Frequently Asked Questions

This is a big undertaking and we are excited to be on this journey of stewardship with you. If you have a question that is not answered here or in the Sunday Forum video below, please contact capitalcampaign@americancathedral.org. We’re always happy to be of service.

• What's wrong with our current organ? It sounds great to me.

  The American Cathedral has two pipe organs—our historic Great Organ in the chancel near the altar and the secondary organ at the back of the nave.

  Even after 130 years, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll’s Great Organ in the chancel is a work in progress.

  The chancel organ has been modified and enlarged over the decades to provide more support for congregational singing, in 1922, 1930, and again in 1992 when the secondary back organ was significantly expanded. But these good faith efforts have had only mixed success. Time and lack of financial resources have taken their toll on the pipes and wiring of the main organ, rendering elements unusable or hazardous.

  Rebuilding and reconfiguring the organ, a complicated process involving every one of its several thousand pipes and all that make them sing, will enable it to realize the full potential that Cavaillé-Coll and cathedral architect George Edmund Street intended—and that contemporary congregations and concertgoers deserve. Similarly, the back organ is in need of great reworking; it’s unplayable due to a faulty blower and has out-of-date wiring.

  There are many fundamental features of our existing organ that may not appear in need of addressing, but are indeed in dire condition, and they only going to get worse and likely more expensive to confront.

  Although many of the existing pipes look fine to the layperson’s eye, they are only the most visible and familiar part of a pipe organ. In the complex system of our organs, there is real trouble in the mechanical chassis and linkage between the keys and the pipes that allows them to sound. In addition, the current arrangement of the pipes and case are far from ideal. A rebuilt instrument will enhance the support of both the choir and congregational singing, as well as permit maintenance and access to the instruments without the current crowding.

  A good way of thinking of this proposal is not as a restoration or a mere renewal, but rather as a rebuilding of our organ and our cathedral’s music capacity, flexibility, and faithfulness. Yes, we plan to wisely restore much of the historic, pipework of Cavaillé-Coll, Mutin, and Convers, and we are renewing the chancel console; but in all other ways, we are truly rebuilding our instruments, with and in the great tradition we’ve inherited. Essentially new fine organs will emerge, in the chancel and in the back of the nave. They will be the right size, beautifully cased, and most importantly resonate in the enriched worship and performance.

• Who will build the new organ and cases?

  After months of project planning and consultation with experts, backed by years of study and conversation at the cathedral, the music director, organist, and organ committee recommend that the renewal of the organ be entrusted to a dual consortium deeply familiar with Cavaillé-Coll organs: Klais, a major German based, family-operated builder founded in 1882; and Dominique Thomas, a 50-year-old family-based, boutique firm in Luxembourg. Their vision for the renewal of the organ, inside and out, strongly resonates with both the cathedral’s objectives and its means.

• How much will a new/renovated organ cost?

  We will not have a final negotiation of costs for some time, but our June 2022 working estimate is approximately EUR 3 million for the organ and another EUR 2 million for the additional key projects in the campaign.

• What will a new organ look like? Will it be appropriate to our beautiful space?

  Yes, of course. A key feature of the planning for the organ will be a design that is coherent, enriching and finely tuned to the character of our nave. In collaboration with our monument historique-certified architect and the organ builder, we will have a design that fits beautifully within the neo-gothic architecture of the nave, the spirit of our liturgy, and our celebration of music. Watch for design renderings soon!

• Why are we creating two new organ cases; can't we just repair the pipes, front and back, and leave them where they are today?

  Our current front chancel organ has no case to act as a focusing acoustic soundboard to project the sound into a single, coherent shape, and is at a distance from the choir and congregation. With these handicaps our organ today simply does not give justice to the renowned, subtle, characteristic Cavaillé-Coll sound. Our pipes are crammed into the open, elevated back corner of the St. Paul the Traveller chapel, which was not Cavaillé-Coll’s normal practice and has serious negative effects on access for maintenance. Cavaillé-Coll traditionally placed organs in the rear in galleries so that there would be direct sound projection into the nave. The rare front chancel instruments he built were housed in beautiful cases for maximal projection into the choir. Street himself nearly always designed cases for organs in his churches. There have been several attempts to overcome the disappointing projection of sound of our original organ, including two enlargements of the front organ, in 1922 and 1930, and then construction in 1967 of a back gallery organ which was replaced in 1993. But continued concern about supporting congregational singing and the need for a more supportive acoustic environment for the choir has brought us to consider a more ambitious plan that will finally allow the pipes to sing to their full advantage and restore as much as possible the organ’s original sound identity.

