Allen Played for 100,000
In September of this year, Pope Benedict XVI visited Germany. This was the 84-year-old pontiff's first Papal visit to his native country, but it was not the first time an Allen Organ has graced his Holiness with inspiring organ music! Allen organs have provided music for Pope Benedict's celebration of Mass in the United States, Australia and Portugal. On this occasion, an Allen three-manual digital organ was played during the open-air Mass at Freiburg Airfield, where some 100,000 people attended the service. The organ was provided by Musikinstrumente Cremer of Pulheim-Brauweiler Germany.
A Letter of Appreciation
What a Wonderful Experience!
St. Paul of Maybee, MI - Evangelical Lutheran Church
Several months ago, a new organ was just a "pipe dream". for Sharon Northrup, St. Paul's celebrated organist. Sharon had been playing the old Conn organ since 1973 when the organ was installed and she began her tenure at St. Paul's.
"The cost to replace the Conn seemed astronomical, considering the church's budgetary concerns." The call went out, and the response was amazing! Pledges large and small poured in, and St. Paul's could soon see that a new Allen was a real possibility---the result of true congregational teamwork! "...our old organ played like a keyboard", said Sharon, "This one plays like a pipe organ! And when I used the chimes, tissues were coming out downstairs! This is a tremendous worship offering!"
Below is a letter from Sharon to Evola Music, the local Allen Organ Dealer located in Bloomfield Hills and Canton, Michigan. Thank you, Sharon, for your kind words!
Allen Organ purchase from Evola Music Company
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Maybee, MI
September 21, 2011
What a wonderful experience we had working with Evola Music and Mr. Lance Luce. Things went so smoothly from start to finish.
Our church had an old Conn organ which served us well for 38 years. But when we began having problems and the builders of Conn Organ had gone out of business, we needed a new organ. We contacted Evola and met with Mr. Luce. He immediately came to our church in Maybee, Michigan to find out our needs. Without being "pushy" he was able to determine what was needed to supply a church the size of ours.
At this point we had NO funds to buy an organ and he volunteered to help us with a fund raising project. Being the stubborn German Lutherans we are, we decided to try it alone. In less than a month we had a secret pledge system in place and raised the $26,000 necessary to purchase our new Allen.
To have their Cake and Play it too!
Michelle Schwartz, college student
& church organist plays the
real Allen Quantum 350 organ.
Specifications
Allen Q350 Digital Organ
• Hand-crafted Cathedral Overlays
• Touch-Sensitive Keys
• Felted Keys
• Ivora Naturals & Wood Sharps
• Mechanical Stop Action Pistons
Belinda Teer, Music Director with
the baked version of their Allen
Quantum 350 organ.
Specifications
Allen Q350 Cake Organ
• All natural Yellow cake batter
• Homemade 70% cocoa Icing
• Quality Ivory-colored fondant keys
• Hand crafted licorice expression pedals
• French dragee toe studs
Two Allen Quantum 350 organs debuted at the installation
celebration at First Christian Church in Lufkin TX. The
first organ satisfied the ears and hearts of the congregation
while the baked version did the same for the appetite.
Standing almost 3 feet high, the latter was unveiled and
ingested just minutes after the former was joyfully played by
an ecumenical cross-section of organists from First United
Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Cyprian's
Episcopal Church and a student from Stephen F. Austin
State University in Lufkin, TX.
Commenting on the organ's versatility, Belinda Teer, Music
Director at First Christian Church said, "Times are changing...
this (organ) can sound like a string quartet, a grand
piano or percussion. The possibilities are endless."
Learn more about this congregation's vision for musical
diversity in the article below published by the Lufkin Daily
News:
"First Christian Church hopes for heavenly music with new organ" by Melissa Crager
"About two-and-a-half years ago, things started going wrong," Teer said. "The presets on the organ went out and you
never knew what was going to happen. One Sunday morning we were sitting there and smoke started coming out of
the back of it. A gentleman from Dallas would come and repair it. We could limp along with what we had, but we got to
thinking, 'How much are we putting into the old technology?"
Allen Organ Sponsors the Da Vinci Science Center Initiative, Allentown, PA
The Da Vinci Science Center is leading a regional Summer of Manufacturing initiative which highlights the powerful manufacturing driving the economy and culture throughout eastern Pennsylvania. The Allen Organ Company, Macungie, PA, joins its Summer of Manufacturing co-sponsors with an interactive display and exhibit for Center visitors.
Children and adults alike have been clamoring to see and play the organ on display, the culmination of decades of leading technology, science, craftsmanship and quality components, most of which are made at the Allen Organ Company plant just a few miles from the Center. The finished product; an Allen Q300D displays its inner workings through a Plexiglas back while the history of the Company is told through a custom video kiosk.
Additionally, on August 11, Allen executives joined nearly 100 invited educators, industry leaders, and elected officials to discuss workforce development partnerships and initiatives in the region.
Following is a link to the Da Vinci Science Center website, the Allen Organ History video and Factory Tour video.
French astronaut purchases Allen organ
Dear Friends,
Last December we were pleased to inform you of an upcoming installation of an Allen organ in the residence of Mr. Jean-Loup Chrétien located in France. While every Allen organ owner has their own story as to how they developed an interst in organ music, Mr. Chrétien has a unique one. Mr. Chrétien is French astronaut who first flew into space in 1982 on a Russian rocket and worked on the Salyut space lab. In 1998 he flew as a NASA astronaut to the Mir space station via the U.S. Space Shuttle.
In 1971 Allen Organ Company introduced the Digital Computer Organ, the world's first musical instrument to use digital sampling and only the second consumer product of any type to use custom Large Scale Integrated IC's. The technology developed originally for America's Apollo space program ultimately led to the development of the Allen Digital Organ.
It is fortuitous that Mr. Chrétien's Allen organ is a CF-15DK, a special model commemorating the 40th anniversary of the introduction of Allen Digital Computer Organ. The significance of the relationship between the space program and his Allen organ was not lost on Mr. Chrétien, who with the assistance of our French representative Allen Studio Paris, posted a video on You Tube showing off his new organ with a link supplied below.
Organs have stood at the forefront of advanced technology for any time period, even when that technology was mechanical pipe organs. The Allen organ in astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien's home serves as a reminder to us of the historical relationship between organs and technology.
For me it is an honor to receive communications from Allen owners from around the world. While the countries of origin and experiences are so different, it is humbling to realize that they are brought together into a family created by a love of music in which we play such an important role.
Sincerely,
Steven A. Markowitz
President
Allen Elite Opus VII Makes the News-Again!
Mr. Kelly Wheelbarger, organist at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Roanoke Virginia, was recently interviewed about the church's newly installed Allen Elite organ. His comments make a great argument for buying an Elite organ instead of a pipe organ. A link to the article follows:
http://www.catholicvirginian.org/archive/2010/
2010vol86iss3/pages/article5.html
Allen Organ Company Recognized by United States Congress
Allen Organ chosen for Papal Mass in Scotland
Over the last several years, Allen
Organ Company has had the honor and
privilege of providing organs for use
in many of the Pope's public
celebrations of mass, including events
in the United States, Germany,
Australia and Portugal. Most
recently, the U.K Allen representative
provided an organ for a Papal mass in
Scotland. The Directors of Music for
that occasion were kind enough to
acknowledge their appreciation in the
attached letter. Kudos to Liz and
Paul Arkwright and all the staff at
Allen Organs Limited in England for
their fine efforts!
Click here to read the letter from the Directors of Music