St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral Dedicates New Pipe Organ

By Cristi McKee | Photo: Cristi McKee

On Sunday, October 6, local Anglican church, St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral, dedicated their new A.E. Schlueter pipe organ, which has been partially completed and installed. In celebration of the pipe organ’s dedication, which was this morning, the Cathedral held a recital and evensong service tonight.

While not fully completed, the organ will eventually house 131 ranks of pipes, and will hold the record for the largest instrument found in the state of Florida, one of the largest pipe organs in the southeast, and the 46th largest instrument in the world.

The church currently has installed 2 organ consoles (which hold the keyboards, stop controls, and pedals), with 1 in the left transept, and 1 in the gallery (choir loft). Additionally, 2 expression boxes (which house the pipes) with exposed pipes have been installed in the gallery.

The celebration evening began with a pipe organ recital by Christopher Garven, the Director of Music at the Cathedral. Works by Charles-Marie Jean Albert Widor, J.S. Bach, Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Sir Edward William Elgar were performed. Well-known organ pieces, such as Bach’s “Fugue in D Major, BMV 532,” and Widor’s “Symphony for Organ No. 5” were among works played.

Following the recital, a choral evensong, led by the St. Peter’s Cathedral Choir and Garven, featured hymns, psalms, Charles Villiers Stanford’s “Magnifcat,” and John Stainer’s “I Saw the Lord,” among lessons and collects that were read. A homily was given by The Most Reverend Robert Duncan, D.D., the Interim Dean at the Cathedral.

In the next few phases of installation, more portions of the pipe organ, such as digital stops, windblown pipes, and moving louvers, will be installed. St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral utilizes this grand pipe organ for a number of their weekly services, which are listed here.