SHELBURNE FALLS — Trinity Church will celebrate the coming restoration and expansion of its 1883 Hook & Hastings organ with a “farewell, for now” recital by Music Director Keith Rollinson on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. at the church, 17 Severance St.

Music Director Keith Rollinson is scheduled to perform at Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls on Sunday, Oct. 25, ahead of a restoration and expansion of the historic 1883 organ. Credit: FRANK PRISCARO / Contributed

Admission is free, though donations in support of the organ’s restoration are appreciated.

The musical program spans six centuries of organ literature from as many countries.

“My intention is to demonstrate the versatility of this not-very-large instrument,” said Rollinson, who has been music director at Trinity Church since September 2020. “But I surprised myself with just how broad a musical spectrum the Trinity organ can already represent — and it will represent even more after the restoration and mild expansion.”

‘Building Joy’ campaign

The recital comes in the midst of Trinity Church’s capital campaign, “Building Joy,” a key objective of which is the restoration of the historic instrument. At more than 140 years old, the organ warrants — and deserves, Rollinson says — a thorough restoration coupled with a mild expansion that will allow it to support a wider breadth of organ literature.

Trinity Church has chosen Lubbert “Ludde” L. Gnodde of L. Gnodde LLC Organ Builders in South Royalton, Vermont, to do the work, which is expected to begin before the end of 2026 and take about a year to complete.

Every element will be custom crafted to the instrument’s original specifications:

  • Pipework: Much of the pipework, along with the windchests and other wooden parts, will travel to the Gnodde shop in South Royalton. All interior pipes will be cleaned, and some revoiced for improved and more uniform sound.
  • Keyboards and pedalboard: New bushings will be added throughout, plus new wooden coverings for the pedalboard.
  • Trackers: The mechanical connections between the keys and windchest pallets will all be replaced.
  • Windchests: New leather will be added for the bellows action.
  • New stops: There will be some additional stops, with new pipework and chests.

All replacement parts are handcrafted from traditional wood types. When the shop work is complete, the organ will return to Trinity Church and be made ready for action.

Organ building

Gnodde, born in Urk, The Netherlands, started his company in 2018 after apprenticing and working for A. David Moore Inc. for eight years. He works from artistic concepts developed through a lifetime of playing, hearing and restoring historic organs of different styles in Europe and the northeastern United States.

Gnodde said what first struck him about the organ at Trinity Church is the “unusual arrangement of the pipes in the facade, with a number of pipes fanned out.”

“The instrument is also remarkable for having undergone very little change,” he said.

Trinity Church’s organ in Shelburne Falls. Credit: VIRGINIA RAY / Contributed

Asked what restoring a pipe organ to its original specifications requires, Gnodde said it “usually involves cleaning, restoring the parts that are subject to wear, replacing all the leather and repairs where needed.

“To do this, usually the instrument is disassembled partly or completely,” he added.

Adding new stops, he said, will “increase the volume and brightness of the organ and the variety of sounds that are available. It will have a bigger range of artistic expression.”

What will listeners notice when the organ returns?

“It will sound like a new instrument,” Gnodde said.