The Allen Organ

The Allen Organ Company was founded in 1939 and has remained at the forefront of its field, due to its pioneering research in the development of digital sound.  The organ of Saint Francis United Methodist Church is an Allen Digital Custom Renaissance Quantum model.  The organ's sounds are taken from fully-digital samplings of actual pipes, giving it the remarkably authentic sound of an actual pipe organ.  The organ consists of four manuals (keyboards) on a console mounted to a movable platform to allow a variety of performance settings.

The software of the digital organ is capable of producing sounds from four main styles of organ music: American Classic, Neo-Baroque, English Cathedral, and French Romantic.  This particular instrument is also one of the first of its kind to use a brand-new technology called Audio Expansion and Interlaced Audio, in which the tones played on the organ are spread out over many different speakers, more effectively enhancing the acoustics of the sanctuary.  Additionally, each Allen organ is individually voiced on a stop-by-stop and note-by-note basis, as with pipe organs.  This procedure assures that every Allen organ rightly complements the acoustical environment of the room in which it is installed. 

The Steinway Piano

The piano in the sanctuary is a Steinway and Sons 'Model D' Concert Grand Piano.  The Steinway piano has for more than 150 years been the premiere choice of composers, performers, and conservatories around the globe.  Among those who have chosen the Steinway as their piano are luminaries of the past, as well as revered artists of every generation.  Such musicians include Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Camille Saint-Saens, Cole Porter, Glenn Gould, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Van Cliburn, Billy Joel, and Diana Krall.

The rim of the Steinway Concert Grand piano is of hard rock maple, with a veneer of birch and walnut, covered by a heavy black lacquer finish.  The keys are of Bavarian spruce, and all hardware (such as pedals) is of polished solid brass.  The heart of a piano's music is the soundboard, comparable to that of the violin, and equally crucial to the evenness of tone.  The Steinway soundboard is of durable Sitka spruce, a remarkably stable wood for sustaining the tension and vibrations of the instrument. 

The Bequest

The organ and piano in the sanctuary are now part of St. Francis because of a very generous donation by Fred Gurney, who passed away in 2001.  Fred was a very active St. Francis Choir member who loved music and worship, and wanted to see that St. Francis was able to purchase a fine organ.  The organ and piano were dedicated in Sunday services on January 21, 2007 and rededicated in a special Dedication Concert on November 4, 2007.  To view the program from this Dedication Concert, click here. 

The Handbells

Saint Francis has a set of 6-octave Malmark handbells with a full set of accompanying handchimes.  For over thirty-five years, Malmark has been an innovator in the design and production of quality English handbells.  Malmark handbells have won the the acclaim of leading directors, choirs, and audiences around the world.  Their success in achieving product superiority is demonstrated by the fact that they sell more handbells than any other handbell manufacturer in the world.