Music Is Key in the Life of Zion
Our Pipe Organ
Along with its central role in worship, our organ also serves as a community resource.
Zion’s pipe organ was built in 1980 by W. Zimmer & Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina. It contains 19 “speaking” stops--or distinct sounds--distributed over two manuals and pedal for a total of 1,402 pipes. It is a “tracker organ,” meaning that the mechanism linking keys to pipe valves is purely mechanical. In that respect, as well as in its sound concept, it is designed to resemble organs of the baroque period, the time of Johann Sebastian Bach.
In November of 2013, the congregation voted to begin a capital campaign to raise $200,000 for the expansion of and addition to our organ to be completed in three phases.
Phase One was completed in 2018 consisting of adding electric action for octave coupling then and for the pipe additions in all subsequent phases. Electric coupling is like power steering, making it easier to play loud and fast. Sub-octave coupling adds depth and power, and super-octave coupling at this stage provided two additional possibilities for melodies to be played with the pedals.
By October 2019, Phase Two was completed with the addition of the six-rank Swell division, with many of those ranks available at multiple pitches and available as supplements to other divisions, the organ is now much more musically versatile and capable of richer and deeper tone. Three of those six ranks provide previously absent string tone. Phase Two increased the numbers of ranks from 27 to 33, of stops from 19 to 32, and of pipes from 1,402 to 1,804.
Phase Three was completed in July 2026 with the addition of twelve large wooden bass pipes. The largest one of each group of six is visible on each side of the organ case, which have significantly increased the low end power of the full organ. The pipe count is now 1,816.
To learn more about the organ upgrade, click here.
Zion’s pipe organ was built in 1980 by W. Zimmer & Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina. It contains 19 “speaking” stops--or distinct sounds--distributed over two manuals and pedal for a total of 1,402 pipes. It is a “tracker organ,” meaning that the mechanism linking keys to pipe valves is purely mechanical. In that respect, as well as in its sound concept, it is designed to resemble organs of the baroque period, the time of Johann Sebastian Bach.
In November of 2013, the congregation voted to begin a capital campaign to raise $200,000 for the expansion of and addition to our organ to be completed in three phases.
Phase One was completed in 2018 consisting of adding electric action for octave coupling then and for the pipe additions in all subsequent phases. Electric coupling is like power steering, making it easier to play loud and fast. Sub-octave coupling adds depth and power, and super-octave coupling at this stage provided two additional possibilities for melodies to be played with the pedals.
By October 2019, Phase Two was completed with the addition of the six-rank Swell division, with many of those ranks available at multiple pitches and available as supplements to other divisions, the organ is now much more musically versatile and capable of richer and deeper tone. Three of those six ranks provide previously absent string tone. Phase Two increased the numbers of ranks from 27 to 33, of stops from 19 to 32, and of pipes from 1,402 to 1,804.
Phase Three was completed in July 2026 with the addition of twelve large wooden bass pipes. The largest one of each group of six is visible on each side of the organ case, which have significantly increased the low end power of the full organ. The pipe count is now 1,816.
To learn more about the organ upgrade, click here.
