UT's massive organ gets a second life
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Restored pipes were installed on the organ's facade. Photo: Courtesy of the University of Texas
A towering two-story organ is getting a second life as part of a yearslong restoration process at the University of Texas.
Why it matters: The ongoing effort is helping preserve a historic instrument while reviving the Butler School of Music's organ program, which once faced an uncertain future.
Driving the news: Last week, workers installed 12-foot-long pipes at Bates Recital Hall after almost a year of restoration work — a lengthy process because only a handful of specialists can do the job.
What they're saying: Organist Gregory Eaton, who joined the Butler School's faculty in 2019, has worked to restore both the instrument and the program.
- "I first saw the damaged pipes at my first concert here — before I was teaching here 12 years ago — and I thought, 'Oh, that's really too bad.' There's damage right in front of the organ," Eaton told reporters during the pipes' installation.
Catch up quick: Built in 1982, the two-story Visser-Rowland tracker organ was among the largest of its kind in the country.
- UT's organ program dwindled — and the organ was rarely played — following the death of longtime professor of organ Gerre Hancock in 2012 and the departure of Matthias Maierhofer, chair of organ and church music, in 2016.
- Eaton has since helped rebuild the program to about 10 students, while Austin residents and alumni have contributed to the instrument's restoration.
Zoom in: Eaton says the organ sounds better than it has in a decade.
- "I could finally get all the sounds that this organ was meant to make," Eaton said. "It was just exciting. I couldn't stop playing."
Between the lines: The boost in the organ program comes at a time when Austin churches and performance venues are struggling to find trained organists.
What's next: More restoration work is planned, with technicians focusing on critical mechanical systems, though the timeline remains unclear, per the university.
- The public can hear the organ, along with the school's new chamber organ, at the Butler Holiday Concert on Dec. 5 and 6.
- Eaton will perform with UT's orchestra and various ensembles in what the university says will be the first major public showcase featuring all of the organ's restored stops and full tonal range.