  The new design will reconfigure the pipes material in the choir area in a much more traditional format. The chancel front organ will be located in two facing cases on each side of the choir and there will be split cases for the back organ, thus exposing more of the now partially hidden stained glass window. With containing and projecting wooden cases in the chancel and back organ, the sound will be directed into a common space, into the same “room”, as the choir and congregation. There have been several churches which have successfully used this solution recently, including St Thomas Church 5th avenue (NYC) and Grace Episcopal Church (NYC).

  The sound and aesthetic of Cavaillé-Coll will be enhanced through these changes, since all of his original pipes and the best of the later interventions will be preserved, but the new placement will let us appreciate the heritage of our instrument more fully than ever before.

• With costs so high, how were priorities established and what other programs of the parish might suffer or be deferred?

  Good questions such as this were at the weeks-long, parish-wide discernment phase of the campaign. Cottage meetings for listening and dreaming were held in person and on Zoom, in Paris and in the US for more than 100 participants. Reports from these meetings informed the Vestry’s unanimous decision to accept the committee’s proposal to seek funding for six key projects:

  • Rebuild and renew the organs

  • Transform the acoustic quality and experience in the nave

  • Relight the nave to enhance visibility, remove archaic fixtures, save energy

  • Introduce paperless worship through discreet digital screens, saving thousands in paper and printing

  • Open the nave to new possibilities through more flexible seating

  • Establish an endowment for music

  The proposed endowment would cover organ maintenance costs and support the overall music program, freeing up money in the operating budget for other programs.

• How long would a big project like this take? Will we be disrupted by construction for a long time?

  We don’t know yet, but as soon as the Feasibility Study Phase of the campaign is completed this summer, we will be able to conclude negotiations with the organ builders, and the Vestry will announce a timeline. The entire project is likely to take up to three years.

• Are there other structural needs of the Cathedral such as fireproofing or energy efficiency?

  Studies of the roof and nave structure have been performed by our monument historique architect. Fortunately, these showed that the roof is in fine condition and is not considered at risk of fire. Furthermore, the nave ceiling does not appear to allow as much heat to escape as had originally been feared. The Cathedral’s Buildings and Grounds committee is working with our security architect to determine if any additional heat and smoke detection systems are needed.

• All that we do flows from our Christian formation in worship, but where does music, particularly organ music, fit into that equation? Is it essential?

  Yes, music is indeed an essential part of Christian worship and formation. All that we do is to the glory of God and the building of God’s community. This project was begun and continues in prayer, and we feel guided by the Spirit as we discern our way forward. The organ is the first and the last thing we hear in the worship service, and it supports us throughout. The organ accompanies us through all stages of life—baptism, marriage, and funerals.
  
  Music has for many years been one of our principal forms of congregation building, attracting, and retaining many faithful people to hear God’s good news through the joyful sounds of music. It is also a source of revenue, which many be enhanced through the work we hope to undertake.

  The proposed renewal of both of the Cathedral’s organs is grounded in the clarity of vision that all we are, as a Christian community, springs from the rich worship experience we share as we seek to know God and make God known. The organ rebuild will enrich and empower our congregational worship and deepen our Christian formation, today and in the decades to come.

• Who has been on the organ discernment committee?

  Edward Bates, Timothy Boggs, Jacques Bossonney, Matthew Commons, Andrew Dewar, Jennifer Gosmand, Paul Howley, Nancy Janin, James Mercer, Sue Sturman, Charles Trueheart, Zachary Ullery. Organist Nathan Laube has also been a key part of our deliberations.

  This group has been building on the dedicated efforts of prior teams over the years; most recently, the 2014 committee of Nancy Brune, Andrew Dewar, Bill Ickes, Don Johnson, Phillippe Lefebvre, Samuel Liégeon, Robert Seeman, Edward Turner, Zachary Ullery and Giles Williams did seminal work.

