New organ adds to the liturgy at Saint Ambrose Catholic Church

Intermountain Catholic

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St. Ambrose Parish's new organ has 50 ranks, three manuals and 40 independent voices, making it the fifth-largest organ in Utah. IC photo/Laura Vallejo

SALT LAKE CITY — Saint Ambrose Parish in Salt Lake City is planning to have the dedication of their new organ in January.

The new organ has been crafted of the old parish organ and an organ that used to be at the Cathedral of Saint Mark in Salt Lake City.

For St. Ambrose Parish, replacing their previous organ, which was very old and falling apart, according to Father Andrzej Skrzypiec, pastor, was a long process.

While the parish was deciding how to deal with the many repairs their musical instrument was requiring, the Episcopal cathedral was getting ready to replace their organ with one more suitable to their church.

"It was too big and they wanted to get a new one," said Fr. Skrzypiec.

St. Mark’s 50-year-old Holtzkamp organ was a "credible instrument, and one of the most important organs in Salt Lake City," said Michael Bigelow, of Bigelow & Co. an American Fork-based organ builder, in a previously published Intermountain Catholic interview.

St. Mark officials wanted the organ to remain in Utah so they contacted several organists; eventually, St. Ambrose Parish purchased the instrument.

Bigelow’s company combined the pipes from the St. Mark organ with those of the old St. Ambrose organ to create a new instrument with a personality suited to the acoustical qualities of St. Ambrose, said Fr. Skrzypiec. The resulting instrument has been named the M.L. Bigelow Opus 36, the George and Ada Roper Memorial Organ.

"We realized that it would require a lot of restoration and added some voices of pipes and whatever it was lacking over there [at St. Mark’s]," said Fr. Skrzypiec. He added that, with 50 ranks, three manuals and 40 independent voices, the new instrument is the fifth-largest organ in Utah.

In addition, the organ gained a new case made of oak and oak veneer after the move.

The main purpose of this addition to the parish was enhancing the liturgy, said Fr. Skrzypiec, referring to the organ as the most beautiful instrument in the Mass. "We wanted to preserve and bring to life some of the old hymns, and we want to preserve all the beauty that comes with it."

A concert premiering the new organ is planned for the evening of Dec. 21. Christopher Huntzinger, the parish’s director of music, will be the organist. The concert will be open to the public at no cost.

"We want to invite everybody," said Fr. Skrzypiec. "We want people who sometimes might not realize how beautiful the music is to enjoy it and realize how prayerful it can also be."

The M.L. Bigelow Opus 36, the George and Ada Roper Memorial Organ, will be dedicated Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. in conjunction with a evening vespers and a recital to follow.