St. Michael’s Episcopal Church

Raleigh, North Carolina

Year Built: 2011
Manuals: 3
Stops: 47
Ranks: 57

Swell Organ (Expressive)

16′ Lieblich
8′ Open Diapason
8′ Chimney Flute
8′ Salicional
8′ Voix Céleste CC
8′ Flauto Dolce (ANT)
8′ Flute Céleste (ANT) CC
4′ Principal
4′ Flûte Octaviante
2 2/3 Nasard
2′ Octavin
1 3/5 Tierce
II Plein Jeu
III Petit Plein Jeu
16′ Double Trumpet
8′ Trompette Harmonique
8′ Trumpet
8′ Hautbois
8′ Vox Humana
4′ Clarion
Tremolo
Swell to Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4′
8′ Tuba Mirabilis
8′ Festival Trumpet †

Great Organ

16′ Violone
8′ Principal
8′ Flûte Harmonique1
8′ Bourdon
8′ Violone
4′ Octave
4′ Nachthorn
2 2/3 Twelfth
2′ Fifteenth
1 3/5 Seventeenth
IV-V Fourniture
8′ Tuba Mirabilis
8′ Festival Trumpet †
8′ Tromba (CH)
8′ Trumpet (SW)
Tremolo
Chimes*
Great Unison Off

Antiphonal Organ (Expressive)

8′ Principal2
8′ Gedeckt
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flute Céleste CC
4′ Octave
8′ Muted Trumpet
Tremolo

Choir Organ (Expressive)

16′ Gemshorn
8′ Geigen Diapason
8′ Gedeckt
8′ Gemshorn
8′ Gemshorn Céleste CC (1-7*)
4′ Principal
4′ Koppelflöte
2′ Flautino
IV Mixture
8′ Clarinet
8′ Muted Trumpet (ANT)
Tremolo
Harp*
Celesta*
Cymbelstern
Choir to Choir 16′
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4′
8′ Tuba Mirabilis
8′ Festival Trumpet †
16′ Trombone
8′ Tromba
4′ Tromba Clarion

Pedal Organ

32′ Violone*
32′ Contra Bourdon*
16′ Open Wood
16′ Principal
16′ Subbass
16′ Violone (GT)
16′ Lieblich (SW)
16′ Gemshorn (CH)
16′ Gedeckt (ANT)
8′ Octave
8′ Grosse Bourdon
8′ Violone (GT)
8′ Chimney Flute (SW)
8′ Gemshorn (CH)
4′ Choral Bass
4′ Bourdon
32′ Ophicleide
16′ Trombone (CH)
16′ Double Trumpet (SW)
8′ Tuba Mirabilis
8′ Festival Trumpet †
8′ Tromba (CH)
8′ Trumpet (SW)
4′ Tromba Clarion (CH)
4′ Clarion
Chimes*

Reversibles

Great to Pedal (with toe piston)
Swell to Pedal (with toe piston)
Choir to Pedal (with toe piston)
Ant. to Pedal (with toe piston)
Swell to Great (with toe piston)
Choir to Great (with toe piston)
Antiphonal to Great
Swell to Choir
Great to Choir
Antiphonal to Choir
All Swells to Swell
32′ Violone (with toe piston)
32′ Contra Bourdon (with toe piston)
32′ Ophicleide (with toe paddle)
Tutti I (with toe piston)
Tutti II (with toe piston)
Cymbelstern

Couplers

Great to Pedal 8′
Swell to Pedal 8′ 4′
Choir to Pedal 8′ 4′
Antiphonal to Pedal 8′ 4′
Swell to Great 16′ 8′ 4′
Choir to Great 16′ 8′ 4′
Antiphonal to Great 8′ 4′
Choir to Swell 8′
Antiphonal to Swell 8′ 4′
Swell to Choir 16′ 8′ 4′
Great to Choir 8′
Antiphonal to Choir 8′ 4′
Ant. Expression to Choir Shoe

Pistons

14 General (with toe pistons)
7 Swell
7 Great
7 Choir
4 Antiphonal
5 Pedal (with toe pistons)
Memory Level Up
Memory Level Down
* digital voices
located with Antiphonal
1 1-12 common bass with Bourdon
2 unenclosed

The new Nichols & Simpson organ for St. Michael’s Episcopal Church replaces an instrument completed in 1977 by M. P. Möller, Inc., repaired and updated in 1996 by the Schantz Organ Company.

The new organ consists of 47 stops and 57 ranks of pipes with four manual divisions and a pedal division, played from a three-manual moveable console, the outer case of which is constructed of oak to match the other furnishings, and the interior of which is made of burl eucalyptus. The manual keys are of polished bone and rosewood, the pedal keys are of maple and rosewood, and the drawknobs which control the stops are made of rosewood with bone faces engraved with the stop names. The combination action features 100 levels of memory, a record/playback sequencer and USB port. There are approximately 3,385 pipes ranging in size from 32-feet long to the size of a pencil.

The case work fronting the three locations of the organ was designed to fit the space visually and to lend aesthetic enhancement to the worship space. The inspiration for the pipe shade motif behind the tops of the facade pipes came from the angels’ wings in the stained glass window surrounding the Antiphonal organ. The Swell division is located in the right case with the Pedal upperwork just behind the facade. The Great and Choir divisions are located in the left case together with the 16′ Open Wood and 32′ Ophicleide. The pipes of the commanding Tuba Mirabilis stop are located above the Choir chamber and are enclosed in their own expression chamber.

The Antiphonal division, which may be played from any of the console’s three keyboards, is located in the rear of the Church, and features a polished brass Festival Trumpet (horizontal trumpet stop).

Those who contributed to the realization of the organ include:

C. Joseph Nichols
(engineering, installation, tonal finishing)

Wayne E. Simpson III
(design, voicing, tonal finishing)

Duane Vanderpluym
(construction, installation)

Jorge A. Osorio
(construction, installation)

Timothy M. Bovard
(construction, installation)

David C. Scribner
(construction, installation)

John Fusaro
(construction, installation)

Adam Savacool
(voicing assistant)

Bryan K. Gray
(computer-aided drawing and design)

R. A. Colby, Inc.
(console)

Frank Friemel
(facade case design)

QLF Custom Pipe Organ Components, LLC
(facade case construction, chest grids)

A. R. Schopp’s Sons
(pipework)