More than two decades have passed since the tragic events of September 11th, when the World Trade Center attacks blanketed Trinity Church in a thick layer of dust and debris.
Remarkably, this grand Gothic Revival church in Lower Manhattan stood firm, surviving the destruction of the nearby towers. However, its cherished 5,000-pipe Aeolian Skinner organ, which had been a vital part of the church since 1923 and was already showing its age, suffered irreparable damage.
Now, a new era of music has begun with the recent unveiling of its successor. A breathtaking concert by acclaimed organist Anna Lapwood filled the church with rich, resonant sounds and a profound message of hope. Lapwood enthused, “It’s an amazing instrument. You can really feel you are playing the building as well as the organ itself.”
(A captivating video accompanies this section, inviting listeners to unmute and experience a passage from Olivier Messiaen’s “Dieu Parmi Nous,” showcasing the organ’s powerful sound.)
This impressive new instrument is the culmination of nearly 10 years of dedication and an investment of close to $17 million, which includes the intricate woodwork and casing. It boasts an astonishing 8,041 pipes, some reaching an impressive 32 feet high—making it one of the largest organs of its kind. The organ features two consoles, one positioned at the front of the church and another at the rear. Each console is equipped with four keyboards, known as manuals, each having 61 keys. An astounding 113 stops, the knobs above the keys, allow the organist to emulate a vast array of orchestral instruments, capable of producing anything from the dramatic swells reminiscent of “The Phantom of the Opera” at one moment, to a delicate pianissimo of Debussy at the next.
As Avi Stein, Trinity’s organist and chorus master, prepared to demonstrate the instrument, he playfully asked, “Do you want loud or soft first?” Opting for subtlety, he began with a quiet selection.
(A series of compelling images showcases the organ’s construction and historical setting. The first photo depicts the stately Trinity Church, completed in 1846, as the third edifice on its historic site since 1697. The second offers a close-up of the organ’s complex pedalboard, a marvel of levers and buttons, revealing a decade-long collaboration between German builders Glatter-Götz Orgelbau and tonal designer Manuel Rosales. The third image presents the organ’s elegant front console, initially used for inaugural concerts and soon to be moved alongside the pulpit for daily services.)
For audience members, it’s natural to watch the organist’s hands dance across the keyboards. However, a true organist engages all four limbs. In a detailed video, Avi Stein’s feet perform a slow, intricate ballet, navigating the 32 pedals that control the deep bass notes and the four central ‘swell shoes’ which, like gas pedals, adjust the volume. Numerous buttons, or pistons, allow him to instantly recall programmed combinations of stops, altering the tenor, pitch, and character of the music.
Following the 9/11 attacks, and while awaiting a new pipe organ, Trinity temporarily installed a digital organ called the Opus in 2003. This instrument, built by Marshall & Ogletree, generated sound electronically through 74 hidden speakers, rather than traditional pipes. Whether it truly captured the soul of centuries-old pipe organs remained a topic of debate within the music community, as the electronic nature of the music was often discernible. Organist Avi Stein diplomatically noted that it “lacks some of the tangible singing quality that turns a machine into a work of art.” In 2018, the church concluded its use of the digital organ during a major renovation.
(Another video features Avi Stein performing Maurice Duruflé’s “Prélude et Fugue sur le Nom d’Alain,” allowing listeners to experience the authentic sound of the new pipe organ.)
The organ’s 113 stops offer remarkable versatility, enabling it to mimic a French horn, a grand trumpet tuba, an oboe, or a flute. Stein explained that “American organs in particular were built as equivalents of orchestras. If you didn’t have an orchestra, well you had an organ.” To showcase this impressive range, he performed the concluding measures of Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor. “That’s not even a piece of organ music,” he remarked, “But as you can see, it can do all these great orchestral colors.”
(A final set of stunning images provides a closer look at the organ’s majestic presence. The first image captures an organist’s hands gracefully playing across multiple keyboards, illustrating how the sound can be directed from the pews to the ceiling, creating what Trinity’s director of music, Melissa Attebury, calls “surround sound.” The second image showcases a multitude of gleaming metal and wooden pipes, emphasizing the visceral experience of their sound, which Anna Lapwood described as “playing the building itself.” The final image highlights a preserved portion of the 1846 organ casing, designed by Richard Upjohn, in the nave, a testament to Trinity’s enduring architectural heritage.)
This magnificent organ is comprised of four main components: the two consoles (a movable one at the front and a fixed one at the rear) and distinct sets of pipes located in both the front and rear of the church. Crucially, unlike its digital predecessor, it produces no electronic sounds. Instead, pressing a key on the front console sends an electrical signal through an Ethernet network, activating the mechanical processes that force air through the pipes. Remarkably, even an old iPod is used by technicians for precise tuning of the instrument.
Despite its modern control system, certain elements remain wonderfully mechanical. Another video illustrates the intricate linkage within the gallery organ, where the movement of a key directly controls pivots that regulate the air flowing into the pipes, revealing the ingenious craftsmanship behind its operation.
Standing at 281 feet from its base on Broadway to the tip of its steeple, Trinity Church was the tallest building in the United States upon its completion in 1846. While it no longer holds that record, it remains an impressively large and historically significant church. After 24 years, this venerable institution once again possesses an organ capable of filling its vast space with glorious music. “You feel it all through your body,” said Melissa Attebury, Trinity’s director of music. “It is magnificent.”
(The concluding video plays Charles Hubert Parry’s “I Was Glad,” offering a grand and uplifting finale to the musical journey.)