Sing, Choir of Angels

Trinity Church has a long and distinguished musical history, including the first performance of Handel's Messiah in the New World (not all that long after its first performance in the Old World). Today their 20 voice professional choir (including Soprano Goddess Molly) is one of the great vocal ensembles in the world. They can be heard Sundays and at all major holy days and concerts (along with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra) either live or from their archive at: http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/. The present church has always had a major organ in the large and handsome case in Upjohn's original rear gallery. With the advent of electric playing actions for pipe organs, further divisions of the organ were located in the chancel as well. From the first organ to occupy Upjohn's case - Henry Erben- to the last - Aeolian-Skinner - the organs represented the best in American organ building. The Aeolian-Skinner was slightly larger (measured in the number of ranks of pipes) than the organ in the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, and roughly the same size as Notre Dame de Paris (using the same standard of comparative measurement. Located just steps away from the World Trade Center, the organ sustained damage from the incredible cloud of dust that swallowed up everything in its path. It was determined that the organ was essentially irreparable, and it was removed and put it storage. It turns out that the organ can be restored and has been given to another church. As an interim instrument the church commissioned a new American firm to build a large and very sophisticated digital instrument. This instrument is remarkable in many ways, and the average person - even organists- would be misled by it. It took me fifteen minutes to turn get it turned on (sophisticated access code) but I had fun playing this instrument. It looks, feels, and plays like an organ with its elegant Italien -built console (Fratelli Ruffatti - not to be confused with the Fratellis in "Goonies!). It serves Trinity Church well as an interim, "virtual" organ, but I look forward to the day when this great church has a "real"organ again in the Upjohn case. All of the musicians at Trinity are amazingly generous, kind, and helpful.