St. Theresa’s is blessed to have two fine organs: a three-manual Peragallo in the French Romantic style at the liturgical east end, and a two-manual mechanical action organ by Roche in the Choir Loft.
The Peragallo Organ
The Peragallo organ is of three manual and pedals, containing 38 ranks of pipework with a total of 2296 speaking pipes. With tonal design by John Peragallo III, the outstanding placement of the organ casework on the central axis of the church projects the tonal resources of the instrument evenly and effectively throughout the nave.
The Grand-Orgue is positioned high in the casework. In addition to the rich diapason chorus there is a complete Cornet décomposé. A Flûte Harmonique, scaled in the Cavaille-Coll tradition, provides a beautiful solo voice while the chorus reeds cap the division. The Postif is enclosed in the lower left portion of the casework, and includes a secondary diapason chorus. The Flutes Celestes provide a soft velvety quality so useful in worship. The Récit is located in the lower right side of the casework, nearest the console. Large pomposa-scaled strings and a full reed chorus provide both warmth and power. The Pédale piperwork is within and directly behind the facade and is supplemented by a small number of digitally sampled stops for reasons of space.
The jewel in the crown is the Trompette en-chamade, a set of flared reeds located high in the casework, above the baldacchino. The majestic casework – the design of Frank Peragallo – provides a striking backdrop to the High Altar. It is of finished red oak with hand-carved pipe shades inspired by elements of the filial crown of the baldacchino.
Renovation work is planned to take place in the near future. This will include updating the 25-year-old electrical components, refurbishment of the console, and some sympathetic revoicing.
The Roche Organ
The organ in the Choir Loft was built by the Roche Organ Company, a Massachusetts-based firm operating from 1967 to the early 2000s. Constructed in 1981, this is the instrument’s fourth home. It is in the Baroque style, with 11 ranks over 2-manuals and pedals under mechanical action. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation at St. Theresa’s, the organ was installed here in 2020, at which time the organ was revoiced and enlarged.
For more information or to support the maintenance of our beautiful organs:
Please contact us below or call Alex Hodgkinson, our Director of Music at (203) 261-3676.