Memorial Organ to be Unveiled this Weekend
by MacKenzie Moore

Tonight at 8 p.m. the new Opus 116, a 4,104 pipe organ, will be unveiled to the public in its first ever concert. The organ, which is named in honor of the late Kay Africa, was built by C.B. Fisk, Inc. of Gloucester, Mass., and its first solo concert will be the centerpiece of this weekend’s concerts and events.

The organ’s journey to Oberlin began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with philanthropist Kay Africa. Her original 1991 bequest provided the initial impetus for this project. Her bequest stipulated that the instrument “be a monumental organ of impeccable workmanship and tonal magnificence...worthy of [Oberlin’s] unique, international reputation as a center for the education and training of excellent young organists,” said Kay Africa at the time of her original gift. Her donation of $500,000 was supplemented by donations by the Kulas Foundation, the Phoebe Haas Foundation, and the William Penn Foundation, as well as by gifts from Oberlin alumni Richard Connelly, Richard and Mary Oertel, and Karen Flint. In addition to these gifts, many individuals have contributed to the project by endowing one or more of the organ’s handcrafted pipes. The total cost was $1,185, 000.
The organ is C.B. Fisks’ seventy-first hand-made organ, many of which now grace the music halls of America’s finest universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Mount Holyoke and churches such as Boston’s Old West and Rochester’s Downtown United Presbyterian. In fact, Fisk instruments are in such high demand that there is currently a five-year waiting period for the company’s handiwork. It is well worth the wait, however, because “the repertory for the organ is the largest of any musical instrument and covers a vast array of styles, more than can be accommodated by any single instrument. Oberlin students will benefit enormously from their experience with these contrasting instruments,” said David Boe, professor of organ and former dean of the Conservatory.

The Opus 116 is a symphonic organ, which is characterized, according to Professor of Organ and Keyboard Studies Haskell Thomson, “by a virtual rainbow of tone colors, with a dynamic range extending from the softest flutes and strings, to the most powerful foundations and reeds; an instrument capable of making a crescendo from the most ethereal pianissimo to a thundering fortissimo. As a result of this range of sonorities, it is possible for the performer to communicate music to listeners with dramatic impact. Such an organ partakes of both the sonic and the aesthetic worlds of the symphony orchestra and the opera.”

Thomson and David Boe, Professor of Organ and Harpsichord and former Dean of the Conservatory of Music have been involved with the project since its conception, and will be the first solo performers tonight on the new organ. They will perform “In the Fullness of Time” by Robert Sirota, “Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, ‘Organ’” by Camille Saint-Saëns and “Symphonie concertante, Op. 8”1 by Joseph Jungen.
The new organ with its immense weight — 45,000 pounds — 60 voices and breathtaking sound completes Oberlin’s triad of beautifully constructed concert organs, which are from different periods and are suited for music from distinct periods of history. “The Fisk organ is the third in a remarkable collection of period concert instruments that was envisioned many years back by Fenner Douglass, a former Oberlin faculty member” says David Daniels, Director of Conservatory Public Relations. Modeled after the 19th century French Symphonic instruments in the manner of the great French organbuilder, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, the Kay Memorial contributes to Oberlin’s “Tradition of being one of the premiere American institutions for the training of organ students. Now students will have three uniquely styled instruments upon which to learn and perform,” Daniels said.
Warner Concert Hall has an instrument built in the north European style of the early 18th century by Dutch organ builder Dirk Flentrop. Fairchild Chapel is graced with the beauty of the Brombaugh organ (built by Brombaugh and Associates of Eugene, Oregon) modeled on the late Renaissance/early Baroque style of northern Europe. This organ was called “the most outstanding organ yet built in the 20th century” by well-known organ scholar Arthur Wills.

Those involved with the project hope that the Kay Africa Memorial organ will be regarded with similar admiration in the chronicles of 21st century organ construction. That much is yet to be seen, but what is clear is that the new organ will be invaluable to the Oberlin community for years to come.

This weekend’s celebration marks a new chapter in the history of organ at Oberlin. In the words of C.B. Fisk’s president, Steven Dieck “Will allow the Conservatory’s distinguished organ faculty to maintain Oberlin’s status as the premiere undergraduate school in organ study, as well as be a source of pleasure to the entire Oberlin community for many years to come.”

In a dedication ceremony to be held tomorrow at 11:15 a.m. the Conservatory will award an honorary degree, Doctor of Music, to Dr. Fenner Douglas, OC ’42, Emeritus Professor of Music at Duke University. To continue the celebration, a Saturday evening of solo organ literature, performed again by David Boe and Haskell Thomson, will commence at 8 p.m. in Finney Chapel.