Trinity’s history of offering a strong music ministry has stood the test of time and continued to blossom and expand, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Currently, the church has three children’s choirs of more than 35 children who sing regularly in worship and offer Evensong monthly in the fall and spring. Our dedicated adult choir continues to sing regularly at the principal worship services and special services throughout the year. Concerts are offered occasionally, accompanied by chamber orchestra or solo instruments.
As the music ministry at Trinity has continued to expand and grow, so has our need for an additional instrument, namely in the form of a small organ, to be housed near the front of the church. This need will soon come to fruition with the purchase of a continuo organ, to be built by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders and delivered by early 2024.
A continuo organ is a small, portable instrument that derives its name from its primary use as part of a “continuo group” of instruments that form the foundation of an early music ensemble. It can also accompany choirs, solo voices, and solo instruments and be part of a chamber orchestra, making it a versatile and useful addition to the instruments we use at Trinity. The beautiful case will be built from walnut and will be designed to complement the large organ in the loft. The organ, which will have five stops and one manual (keyboard), will be positioned near the piano in the side chapel of the nave. It can be easily moved and repositioned for many uses.
The new continuo organ will be used as a chamber instrument and to accompany the choirs when organ is more appropriate than piano accompaniment. It can accompany smaller services held in the chapels. Additionally, when we have done large-scale works in the past with chamber orchestra, we have rented the continuo organ (made by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders), owned by Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville. That same organ frequently makes other trips to Trinity when used by Three Notch’d Road and the Staunton Music Festival. While we have no plans to rent our instruments to other venues, we will make it available to groups using our space, just as our piano and larger organ are available.
As you can imagine, custom-made, quality musical instruments are a significant investment. Fortunately, generous donors (who wish to remain anonymous) have offered to match all contributions, up to half the cost of the organ. In other words, if we can raise half the required amount (approximately $68,000), they will contribute the remainder.
If you would like to help contribute towards the purchase of Trinity’s continuo organ, please send a check to Trinity with “continuo organ” in the memo line. Thank you for your ongoing support of Trinity’s music program.
