April finds Chapter visiting new Juget-Sinclair pipe organ

This month, we are joining St. Mark.s Episcopal Church in the inauguration of a new Juget-Sinclair pipe organ. On Monday, April 19, British organist Clive Driskill-Smith, along with organ builders Denis Juget and Stephen Sinclair, will give a joint presentation. We will begin with dinner in the parish hall at 6:30 p.m. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. also in the parish hall. Clive Driskill-Smith will discuss the life of church musicians at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and how their auditioning and
training might relate to what we might do with our volunteer choirs. Around 8 p.m., we will move to the church. Denis Juget and Stephen Sinclair will discuss the building of this organ and take questions. The evening concludes with a discussion and demonstration of accessible English organ music by Mr. Driskill-Smith.

Clive Driskill Smith is the sub-organist at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and an internationally known recitalist. He was awarded the ARCM (Associate of the Royal College of Music) in piano performance and the FRCO (Fellow of the Royal College of Organists). In 1999, he was awarded a traveling scholarship by the Royal College of Organists and the W.T. Best Scholarship by the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 2002. This scholarship allowed him to study on the continent with Marie-Claire Alain, Guy Bovet, Andrea Marcon, Luigi Tagliavini, and Harald Vogel. He was the winner of the Royal College of Organists Performer of the Year Competition (2000) and the Calgary International Organ Competition (2002). Clive has performed throughout the USA, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. His performances are marked by his great virtuosity.

The Canadian firm of Juget-Sinclair organ builders is operated by Denis Juget (a French immigrant to Canada) and Canadian Stephen Sinclair. Their firm has built 35 organs in the Canada, Germany, Japan and the United States. The St. Mark.s organ is their first in Missouri. The organ has 20 stops, mechanical key action, electric stop action, and an electronic combination system with 400 levels of memory. The cabinetry is made of white oak. Its unique design blends well with the architecture.

St. Mark.s Episcopal Church was built in 1938. The architecture, considered uniquely modern for its day, was designed by Frederick Dunn and Charles Nagel. The windows were the first designed by Robert Harmon for Emil Frei studios. In 2009, the
American Institute of Architects awarded St. Mark.s with its distinguished building award.

On Sunday, April 18, at 4 p.m., everyone is cordially invited to attend the inaugural organ recital. Clive Driskill-Smith will play works by Harris, Stanford, Franck, Dupre, Bovet, Bach, and Mozart. The inaugural recital is the kick-off of a community series of concerts for 2010-2011.

Information about the organ here.

. Henry Evans