MIGUEL JUAREZ staff John Peragallo, owner of the Paterson organ company that produced a 1,200-pipe organ for the Trinity Presbyterian Church in East Brunswick, with organist Ed Krogstad.
EAST BRUNSWICK — After a five-year effort to raise some $247,000 for a pipe organ, the members of Trinity Presbyterian Church will finally get to hear what it sounds like this week.
The church, which in 1963 moved from South River to its current building on Cranbury Road, near Route 18, has always used an electric organ. But that 40-year-old organ, affectionately referred to as "the beast," has been problematic for years and officially gave out a couple months ago, leaving the church with only a piano.
Fortunately, the long-standing effort to bring the 17-rank, 1,200-pipe organ to the church was coming to fruition, after years of pledges and an actual construction period of about a year.
"It’s been quite a labor of love for us," said Dottie Spengel, a member of the church’s organ fund-raising committee.
The congregants are so excited about the organ that about 25 of them actually went to check it out in the factory while it was being built.
"It’s a very beautiful, imposing-looking thing," said Ed Krogstad, the church organist and choir director. "And so is our building, so it fits nicely."
The giant instrument, made by the Peragallo Organ Co., of Paterson, was installed at the church on March 9, and was being "voiced" this week to bring it in tune with the acoustics of the room.
Krogstad said he expected to play it for the first time by this weekend, though some have suggested waiting for Palm Sunday, April 4.
"I want to take the new Mercedes for a spin," he joked. "It will be very interesting to hear how 1,200 pipes sound in this architectural, acoustical environment."
Krogstad said his job will be to play the organ in such a way that it inspires singing at the church. The congregation sings well now, he said, "but the pipe organ really invites you to sing."