TRINITY

THE AUSTIN-WALKER ORGAN

The organ at Trinity United Presbyterian Church is one of the defining musical and architectural voices of the sanctuary. Originally built in 1951 by Austin Organs, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut, the instrument was installed for First Presbyterian Church of Uniontown as part of a major renovation of the chancel, replacing a 1905 Hook & Hastings instrument. That project reshaped the front of the sanctuary and placed a substantial new organ at the center of the church’s worship and musical life.
 

Austin’s Opus 2135 was a three-manual instrument of 46 ranks and 2,860 pipes. Its Great and Pedal divisions were placed behind the reredos, while the Swell and Choir divisions were housed in side chambers behind grilles. The result was an instrument closely integrated with the architecture of the room, capable of supporting congregational singing with strength while also providing the color and flexibility needed for choral accompaniment, solo repertoire, and ceremonial music.
 

In 1962, First Presbyterian Church and Second Presbyterian Church merged to form Trinity United Presbyterian Church, and the Austin organ became part of the new congregation’s continuing story. Pipework associated with Uniontown’s former Presbyterian instruments was later incorporated into an organ renovation at Third Presbyterian Church. Local accounts also suggest that Second Presbyterian may have contributed additional pipework to the Trinity instrument around the time of the merger, although this detail remains unconfirmed.
 

From 2007 through 2009, the organ underwent a major renovation and expansion by Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. Walker has carried out work for churches and institutions across the country, including Washington National Cathedral. At Trinity, the project preserved the historic Austin pipework while substantially expanding the instrument’s tonal resources and modernizing its control system.
 

The renovation transformed the organ into the large hybrid instrument heard today. It contains 103 speaking stops and 91 ranks: 37 pipe and 54 digital. Its resources range from quiet flutes and strings to broad principal choruses, colorful solo voices, and commanding festival reeds. This tonal breadth allows the organ to lead congregational hymnody, accompany choirs and soloists, support weddings and funerals, and present organ literature from many periods and traditions.
 

The renovation also included a new four-manual movable console built by R. A. Colby of Johnson City, Tennessee. Colby consoles are highly regarded for their craftsmanship, ergonomic design, and careful attention to the practical needs of organists. Trinity’s console provides a flexible and thoughtfully designed means of controlling the instrument’s extensive pipe and digital resources.

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For more than seventy years, the organ has accompanied generations of worshipers through weekly services, weddings, funerals, concerts, civic occasions, and moments of celebration and remembrance. Though the instrument has changed considerably since 1951, its purpose has remained constant. At Trinity, the organ is first and foremost a servant of worship: supporting the congregation’s song, shaping the atmosphere of prayer, and giving musical voice to praise, thanksgiving, lament, and hope.