  Former Canon for Music Edward “Ned” J. Tipton was well aware of the ongoing issues, as he stated in a Fall 2010 Trinité Magazine interview.

• What musical, acoustical, and technical experts have been consulted?

  The American Cathedral has been working with organ builders, organists, organ experts, acousticians, and architects to evaluate the organ and determine how the acoustics can better support the new instrument and singing, both by choirs and the congregation. In early 2022 we were delighted to retain Nathan Laube as an adviser to work alongside cathedral organist Andrew Dewar and Music Director Zachary Ullery. Nathan is a renowned American concert organist, educator and scholar who performs, teaches, and consults around the world. He also played our organs when he was studying in France and serving as an occasional guest organist.

  We have benefited from the advice of many, especially in the examination of possible solutions for the cathedral’s dry acoustics. A non-exhaustive list of experts includes:

  Dominique Cheenne, PhD acoustics engineer, founder of C and C Consulting, took original measurements in 2014

  Gene Bedient, founder of the Bedient Pipe Organ Company, worked pro bono on the Cathedral organ for two years

  Lilian Aucher, founder of Acoustex, recommended by our architect Bortolussi, confirmed and added to measurements of Cheenne and made new recommendations in 2021

  Brian Katz, PhD, research director of CNRS Sorbonne acoustics program and consulting on the Notre Dame reconstruction, reviewed two acoustic studies in 2022

  The Fraunhofer Institute, Mauritz Spah, Head of Room Acoustics

  Retired PhD acoustician, involved in scores of prestigious projects, wishes to remain unnamed, reviewed two studies and suggested others to contact

  Jan Jagla, acoustician at CSTB proposing Carmen System

  John Pellowe, Grammy award winning sound engineer, Meyer Sound “Constellation” system

  Pierre Bortolussi, Architecte en chef des Monuments Historiques

• How have we paid for the project's study costs thus far?

  The early study costs were financed by a generous anonymous donor, who gave us a “seed gift” that also sponsored the First Fridays Organ Concert Series. We are grateful for their support and are now transitioning to a funded capital campaign independent from the cathedral’s operating budget.

• How can I help bring this renovation about in a timely way so that the current congregation, including my family, can enjoy it?

  You can help by being an active member of the campaign as soon as it is launched, studying the case statement, reading materials on the Capital Campaign page of the Cathedral website (this page!), asking your questions, making your suggestions via the feasibility study survey, and making a sacrificial pledge.

  While the total effort will take over three years, donors should know that they are helping to maintain, stimulate, and enrich the cathedral family and its means of worship. Donors are “paying forward” in profound ways that will last for generations, starting with our own! The project will be executed so that the worship space will be disrupted as little as possible. During the entire process we will have playable instruments, sequencing the work on the two organs wisely.

• Shouldn't we wait for a new Dean before proceeding?

  No. One of the biggest gifts we could give a new Dean is to have a long-studied and carefully planned renovation funded and well along. Candidates for our open position will be intrigued and impressed by the dynamic lay leadership and deep parish support pulling this ambitious work together.

  We have the enthusiastic support of Bishop Edington and will have the interim Dean’s involvement throughout the campaign launch, and he has been chosen in part because he has qualities appropriate for this task. Canon Katz is also fully onboard with this project and has fundraising experience himself.

• When was our last capital campaign and what did it provide?

  The last capital campaign was undertaken in 2008 and raised a total of EUR 5.5 million. This transformed all our space, except the nave. Specific upgrades included:

  • Made the Cathedral conformant with French regulations on safety

  • Made the entire facility handicapped accessible

  • Added an elevator

  • Added hundreds of meters of square space (storage which was sorely lacking)

  • Provided new classrooms in a safer environment

  • Made the Cathedral more environmentally friendly (got rid of boilers, put facilities on steam heating grid)

  • Enhanced the kitchen and moved it to the level where food is served, making a major difference for Mission and Outreach programs, as well as space rental

  • Provided upgraded office space for Cathedral staff.

  The one important ambition that the last campaign could not cover was the organ and nave work. The campaign was targeted towards physical program space. One of the items in the official campaign brochure noted “our historical C-C organ, built in 1887, now constantly malfunctions; indeed, it has developed a frustrating ‘mind of its own.’ It listed as a priority for TOMORROW: ‘We will restore the organ to good working order.’”