Its a Duel at Pensacola Naval Air Station Chapel

[KB7DQH]

Between the restored pipe instrument and a toaster...

http://www.pnj.com/article/20110508/NEWS01/105080339/Travis-Griggs-s-duel-Pensacola-NAS-chapel

We're mixing it up in military notes land this week. I'm done talking airplanes for a while. Let's talk pipe organs.
Dueling pipe organs

While cruising for military news last week, I found the following matter-of-fact announcement buried in a news release.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the Naval Aviation Memorial Chapel at Pensacola NAS is featuring its newly renovated pipe organ during a "dueling organs" concert.

Wait ... Dueling pipe organs?

That got my attention, so I called Chapel Advisory Council member Joy Samsel to get the scoop.

"They've done a major overhaul of the massive pipe organ," Samsel said.

In celebration, the public is invited to watch chapel organist Mike McCracken play the organ as University of West Florida organ professor Lynne Lauderdale plays the church's electronic organ on the other side of the room.

The two will take turns "playing off each other," dueling piano style, on the organ's keyboards.

(Note: Pipe organ keyboards are actually called "manuals." Having never interacted with the pipe organ community, I'm not sure how touchy they are about such inaccuracies. Hopefully this clarification will head off any hate mail.)

A violinist also will play at the concert, which will be about an hour long.

How big is "massive?"

"It's actually built into the walls," Samsel said.

Not one to miss an opportunity to goof off, your stalwart military notes columnist stopped by the chapel that afternoon to see this thing with his own eyes.

He was not disappointed.

This thing is huge. The entire balcony over the chapel's sanctuary is filled with a mind-boggling assortment of pipes, tubes, smaller wooden whistle-type things (probably not their official name) and a cluster of what looks like the horns that are blown when royalty enters the room.

Command Chaplain Cmdr. David Gibson said the Navy paid $60,000 earlier this year to upgrade and repair the organ, which, after nearly 50 years in the chapel, was in desperate need of a good once-over.

After seeing the organ, the repair guys said it likely was one of the top-five nicest in the South.

You'd better believe I'll be there.

More information: Joy Samsel at 452-4861.

My hope is that people attend the concert along with this reporter... and will by direct experience understand why pipe organ preservation is important... and hopefully have fun at the same time.
It may lead to this reporter more frequently "interacting with the pipe organ community" and this in future could lead to even more exciting organ concert announcements and reviews...

Eric
KB7DQH