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Biography

My first experience with the sound of the pipe organ happened in my home town, Alkmaar, in Holland, which town is well known for its numerous beautiful historic organs, built in the 16th, 17th and 18th century.  There are also several instruments from later dates that are not as well known, but they nevertheless are grand pipe organs, one of which was located in the beautiful neogothic style Catholic Church. This is the church I attended when I was a youth.  It has since been torn down because of money issues and pressures by a  “developer”.  It was this instrument that was my first contact, and the sound of it touched me so deeply that even today, 40 years later, when I create an instrument, the sound of it reflects elements of the sound of that organ.  It's sound surrounded you, enveloped you like a warm blanket, bringing about a sense of inner peace, happiness and physical well being.

I studied music; ear training among other things, first with a private teacher and later at the new music conservatory in my home town.

I began traveling to other countries, mainly France, Germany, Belgium and Spain.  I visited every church or cathedral I could find and listened to as many instruments (organs) as possible.

Later I visited an organ builder in his shop and found myself immediately convinced that this was what I wanted.  The same builder informed me that a very reputable organ company had an opening for an organ technician and, inspired by what I had experienced before, I applied for the position at the Flentrop Company in Zaandam, Holland.

I was hired immediately for a three week trial period in which I got a taste of the things that were to come, and in which I earned a full-time position.

Because my ears were trained and since I was deeply inspired, I found myself working on historic organs in preparation for Phillips recordings after only 6 weeks.  The organ works for these recordings:  "18 Leipziger Chorale" and "Orgelbüchlein"  were played by Daniel Chorzempa, a wonderful and very demanding performer.

This work, the weeks of nightly recording sessions and the final result have had a lasting influence, and to this day are a guiding force in my work.

Then came the years of work on numerous historic and new instruments under the care of Flentrop or organs built by them, and under the care of the second company I worked for:  Verschueren of Heythuysen, Holland.

During the Flentrop years I studied mostly the tracker organ, while Verschueren had built mostly Electro-Pneumatic instruments, although they were making many trackers at that time.

Already aware, since childhood, of the strong emotional response that organ sound is able to bring about, this awareness deepened and expanded during the years with both builders, and I began to notice even physical responses to the sound.  Both responses would prove to be key factors in the voicing of my organ pipes in later years.

Those years in Holland have given me a great learning experience for sound, mechanics, organ architecture and acoustical matters.  I am forever grateful to both my former employers for the wonderful opportunities for learning they have provided.

In 1979 I started my own shop in the southwestern part of the country and got more involved than before in the woodworking aspects of the art.  In 1980 I built my Opus 1, a nine rank tracker practice instrument.

The instrument has three stops per keyboard and three on the pedal.  It was specifically designed to practice polyphonic music; trio sonatas, etc.

In 1981 I established my company in Portland, Oregon where I had a shop for 14 years, until 1995.  A number of projects were completed during those years:  new organs, rebuilds, restorations and general maintenance.

In 1995 I moved the company to the little town of Mosier, Oregon where, with some help, I built a 2200 sq. ft. organ shop on a beautiful and quiet tract of land.  The shop is now more centrally located, and travels to the eastern part of the area are much easier.

Education is part of my work, and although it is not easy to convey the importance of the organ sound for our well being, I have been surprised to find a number of people in the west who have a keen interest in the deeper aspects of music and of the pipe organ in particular.