Playing and Preserving

Playing and Preserving Overview

Philadelphia’s pipe organs, and the sacred places that contain them, are some of the city’s greatest treasures. Yet, changing religious landscapes, musical tastes, and technology over the last 20 to 30 years are putting both sacred places and their historic pipe organs at risk. One expert estimated that nearly 50% of the instruments featured in the Organ Historical Society’s national convention in Philadelphia nearly twenty years ago maybe be partially destroyed, dormant, or unplayable.

Playing and Preserving will identify key historic pipe organs at risk in sacred places throughout Philadelphia’s neighborhoods; activate these important instruments through technical assistance and support to the congregations that steward them; and work with project partners and artists to develop presentations and concerts that engage the local community in preservation through music. Project components include:

• SURVEY HISTORIC PIPE ORGANS AT RISK OUTSIDE PHILADELPHIA’S CITY CENTER
• TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR A COHORT OF TEN CONGREGATIONS
• PILOT PERFORMANCES IN A UNIQUE SPACE WITH ASTRAL

Inventory

Partners is collaborating with pipe organ students from the Curtis Institute of Music to conduct an innovative survey of up to 50 historic pipe organs at risk in sacred places outside of Philadelphia’s urban core. Data on instrument construction, condition and age will be collected along with information about congregational health, collaborative readiness, openness to the arts, and other key factors. Their findings, including audio recordings of the pipe organs and photos of the sites, will be made available to the public through an online database.

Training and Capacity Building

An Advisory Committee will invite up to ten congregations from the survey to participate in a training and capacity-building program. The training will be adapted from Partners’ highly-regarded capacity-building programs to incorporate the historic organ as a key physical asset of the congregation. Each congregation will receive a full conditions assessment of its instrument, a guide to repair and restoration, and direct technical assistance to catalyze efforts to fundraise and preserve their instruments. Grants will be made available to support organ preservation work. Each grant will be matched on a one-to-one basis by the recipient church, using funds from other sources and/or in-kind support.

Pilot Performances

Partners for Sacred Places has collaborated with Astral and Play On Philly (POP) to organize a series of family-friendly, community concerts to be held at St. Mary’s Hamilton Village, The Episcopal Church at Penn.

Friday, October 25, 2019 – The Organ At Home
Featuring: Project Fusion, saxophone quartet; Play On Philly Wind Ensemble; and Michael Lawrence, Director of Music/Organist/Choirmaster at St. Mary’s, Hamilton Village

Friday, November 22, 2019 – The Organ With Friends
Featuring: Thomas Mesa, cello; Greg Zelek, organ; Play On Philly Cello Ensemble

Saturday, December 21, 2019 – The Organ As Celebration
Featuring: Chrystal E. Williams, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Mesa, cello; Greg Zelek, organ; Play On Philly Symphony Orchestra

In the weeks before these concerts, Astral Artists mentored the POP students during four short residency visits, building musical skills and relationships between student musicians and world-class artists. Each concert was preceded by child-friendly Experience Stations, designed to welcome us all to learn more about the pipe organ.