Music
Music is an integral part of our community at Church of the Resurrection. We value our rich Anglican musical heritage, but also enjoy exploring other quality music through the ages. Our hope is that music will enhance liturgy and inspire worshipers to go out into the world in love and peace.
Our space has wonderful acoustics for singing and instrumental music. We are also blessed to have a 2004 Brombaugh tracker organ that is used in worship and concerts throughout the year. Please read more about our choir, concerts and organ. We want to share our space; contact our music director with a message to the church office for more information about your group performing here.
Choir:
Resurrection choir is a group of enthusiastic individuals who have enjoyed singing repertoire from the Renaissance to the present. We love singing in harmony, chanting psalms and delving into the meaning of a new piece of music. Now, as the choir evolves with the church, we are shifting our focus to emphasizing strong congregational singing. The choir will be introducing some new hymns and service music, and we will all sing the psalms together about twice a month. We hope to encourage participation of the entire congregation, with guidance from the choir. The choir will continue to prepare special music for certain occasions, like Christmas and Easter and the changing of liturgical seasons. We meet from late Sept -June.
This is a great time to join us, without a long-term commitment. There will be no regular evening rehearsals, but we will gather every Sunday morning in the loft at 9:45am, to look at the morning’s hymns. If you are curious about the hymns, how we sing in harmony or just want to experience singing from on high, drop in any week and sing with us, no special skills required. All are welcome! If you are interested in learning anthems, there will be opportunities about twice a month, with called evening rehearsals. Contact the music director for times and dates. We also welcome voice and instrumental offerings for our Christmas or Easter services, or anytime you have a piece to share.
Concerts:
We look forward to hosting the Eugene Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for their Lenten Organ Series every year. This 6-week series features professors from the University of Oregon, organ scholars, and organists from the region. Saturdays in Lent; please check our calendar for times, or visit their website: https://agoeugene.org/
Resurrection is also a regular venue for the Oregon Bach Collegium. The Collegium is a diverse group of professionals, students and avocational musicians, offering historically informed performances in Oregon. Their goal is to spark interest, advance education and encourage dialogue about our rich musical past. For more information and the concert schedule, visit: https://www.oregonbachcollegium.org/
Our Brombaugh Organ
The organ at Church of the Resurrection is a tracker organ, meaning each key is connected directly by a thin flexible wooden strip called a tracker. When a key is struck the tracker activates the air valve under the corresponding pipe, to sound the pipe. There is no pneumatic or electrical assistance to the keyboard action. Tracker organs which respond directly and sensitively to the touch of the organist are noted for their clean, crisp sound. Hundreds of tracker organs in Europe are still in use, some of them over 300 years old. J.S. Bach played a tracker organ.
The pipe arrangement is based on an organ of Italian Renaissance design that the Brombaugh shop made for the chapel at Duke University. The groundwork to replace a temperamental 1897 Estey reed organ was laid by music director Betty Jean Bartholomew in 1997, supported by the Rev. Jonathan Weldon, Vicar at the time. An Organ Committee sponsored a series of fund-raising events and a contract was signed on April 19, 1999 with John Brombaugh & Associates for delivery of an instrument in 2004.
A large dormer had to be constructed in the front roof of the church to provide room for the longest pipes. Acoustics were improved by removing all the carpeting in the nave and replacing the baffle design of the underside of the balcony by a hard, surface; also a large panel over the organ was erected to reflect its sound out into the nave.
Bishop Johncy Itty dedicated the organ at an Evensong on November 14, 2004. The organ’s inaugural year featured a dedicatory recital by David Dahl (December 5, 2004); a duo recital by Julia Brown and Barbara Baird (March 6, 2005); a concert by Liuwe Tamminga and Marc Vanscheeuwijck, cellist (May 8, 2005).
Recitals continue to be given by visiting artists. Contact Church of the Resurrection for dates.