Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California, hosted a group of 30 students and faculty in July at the Schoenstein factory as part of a Pipe Organ Encounter, an intensive seven-day course of instruction, recitals, and lectures. The POE was headquartered at Stanford University and sponsored by the Palo Alto/Peninsula Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
In order to learn more about the inner workings of pipe organs, the group had a thorough tour of the Schoenstein factory followed by a discussion of pipe organ tone using the Schoenstein Tonal Color Wheel. Explanations of the various families of organ tone, scaling, and voicing included a lively question and answer session. Emphasis was placed on the importance of a detailed knowledge of organ tone as a basis for registration. After seeing the various departments of the factory in operation, the students were given a preview of the new organ being built for the Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
For information: http://www.schoenstein.com.
