The Evansville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists has acquired a rare organ built by Edmund Giesecke (1845–1928) of Evansville, Indiana. Trained in the family pipemaking firm in Göttingen, Germany, Giesecke emigrated to the United States in 1869, settling in Evansville in 1872, remaining active there until retirement in 1918. One of five known extant Giesecke organs, the one-manual instrument was originally built between 1900 and 1910 for a church in Wisconsin and more recently located in a church in Maumee, Ohio. The Ohio church closed and was sold for redevelopment as a residence.
The new owners desired to find an appropriate new home for the organ. The AGO chapter made arrangements with First Presbyterian Church of Evansville to store the organ. David Kazimir, curator of organs for Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio, and Patrick Fischer, curator of organs for Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana, disassembled the organ and moved it to Evansville in July. Once a permanent home for the organ has been identified and the instrument installed, it will be available for community use, education, outreach, and performance. Contributions are welcome.
For further information, visit www.evansvilleago.org.
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