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The organ sits at front of the Auditorium
Auditorium and World Plaza at the Temple
Comoeting worldviews on display
Magnificent organ inside the AuditoriumTEMPLE ORGAN RECITALS
Built of 5685 pipes ranging in size from ¼ inch to nearly 40 feet tall, the Temple organ was built and installed by the Quebec organ company Casavant Freres Limitee in 1992-93. It is a gorgeous instrument with a brighter sound than the mellower sounding Auditorium organ across the street. The trumpet pipes – trompette enchanade – in the Auditorium are placed in the rear of the seating opposite the main organ pipes. Here, in the Temple, space is more constrained and the trompette enchanade extends from the middle of the main pipe organ array. Organ recitals are given at 3 PM on Sundays for free to those who like to show up. Check ahead of time, however, as the site of the recital varies from the Auditorium or the Temple. Recitals last about a half hour and normally feature classical movements. At the conclusion of the recital, organists invite visitors to come up and see the organ at closer range, answering questions and possibly allowing a riff or two on an instrument that would make the Phantom of the Opera turn red with envy. Organists practice every day on either this organ or the Auditorium organ. Favorite practice time here in the Temple is early in the morning with only the music light on. As dawn approaches, the light within the shell of the Temple makes the atmosphere that much more magic.
