The Tennison Temple Keeler Organ
Offering of Praise to the Glory of God through Music
The Music Ministry at Church of the Good Shepherd is an offering of praise to the glory of God and designed to help our congregants in worship. God's people have always expressed their praise with singing and playing musical instruments, and the pipe organ is unique in its ability to offer the variety of versatility of an entire orchestra. The pipe organ is an integral part of our traditional Anglican worship as it supports our choir and lifts us all beyond ourselves to the very presence of God. It sets the tone of the occasion, bringing solemnity, beauty, joy, and enthusiasm.
Click Here to see the Tennison Temple Keeler Organ feature article in The American Organist Magazine from March of 2025.
The Tennison Temple Keeler Organ
In the Fall of 2021, it was determined that the current organ at the Church of the Good Shepherd was in need of repair. Built and installed in 1951 by the reputable Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut, it was showing its age with numerous maintenance and technical performance issues evident. The Church hired Nichols and Simpson to assess the instrument and make recommendations for the repair or replacement of the Austin organ. The report concluded that, based on the age and condition of the organ, the best investment for the Church was to replace the instrument.
With the help of a consultant, we contracted to have a new pipe organ built by the reputable Schoenstein & Co. of Benicia, California. Our new organ was designed and built specifically for our worship space and includes 2,776 pipes and 46 ranks with beautiful casework and exposed pipes in the chancel and in the balcony. The organ was built in the Schoenstein factory in California. It was then disassemble and delivered to Good Shepherd where it was reassembled in the summer of 2024.
Schoenstein & Co
Schoenstein & Co., based in Benicia, California, was founded in 1877 and is the oldest and largest organ builder in the western United States. The company is renowned for custom-building pipe organs of exceptional artistic and mechanical quality, such as those at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston and the Conference Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, and for restoring historically significant instruments, including several Aeolian-Skinner organs and the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle organ.
One of the determining factors in selecting Schoenstein & Co. to build the new organ was the experience and tonal style of Mr. Jack Bethards, Chairman and Tonal Advisor. Mr. Bethards and his team were highly acclaimed for the tonal style of their instruments, well-suited to the Anglican style of worship, featuring a wide range of expression, an emphasis on a grandeur of tone, versatility, and beauty.
