Music at St. Paul's

Our Organ

Aeolian-Skinner · Opus 969 · 1937

A historic instrument with a living voice, supporting prayer and the congregation’s song at St. Paul’s.

Join us Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Our instrument

A legacy of organ music

St. Paul's has welcomed organ music since its earliest years. Records identify instruments by Henry Erben in 1834 and 1850, William H. Davis in 1860, and Farrand & Votey in 1900. The earlier Farrand & Votey organ was lost in a fire in the 1980s.

Today, the church is home to Aeolian-Skinner Opus 969, built in 1937 for St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, and later relocated to St. Paul's by the Quimby Organ Company.

In 2021, Meloni Farrier Organ Builders restored the instrument with support from a grant from the Hampson Albert Sisler Foundation.

1937
Built
3
Manuals
27
Stops
30
Ranks
The instrument in detail

Organ specifications

Built in Boston by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, the instrument uses electro-pneumatic action and has 30 registers, 27 stops and 30 ranks.

Great

Manual II · 61 notes

Swell

Manual III · 61 notes · enclosed

Choir

Manual I · 61 notes · enclosed

Pedal

32 notes

Explore the complete stop list, pipe counts and historical record in the New York City American Guild of Organists’ organ record.

Why a real pipe organ matters

Sound shaped by the sanctuary

01

The room becomes part of the instrument

The pipes speak directly into the historic sanctuary, allowing architecture and acoustics to shape a sound unique to St. Paul's.

02

An orchestra of color

Foundation, flute, string, and reed tones give the organ a wide palette, from quiet reflection to the full energy of festival worship.

03

Built to lead a congregation

Its responsive, breath-like sound supports communal singing and helps music, prayer, and liturgy feel inseparable.

Music at St. Paul's

The organ supports Sunday Mass, weddings, funerals, Evensong, the Flower Festival concert, and Lessons & Carols. It also gives St. Paul's the potential to welcome recitals, visiting musicians, and music education into a landmark setting.

View the full organ history and technical specification

Aeolian-Skinner Opus 969An important American pipe organ with electro-pneumatic action.
Restored in 2021Restored by Meloni Farrier Organ Builders with grant support from the Hampson Albert Sisler Foundation.
A setting made for sacred musicThe High Victorian Gothic sanctuary gives the instrument both visual presence and a distinctive acoustic home.
Experience the sound

Hear it in the sanctuary

Join us for Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. or watch for upcoming music events.

Plan your visit View events