Skinner Organ in Hinckley, Maine

[rmdostie]

For those who know about this organ, or are interested in Skinners generally - the organ in the chapel of the Goodwill/Hinckley school is now back up and running. I've mentioned before that the old blower finally gave up the ghost. It has been replaced with a brand new one, much smaller and quieter. Also, the old blower room was dismantled and the asbestos removed. They plan to rebuild the the room and install a dehumidifier, however, because it turns out that although the cellar with its new floor is much drier than it used to be, there's still going to be too much dampness. As far as the stops are concerned, the original Skinner cornopean is back and sounds great. The rohrflute is also back up to C4, but the upper octaves still need some work. They will return soon, and for the time being the organ still has a flute there from the museum Austin. Finally, work was done on the celesta and harp, and they sound much better although some mechanical work is still needed at the extreme ends of the celesta. I understand that both of these stops are going to be raised a little higher in the case so that they speak better. The organ as a whole sounds wonderful. Although small, it certainly more than fills that chapel with its 85' aisle.

Rick Dostie
Resurrection Lutheran Church
Waterville, Maine USA

[Admin]

Great to hear that this organ is playing again!

[myorgan]

Rick,

Thank you for the update on the Moody Chapel organ. Unfortunately, I never got a picture of the instrument when I had a chance to play it, but I really liked the sound--even before the renovation!

Glad it's working again with a drier wind source.

Michael