BALLANTYNE | cover story
CALVARY'S GRAND ORGAN
HITS HIGH REGISTER AS MUSICAL
MASTERPIECE By Nan Bauroth
Photos by Cameron Triggs
AT FULL THROTTLE, the Calvary Grand Organ reverberates majestically. Rich, resonant vibrations of its luminous pipes envelop all 2.5 million cubic feet of air space in the soaring Calvary Church sanctuary. The glorious sound of music seems to bear witness to the presence of God, and that is precisely what this magnificent musical instrument was intended to do. Dedicated in 1990 at an
original cost of $1.4 million (now valued at $5.25 million), the Calvary Grand Organ — with an astounding 11,499 pipes, ranging from the size of a soda straw to over 40 feet in length — was created as an essential complement to worship services in the cavernous sanctuary located on the edge of Ballantyne. "The organ was specifically
designed to be of heroic proportions to support a congregation of over 3,000," asserts David Nelms, master organ pipe technician and principal owner of Pipe Organ Service of the Carolinas. He has faithfully tuned and maintained the instrument once a week since its creation. "With an eclectic voice palette," he says, "it is capable of playing
60 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE WINTER 2011-2012
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