About the St. John’s Organ Society - St. John's Organ Society

A Short History

By Carlton Russell

In 1993, a year after being appointed Director of Music and Organist of St. John’s Catholic Church, Kevin Birch established the St. John’s Organ Society, an organization committed to the preservation and appreciation of the church’s beautiful and historic E. & G. G. Hook pipe organ, Op. 288 (1860). This large instrument was described by John Fesperman, Curator Emeritus of Musical Instruments at the Smithsonian Institution, as “a musical monument of great importance”, and by Alan Laufman, past president of the Organ Historical Society, as “a national treasure.”

Thanks to the groundwork of revisions by Tom Audet and graphic design work by Monique Bouchard, this website serves as an up-to-date source of information about the Hook organ and events related to it, and about St. John’s Organ Society.

The Society became in 2006 a nonprofit public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, with a board of directors. Other organizational highlights, both from 2012, are the publication of an annual newsletter and the establishment of an annual giving program. The Society’s mission of stewardship and promotion of Op. 288 has included a summer series of recitals and concerts, starting in 1993 and continuing to the present, with weekly performances by organists from the United States and other countries.

In addition to the summer series, there have been many international concerts – that is, programs by organists of international reputation — early performers of which included Jean Boyer (France), Christa Rakich (USA), Carolyn Shuster Fournier (France) and Dana Robinson (USA).

More recent international artists have been Gunter Kennel (Germany), Matthias Schmelmer (Germany), Matthias Jacob (Germany), Jacques Boucher and Anne Robert (Canada), Mark Dwyer (USA), Pierre Bardon (France), Gemma Coebergh (Netherlands), Hatsumi Miura (Japan), Loreto Aramendi (Spain), and Gregory Crowell (USA).

A remarkable international connection resulted from the acquisition in 1991 of another Hook organ (Op. 553), similar to that of St. John’s, by the Holy Cross Church (Heilig-Kreuz Kirche) in Berlin, Germany. Kevin Birch has lectured about and performed on the Berlin instrument, and Holy Cross Church organists Gunter Kennel and Matthias Schmelmer have played recitals on Hook organs in Bangor, Bucksport, and Augusta.

In the fall of 1994, the Downeast Organ Crawl featured performers Kevin Birch, George Bozeman, Delores Bruch, Dana Robinson, and Paul Tegels.

A Hook Holiday (October 5-8, 2010), a gala event celebrating the 150th anniversary of Opus 288, also included the other historic organs in the area. Organ recitalists were Kevin Birch, George Bozeman, Gunter Kennel, Dana Robinson, Carlton and Lorna Russell, David Dahl, and Paul Tegels. Also featured were Kay Eames, conductor, Anatole Wieck, violinist, and three choral groups: the St. John’s Adult Choir, the All Souls Congregational Church Choir, and The Chamber Choir at St. John’s Catholic Church. Lecturers were George Bozeman, David Coco, Robert Newton, Barbara Owen, David Wallace, and Anne Marie Rigler; and a discussion panel was moderated by David Dahl.

The Maine Historic Organ Institute (October 24-28, 2017) included, in addition to recitals and lectures at St. John’s and elsewhere, master classes taught by Kevin Birch, Margaret Harper, Christian Lane, Jonathan Moyer, and Dana Robinson.

In recognition of Franck’s 200th birthday, the Society presented A Celebration of César Franck (1822-1890) on October 10-12, 2022. Three evening programs featured Anatole Wieck, violin, Carmen Peralta, piano, and Scott Burditt, horn, in addition to organists Jonathan Moyer, Dana Robinson, and Kevin Birch, the latter playing Hook Op. 288 and a French harmonium exactly contemporaneous with it.

The Society has given supportive encouragement to Dr. Birch’s many cooperative educational outreach projects, tours, and interactions, some of them including visiting artists: with All Saints Catholic School, the Bangor Public Library Summer Reading Program, the Bangor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Ellsworth Public Schools, Bangor High School, Brewer High School, and the University of Maine at Orono. As part of the Penobscot Valley Senior College curriculum, Kevin taught a six-week course, “Introduction to the King of Instruments” (winter 2014-2015); this was centered at St. John’s Church, with field trips to the historic organs in Bucksport, Stockton Springs, and Belfast. On August 26, 2016, the Society presented a special festival concert by Blue Hill Bach at St. John’s Church. Kevin has also given several lecture demonstrations on notable E. & G. G. Hook organs in the Midcoast Region and beyond; their locations include Bucksport (Op. 328/1863), Southwest Harbor (Op. 1261/1885), Attleboro, Massachusetts (Op. 1111/1882), Kennebunk (Op. 177/1854), and Berlin, Germany (Op. 553/1870).

The past and present directors of the St. John’s Organ Society are grateful for the ongoing generous support of the many individuals and businesses that share their vision of the importance to the parish and the larger community of St. John’s beautiful and historic instrument.

There have been three convention-type, several-day organ events, featuring other historic area organs in addition to the St. John’s instrument, and attracting organ enthusiasts from various parts of the United States to the Midcoast and Downeast regions. In the fall of 1994, the Downeast Organ Crawl featured performers Kevin Birch, George Bozeman, Delores Bruch, Dana Robinson, and Paul Tegels.

The Society has given supportive encouragement to Dr. Birch’s many cooperative educational outreach projects, tours, and interactions, some of them including visiting artists: with All Saints Catholic School, the Bangor Public Library Summer Reading Program, the Bangor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Ellsworth Public Schools, Bangor High School, Brewer High School, and the University of Maine at Orono. As part of the Penobscot Valley Senior College curriculum, Kevin taught a six-week course, “Introduction to the King of Instruments” (winter 2014-2015); this was centered at St. John’s Church, with field trips to the historic organs in Bucksport, Stockton Springs, and Belfast. On August 26, 2016, the Society presented a special
festival concert by Blue Hill Bach at St. John’s Church. Kevin has also given several lecture demonstrations on notable E. & G. G. Hook organs in the Midcoast Region and beyond; their locations include Bucksport (Op. 328/1863), Southwest Harbor (Op. 1261/1885), Attleboro, Massachusetts (Op. 1111/1882), Kennebunk (Op. 177/1854), and Berlin, Germany (Op. 553/1870).