Phoenix congregation unveils largest pipe organ in Arizona

A lot has happened in church music over the past few decades. Today, it’s common to see anything from guitars to drums to saxophones in a worship service, and contemporary Christian is one of the biggest-selling music categories in the country.

But long before Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay and Mercy Me came on the scene, composer/musicians like J.S. Bach made a name for themselves, and their instrument of choice was the pipe organ. In the hands of an accomplished organist, there’s no single instrument more powerful or inspirational. I don’t care how good your Christian rock band is; it’s no match for the majesty of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor coming out of a great pipe organ. (If you’ve seen Disney’s Fantasia , you’ve heard the piece.)

Now, Arizona’s largest church pipe organ – 5,067 pipes in all – has been built at La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church at 6300 E. Bell Road in Phoenix. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of La Casa.)

The organ has been under construction since mid-June, when trucks full of pipes, blowers and other equipment arrived from Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders in suburban Chicago, one of about 45 pipe organ builders in the United States. Each pipe had to be “voiced,” or tuned, and the organ had to be configured so that the right pipes play together as the organist pulls various stops at the console.

The smallest pipe in the La Casa organ is about eight inches long. The tallest stands at 21 feet. Pipes are made from wood and a variety of metals, such as tin and copper. The facade of pipes at La Casa – those most visible to the congregation – has been designed to mimic Arizona’s desert landscape.

The congregation anticipates that renowned artists throughout the nation will come to present recitals on the new organ. Berghaus plans to sponsor concerts to showcase the instrument, which is the largest the company has built in the Southwest. The organ also should be of interest to Arizona State University, which has one of the best programs in the country for preparing professional organists.

In addition to building the organ, the congregation has taken other steps to strengthen its music program during the past year. Jennaya Robison, who holds a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Arizona, became the director of music in late August. Homer Ashton Ferguson III, who recently received his doctor of musical arts degree in organ performance from Arizona State University, became the congregation’s organist on Dec. 1. Dr. Robison is making sure that if your tastes don’t run to organ music, you’ll still find something to appeal to you (including rock, jazz and spirituals).

The formal dedication of the organ takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11. Several East Valley congregations will participate in an ecumenical chorus under the direction of Weston Noble, the Johnson professor emeritus of music at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

If you want a sneak peek, however, just show up for a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service. You can find more information at the La Casa Web site.