Marshall & Ogletree, LLC

Middle Collegiate Church, New York City

Marshall & Ogletree Opus Four

Watch Cameron Carpenter's detailed demonstration of this organ HERE.

In the bustling area of the lower East Village stands Middle Collegiate Church, a fascinating place where "Old-Time Religion" has a "New Twist."

Middle Collegiate Church is as well known for its broad musical inclusiveness as it is for its human inclusiveness. Their organ project captured the interest of organist Cameron Carpenter who became Artist in Residence at Middle Collegiate Church for a time and was deeply involved with the organ specifications and console schema. This instrument, as currently constituted, is a highly personalized design by one of the great organists of the 21^st century.

Arguments may rage over whether design elements from different organ schools should rightly coexist in one instrument, just as they have over traditional vs. contemporary vs. blended worship styles. However, the primary goal of this instrument (and all of our others) is to bring honor to the King of Instruments just as the primary goal of Christian worship is to bring honor to the King of Kings. They are offerings of praise.

That said, the responsibility for harnessing and creatively using the vast resources of this M&O organ tastefully rests with the performer. Those who prefer a restrained palette will easily find "the correct" resources available while those who like to blend ingredients unconventionally will revel in seemingly endless novelty. Ample console control resources and Marshall & Ogletree's easy-to-use Foresight control system make Opus IV's remarkable resources completely practical and accessible.

Sinfonia, Cantata No. 29 - J.S. Bach