Special to The Catholic Free Press
The city of Worcester has the highest concentration of fine pipe organs in the world with eight four-manual pipe organs, and many other high-quality organs throughout the churches, chapels, and concert halls, according to Leonardo Ciampa, an international organist, composer and founder of the Worcester Organ Festival.
The Worcester Organ Festival taking place this summer will feature organ concerts at numerous churches including Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Angels, and St. Joseph Church, all of Worcester. The goal of the festival is to raise money to help preserve and maintain organs by building awareness and excitement with concerts.
The organ concert taking place at 7 p.m on July 31 in Holy Family Parish, 35 Hamilton St., will celebrate the 95th anniversary of the historic Casavant Frères pipe organ in St. Joseph.
Laurent Jochum, organist at Saint Jean Baptiste Church in Paris, and guardian of its historic Cavaillé-Coll organ, will be the organist for the celebration concert. In 2017, Mr. Jochum toured with a boys’ choir from France, accompanying the group on organ and piano at St. Joseph’s. Impressed by the organ and the acoustics of St. Joseph Church, he asked the parish music director, Lucia Clemente-Falco, if he could return to play a solo concert, which he did in 2019, creating a connection with Holy Family parishioners and choir members that continues to this day, according to Stephen St. Denis, a long-time parishioner and caretaker of the Casavant organ, as well as a member of the Organ Historical Society.
Holy Family Parish’s Casavant organ was built by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec and inaugurated in April 1928 for the newly constructed St. Joseph Church. After 95 years, the organ remains in its original condition, a rarity among older pipe organs, according to Mr. St. Denis. The organ is one of the last instruments built by the Casavant firm while the founding brothers Samuel and Claver were still alive. Unchanged since its installation, the organ bears the hallmarks of the founders’ ideas of fine craftsmanship and tonal sound, he continued.
The St. Joseph organ has more than 1,600 pipes ranging in length from 16 feet to as small as a pencil. Though the organ has been used for concert performances throughout its 95 years, the instrument was primarily designed to accompany music during the Mass, Mr. St. Denis stated.
“It is inspiring to think of all the liturgical occasions for which this organ has been played to enhance the beauty of Masses, baptisms, weddings, and funerals for so many generations. This is at the heart of the organ’s birthday celebration, as it acknowledges the legacy given to us by the founders and builders of the parish who bequeathed future generations this beautiful organ,” said Ms. Clemente-Falco.
On July 23, at 4 p.m., the Worcester Organ Festival will travel to Blessed Sacrament Church, 555 Pleasant St.
“The beautiful pipe organ at Blessed Sacrament is one of the most notable pipe organs in Worcester,” Mr. Ciampa said.
Built by the E. M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston, considered the greatest organ builder in America at that time, it is one of the few that remain in their original condition, Mr. Ciampa noted. The organ was completed prior to Christmas 1928 and was first heard at the 11 a.m. Mass on Christmas morning, accompanied by 50 voices with special vocal and instrumental soloists.
In 2016, the organ was dismantled and transported to the A. Thompson-Allen Company of New Haven, Connecticut, where it underwent a complete and historically accurate restoration. The organ was reinstalled in its original location in the rear gallery of the church during the spring and summer of 2019, according to Mr. Ciampa.
– For more information visit: leonardociampa.com/WOF/index.html.