Hitting the Organ Trail: Adventures in the South
2700 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85716
USA
A tour of three pipe organs southeast of Tucson—two in Sierra Vista, one in Bisbee—organs unknown to most Tucson organists. In Sierra Vista: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, a 6-rank David McDowell, installed in 1970, rebuilt by Michael O’Sullivan, completed in 2008; St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, a 30-rank Moller (originally from Milwaukee) installed in 2008 in a stunning new Spanish Colonial church with great acoustics. In Bisbee: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 9-rank Murray Harris installed in 1903, rebuilt by David McDowell in 1947 and enlarged to 18 ranks. (Original organ is same vintage as the Murray Harris in Stanford’s Memorial Chapel as well as the Murray Harris in Tucson’s Scottish Rite Cathedral.) Bring your favorite organ pieces to try on these instruments.
Hosts will be organists Wes Moulton (St. Stephen’s), Rebecca Williams (St. Andrew’s) and David Dame (Covenant). On the trip back we will stop at Bisbee’s St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church to have a look at this gothic church with beautiful stained glass windows and incredible acoustics; and at Tombstone’s charming St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the first Protestant church building in the Arizona Territory, built in 1882.
Carpool from Catalina United Methodist Church (2700 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson) will leave at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, 2017, and return around 4:30 p.m. This event is being organized by Jim Borgeson, David Gay, David Horr, and Stan Kartchner.
Tentative schedule for Organ Crawl, Saturday, March 4:
8:00 a.m.—carpool leaves Catalina Methodist, Tucson
9:30-10:15—St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Sierra Vista
10:30-11:15—St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, Sierra Vista
11:45-1:00—lunch in Bisbee
1:00-1:45—Covenant Presbyterian Church, Bisbee
2:00-2:15—St. Patrick Catholic Church, Bisbee
2:45-3:00—St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Tombstone
4:30 p.m.—arrive back at Catalina Methodist, Tucson
