. AOI begins determining a plan and costs to restore Möller Opus 5819 while the addition to Sharp Concert Hall is designed and constructed.  The effort includes the installation of the instrument once the chamber areas are constructed. AOI accepts a 2/6 Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ donated by Clark Wilson which will be used as a practice and teaching instrument when a location is chosen and funding is available.  It is crated and stored in security monitored AOI warehouse space. AOI organist provides prelude music on the Fisk prior to former Mexican President Vincente Fox's lecture in Sharp Concert Hall.

 

1st Quarter ~ 2007

Construction was completed on the AOI Shop Facility. John M. Riester hired as AOI Shop Manager becoming effective May 7, 2007. Various technical consultants were contacted to support to the project. The University's Architectural & Engineering Services contracted Kaighn Associates Architects, Inc to generate a preliminary design and cost estimate for an addition to Sharp Concert Hall for the Möller pipe chambers.  Kaighn Associates served as architect for the Catlett Music Center. Using original Möller drawings and data compiled by the Organ Clearing House during Möller Opus 5819's removal, 3D computer-aided design (CAD) wire-frame layouts for each of the organ chambers were generated to determine chamber sizes and layouts for the design and cost estimates. The Organ Clearing House was contracted to properly arrange the Möller's storage in the AOI warehouse space and a portion of the newly finished Pipe Organ Shop.  The AOI warehouse space is heated and includes fire and burglar alarms. AOI organists provide prelude music on the Fisk prior to lectures by former President George Bush and writer David McCullough in Sharp Concert Hall.

 

4th Quarter ~ 2006

The American Organ Institute was formed within the University of Oklahoma's Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, School of Music.  Dr. John Schwandt will direct the new organization. The OU Board of Regents provides initial funding to AOI with the provision that AOI shall seek support, funding, and additional instruments and resources through donations and other non-University sources. M. P. Möller Opus 5819 originally installed in the Philadelphia Municipal Auditorium in 1931 was acquired from the University of Pennsylvania.  The instrument will be installed in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall which is part of the Stanley B. Catlett Music Center. The Organ Clearing House, who removed Opus 5819 in 2004, was contracted to relocate the instrument from the University of Pennsylvania's unheated storage to a climate controlled OU warehouse in Norman, Oklahoma.  The instrument was loaded and transported to Norman, Oklahoma in four 53' trailers and highway truck scales along the route indicated the total instrument's weight to be in excess of 120,000 pounds! Architectural plans were drawn up for the construction of a Pipe Organ Shop facility where the Möller and other instruments may be restored and prepared for installation.