Organ History
E.M. Skinner Organ in the Main Church
Holy Trinity Church is blessed to have a 1925 E.M. Skinner organ, one of the finest of its era. The instrument went through a five-year renovation and expansion program between 1995 and 2000. This historic instrument was originally installed in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress until it was brought to Holy Trinity in 1955. Contracts were signed in 1995 with the Lively-Fulcher Organ Company to rebuild/refurbish and enlarge the instrument.
- In the summer of 1996, the company replaced the failing wind chests of the great and choir divisions of the organ. The swell and pedal wind chests were in good repair.
- In the fall of 1997, Lively-Fulcher revoiced and tonally regulated the entire instrument, which over the years, had been worked on and added to by various organ builders. The work brought the organ into one cohesive tonal ensemble.
- In the summer of 1999, a much-needed new console was installed. This new console had the stop preparations for the additions that were to come.
- Finally, in the spring of 2000, those additions became a reality. Included were five new stops to the pedal division including a full-length 32' pedal reed, and a walker digital 32' bourdon. Other additions included a 4' reed on the swell, a 16' bourdon on the great, a tierce on the choir and a solo "Festive Trumpet".
Now complete, this historic organ has 50 ranks over 4 divisions and over 2,500 pipes. It is a versatile instrument, capable of playing the majority of organ repertoire, and perfectly suited to lead Catholic liturgy.
The Visser Tracker Organ in The Chapel of Saint Ignatius Loyola
In November 1999, His Eminence, Cardinal Hickey, blessed the Chapel of Saint Ignatius Loyola. This Chapel was the original church of Holy Trinity, the oldest place of continuous Catholic Worship in the District of Columbia, built in 1792. The original church went through many evolutions after the main church was built in the mid-nineteenth century. The refurbished chapel is now used for three daily masses, as well as weddings, funerals and other liturgical celebrations.
In the spring of 2000 the Visser & Associates Organ Company of Houston, Texas installed a new pipe organ designed for this new Chapel. The instrument is a nine-stop tracker organ over two manuals and pedal. It is completely self-contained on a movable platform for versatility in the space.
