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At a royal celebration of the ‘king of instruments’ in South Jersey, the pipe organ will reign

Several hundred organists and organ enthusiasts are expected at a regional conference of the American Guild of Organists that will be held for the first time in South Jersey beginning June 30. Organizers say the area is home to many talented players and fine examples of these mighty instruments.

Church organist Vernon Williams demonstrates the sound of the organ at Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown. The church is among the local venues for recitals, concerts and other events during the Mid-Atlantic Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists. The four-day gathering begins June 30 and will be the first-ever hosted by South Jersey organists and enthusiasts.
Church organist Vernon Williams demonstrates the sound of the organ at Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown. The church is among the local venues for recitals, concerts and other events during the Mid-Atlantic Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists. The four-day gathering begins June 30 and will be the first-ever hosted by South Jersey organists and enthusiasts.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

Settling in at the console of the pipe organ he’s played for 22 years, Vernon Williams strikes the three indelible opening notes of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

It’s one of organ literature’s greatest hits, composed by the instrument’s patron saint, and it sounds splendid in the handsome sanctuary of Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown.

Williams and the church, where he is music director, are preparing to help host the Mid-Atlantic Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists for the first time ever in South Jersey.

“It’s nice to be able to share what we have,” said Williams, 64, who lives in Trenton.

Beginning June 30, several hundred musicians, scholars, and fans are expected to attend the four-day convention at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill. Luminaries from the international community of those who love the “king of instruments” are scheduled to perform and share their expertise, and many of the recitals and other events at churches and local venues will be open to the public.

“Many people don’t know South Jersey exists, or think it’s a place to pass through," convention coordinator Evelyn Larter said. “But we have a lot to offer. There are many great instruments here.”

Proximity to Philadelphia’s rich tradition of serious music-making helps explain why South Jersey churches like Trinity, as well as Haddonfield United Methodist, St. Rose of Lima, in Haddon Heights, and others possess fine pipe organs. The Philly-South Jersey region also boasts beloved pipe organs at Longwood Gardens, the former Wanamakers (now Macy’s) in Center City, and Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Often described as the world’s largest musical instrument, the Atlantic City pipe organ has been undergoing restoration in recent years and will be showcased at one of the convention events.

“A lot of local volunteers have been involved in the restoration,” said David Rhody, 75, of Haddonfield, who joined the guild as a high school student in 1958 and has been an active member of the South Jersey organists community ever since.

He continues to study with Helen Carrell, 90, who was his teacher 61 years ago and one of the founders of the guild’s local chapter. Carrell plans to participate in the convention, Rhody said.

Imposing in its complexity and mesmerizing in its sound, the mighty pipe organ casts a spell and inspires devotion among serious and casual music lovers alike. Whether in concert halls, worship services, or at the movies, many if not most people have heard what a pipe organ can do.

Even a modest-size instrument like the one at Trinity Episcopal has perhaps 2,000 pipes ranging from pencil-size to 16 feet tall. Multiple keyboards and arrays of stops suggest the creative possibilities for a player.

"It’s an opportunity to paint in color,” said Larter, 66, who lives in Elmer, Salem County, and is music director at Deerfield Presbyterian Church in nearby Cumberland County.

“A piano is a piano, but every organ is different,” Larter said. “There are different combinations of stops, endless ways you can combine the tonal possibilities. The challenges of playing are so worth the rewards of the music.”

Haddonfield resident Joe Routon, 75, who’s both a portrait painter and a retired church organist, likes Larter’s analogy: “Both careers allow you to express your creativity.”

He also said the prospect of nine workshops, nearly a dozen performances, and the chance to immerse oneself in a beloved pursuit has attracted nearly 300 conventioneers from as far as California and Australia. And while the local and global community of pipe organ lovers tends to be older, “there’s a resurgence of interest in the instrument among younger people,” he said.

That’s because sitting in, say, a sacred space like Trinity Episcopal and hearing a professional like Williams play a piece of music meant to be performed, and heard, in such a setting is a singular experience.

“There’s nothing quite like it,” said Routon. And he’s right.