Music

ON THIS PAGE: | The Choir of St. John's | The Organ at St. John's  | History/Description of Organ  | Organ

                               Specifications | Concert Series |

The Choirs of St. John's

Under the general direction of Director of Worship and Music, Steven Johnson, the choirs of St. John's include:

The St. John's Choir serves the 9:15 a.m. service with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings.

Contemporary Choir serves the 11:30 a.m. service with rehearsals on Tuesday evenings.

Children's and Youth Choirs serve at both the 9:15 and 11:30 a.m. services.  They rehearse on Sunday mornings in conjunction with Sunday School.

Handbell Choir serves at the 9:15 a.m. service and occasionally at the other Sunday services.  It rehearses on Tuesday evenings.

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The Organ at St. John's

Notes from the Organ Subcommittee

Be an Organ Donor! 

Give with all your Heart!

The time has come when our pipe organ needs to be rebuilt.  When the remodel of the sanctuary begins, the pipe organ must be removed.  Many parts of the current organ are in disrepair.  The large redwood pipes in the stair well (which were part of the original 1912 pipe organ) must be moved back into the sanctuary, both for musical and fire safety reasons.  Many of the present pipes in the sanctuary are in illogical and cramped arrangements which make them difficult to tune and maintain.  Most distressing is that the wind chests, which are the “guts” of the organ, are of an experimental design and cannot be repaired. 

At the congregational meeting on April 23, 2006 the three motions approved by the Church Council were all passed by the voting membership.  St. John's will have a newly rebuilt pipe organ for worship after the remodel of our sanctuary is completed, in approximately June of 2008.  Our organ builder is Bedient Pipe Organ Company of Lincoln, Nebraska.  A contract for a "Core Organ" has been signed.  This will be installed in the choir loft and will include a new console, casework, and wind chests, reusing over half of our existing pipes.  The overall design includes planning for two future additions to the pipe organ once funds have been raised.  To learn more about our organ builder, please visit his website at www.bedientorgan.com

Pledge packets for the Organ Fund are available from the church office.  If you have not yet pledged, we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible.  Pledges can be paid out over three years.  All checks designated for the organ fund should be clearly marked “Pipe Organ”.

There are many opportunities for giving.  Individual pipes or ranks of pipes can be adopted or sponsored in honor of friends or in memory of loved ones.  Special opportunities also exist for sponsorship of the keyboards, bellows, and other major components of the pipe organ.  Each donation will be acknowledged in print, accompanied by a certificate and listed in the church’s archives.  Donations of one thousand dollars or more will be engraved on a plaque to be appropriately displayed.

St. John’s Lutheran Church has always had a prominent reputation in this community for its magnificent pipe organ.  Now is the time to continue this tradition.  Pipes are synonymous with St. John’s.  Become an Organ Donor.  Give with all your Heart. 

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History/Description of the Organ

The organ, opus 52, was purchased from the Swain and Kates, Inc. of San Francisco in 1969. The specifications were prepared by Robert Kates in consultation with O.C. Lund, Director of Music for St. John's at the time. The tonal director was William S. Swain.

The instrument was designed and built specifically for St. John's Lutheran Church and her worship requirements, support of choral and congregational singing, and to serve as an effective recital instrument. It incorporates all 18 ranks of pipework installed in the former organ. The organ has four manuals (keyboards) and 70 ranks. The instrument consists of six organs: the Great, Swell, Choir, Positiv, Pedal, and Antiphonal.

An unusual feature of the organ is a dramatic arrangement of reed pipes known as "Trumpet en Chamade." Reminiscent of medieval herald trumpets, these 73 pipes are mounted horizontally in front of the Great organ pipes, thereby directing their tone straight into the church nave. Another feature is a "Cymbelstern" (cymbal star), a series of small bells struck by hammers as they revolve producing a tinkling sound. Used in early German organs, it creates an exciting sound, particularly useful during festivals.

There are 3,577 pipes in the organ. The console contains 8 levels of computer memory with 72 drawknobs, 31 couplers, 31 manual and pedal pistons and 12 general pistons which affect the entire organ and are duplicated by 12 toe studs. A 5-horsepower blower supplies wind to each division, voiced on pressures varying from 2 to 5 inches. The antiphonal organ has its own blower that supplies 3 inches of pressure.

The chimes, presented by Dr. Charles F. and Mary E. Oehler to commemorate Dr. Oehler's 45 years as pastor of St. John's, are incorporated into the organ.

The organ at St. John's is serviced by Philip L. Browning.

To see the Specifications on our Organ click here.

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About the St. John’s Concert Series

Begun in 1969 by then organist and choir director Christian Lund, the St. John’s Concert Series was primarily a showcase for St. John’s new organ, and featured monthly recitals by local organists.

In 1988, the scope of the Series was broadened to include all kinds of classical music: chamber, instrumental, vocal, choral, and early music. Several concerts in the Series were given as part of the Sacramento Bach Festival.

Since the Series was conceived as a gift to the community, all concerts were free of charge. In 1990, the performances became a benefit series for local charities; there was still no charge, but a free-will offering was received at concerts.

In 1989, the Series became a part of St. John’s budget. In 1993, donors were sought to supplement the series resources and also to begin reducing the impact on St. John’s budget. One of the side effects of being removed from the budget was that free-will offerings no longer went to local charities but to support the Series.

The St. John’s Concert Series remains dedicated to presenting free, quality concerts for our community. It is our goal to offer local talents, well-known professional artists, and up-and-coming young artists as part of our 30 years of continuing musical offerings for our community.  We look forward to the concert series resuming once our sanctuary remodel and organ re-building are complete.

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