Town #42 Winchester/Winsted

Sunday, March 29, 2009
Church of Christ * Nicholas White, Organist

The Cal section of the Courant had an announcement for an Organ Centennial Celebration at the Church of Christ, Winsted, so we headed for the 3 p.m. performance. The church is a beautiful granite structure (as are many of the other area churches in Winsted) and generously endowed with gorgeous stained glass windows, including a secular-themed one by Tiffany, probably from the 1920s. Once inside, we were treated to a warm sanctuary with plush carpeting, solid oak paneling, trim, and curved oak pews. The stained glass windows were even more beautiful with the daylight illuminating them. The church is Congregational and Baptist.

The organ is a George Hutchings Organ, Opus 1653 (Boston, Mass.) with 2,072 pipes. The large pipes in the façade are gilt-covered and most of them are speaking pipes, nicely visible from the sanctuary. We were mildly disappointed that the console wasn’t visible from the pews as we feel watching the organist is part of the enjoyment of the performance, but a TV monitor was set up to cover that shortcoming.

The organist was Nicholas White, a Grammy-nominated composer and conductor who is a church organist in Torrington. He is also “a versatile organist, pianist, and singer,” according to the program guide. The rest of his resume is impressive. Mr. White performed J. S. Bach, Vierne, Franck, Elgar, Joplin, Widor, and more. The performance was excellent and a hearty reception followed.

This Organ Centennial Celebration has June 28, July 25, and September 27 events planned, all of which sound exciting.