Randall Dyer & Associates, Inc.

Our completed installation at Knowles Memorial Chapel, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, was opened to the public in a standing-room-only concert by Rollins Artist in Residence, Alan Morrison, on 21 February 2002. This was followed by another fine concert by Rollins graduate and well-known concert artist Janice Beck, on 21 March 2002.

Knowles Chapel was designed by the famed architect Ralph Adams Cram. The original organ, installed in 1932, was a modest three-manual by E.M. Skinner. In 1956, the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company made tonal revisions along a plan drawn by G. Donald Harrison and college organists Harold Gleason and Catharine Crozier. All but about 10 of the Skinner ranks were replaced, but Harrison died before the work was completed. Subsequent additions were made on 3 more occasions.

When former Aeolian-Skinner President, John Tyrrell, now retired to Florida, took us to visit Knowles Chapel several years ago, the organ was nearly unusable. In spite of recent repair work by several firms, including a local organ technician, the organ was in poor condition with dozens of dead notes and stops throughout. The work that had been done lacked the oversight of a master plan, imperative in any project, particularly a large one. It was, at the very least, extremely frustrating to play.

Like many schools, funds did not seem to exist for the type of renovation the organ needed. Eventually, former Rollins Dean of Admissions John Oliver Rich became interested in the prospect of bringing the organ back to good working order, and began to enlist the financial assistance of Rollins graduates he had known for years. He and then-Chairman of the Music Department, Dr. Edmund LeRoy, visited our shop to inspect our firm's work, first hand.

A contract was subsequently let with our firm for the releathering of the organ, and a new console. The work was to include cleaning and regulation of the pipework, with three new ranks. Preparation was also to be made for an Antiphonal organ in the rear balcony, to help fill the room with sound, given the deep side chamber location of the front organ, but also to serve as home base for the Trompette-en-Chamade, a stop used frequently in the hundreds of weddings performed in the chapel annually.

On one of several "logistics" trips to Winter Park, to familiarize our crew with what needed to be done, and how we were going to do it, our erecting foreman and chest maker asked the simple question "Why are we releathering this organ? Why don't we build new chests for it?"

 Admittedly, each time we visited we saw more things we did not like about the organ. Much of the added pipework was on offset chests stuck in odd places -- up in the air over other divisions, over doors, and in the valleys between the tall pipes. Many pipes were difficult or impossible to reach for tuning, and the installation of the additions was of extremely poor quality. And the latest repair work had virtually destroyed the Swell windchest.

After considerable calculating and study of the space, we determined that we could build new electro-pneumatic slider-and-pallet chests of our standard design, with new winding, framing and expression enclosures, for about the same price as we had calculated for the releathering and cleaning. The advantage would be that the pipes could all be placed on the same level for more tuning stability, and they could be racked on the chest in proper order, so that all could be reached for tuning. Since slider chests occupy less space than traditional pitman chests, the whole organ could be shifted three feet closer to the tone opening, for more presence in the room.

We discussed the project thoroughly with several colleagues who had taken similar approaches to other Aeolian-Skinner organs, and became convinced this was the way to go. The College agreed with our suggestion, and extended the contract to cover the Antiphonal addition. Pipework was removed from the front organ in January of 2001 and taken to our shop for cleaning, repair and revoicing.

The mechanical portions of the organ were removed next. In June of 2001, the first load of new parts arrived at the College, followed by wiring, winding, and subsequent return of the pipework. Each trip involved setting of scaffold and hoisting equipment to lift the parts 27 feet from the floor of the chapel to the organ chamber.

Tonal finishing of the front organ commenced in November and the Antiphonal organ was delivered in February 2002.

We realize that there are those who would not be happy about the approach we took, yet we are more convinced every time we hear the organ that we did the right thing. More important than an in-kind restoration of an organ that by today's standards, would be considered undistinguished at best, was to have a dependable organ that worked for this client's every day use. The essence of the Aeolian-Skinner sound has been preserved and improved, and a simple mechanical system that will give 50-75 years of trouble-free service has been provided.

Without exception, the reaction by all who have heard the organ has been positive. Dr. John Sinclair, Chairman of the Music Department and director of the Bach Festival Choir, says the organ has never had so much presence in the room. Following her concert there, Janice Beck said the organ "is a world-class instrument, among the top ten I have played in North America and Europe."

The Aeolian-Skinner / Randall Dyer & Associates organ at Rollins College: a new organ of IV manuals / 78 ranks, using all the Aeolian-Skinner pipework, with in-style additions and revoicing. Said John Tyrrell, "Mr. Harrison would approve!"