September 14, 2013

 

 

Mr. Steven Markowitz, President

Allen Organ Company, LLC

150 Locust Street
Macungie, PA 18062 USA

 

 

Dear Mr. Markowitz:

 

            I hope that this letter finds you and yours well. I am writing with regards to the recent installation of the June Selke Memorial Organ at the First Reformed Church of Scotia, NY, which was handled by Bradley Day and Carl Hackert.  First, I must say that when the process of selecting an organ to replace our failing instrument began, this was a letter that I did not anticipate writing for an ending that I could not have predicted.  

 

            I visited the Church of the Annunciation in Ilion, NY, last July (2012) to listen to a recently installed( Allen) Q370.  Based on my own short-sightedness, I fully expected to politely walk away after the demonstration and go on my merry way never to consider Allen again.  For this, I must profoundly apologize.  What began on that day was a year’s journey in designing and installing a most splendid masterpiece that is fully appreciated by our congregation and music department.

 

            Allen was selected as the builder for our custom hybrid instrument from a field of many distinguished builders due to their commitment to quality and customer service—principles all too absent in today’s world.  The design process we experienced allowed for enthusiastic creativity and promoted a deeper sense of collaboration than might be expected with this undertaking.  Creating the custom stoplist and console with Brad proved to be a most enjoyable experience and particularly rewarding for me, as an artist, to paint with such broad strokes of tonal color.  The hard work exhibited by both Brad and Carl, from proposal to voicing, has yet to cease, and reflects the integrity and ethics of Allen Organ Company that was demonstrated during several trips to the factory.

 

            This project was one of many joys and sorrows, as our benefactor was a long-standing (no pun intended) member of the choir; and, this was a project that several congregation members were unable to see through to fruition, though we know that they would rejoice in the way our worship has been supplemented.  Part of the reason that we settled on a hybrid was the symbolic way in which it reflected our congregation:  pipes—both reincorporated and newly designed—to reaffirm our traditions, and digital ranks for additional resources to enhance our worship for the many years yet to come.  Again, I (we) say kudos to you on a magnificent instrument that will serve the next generation(s) in our journey of faith, and we invite you to visit for our dedicatory recital on November, 24, 2013.

 

                                                                                                Sincerely,

 

 

                                                                                                Justan J. Foster, Organist

                                                                                                First Reformed Church of Scotia