Worcester Organ Symphony

The “Worcester Organ Symphony” was composed by Leonardo Ciampa (Mechanics Hall Composer-in-Residence 2021-2023) specifically to showcase the rich sounds of the Worcester Organ, built in 1864 by E. & G. G. Hook. With four keyboards and over 3500 pipes, this American-made Civil War instrument is highly respected around the globe. The Symphony is dedicated to the City of Worcester and all of the diverse immigrant communities who built it and made it what it is. In homage to all of these great cultures (without wishing to single out, or omit, any), various folk melodies and musical styles are interwoven throughout the symphony. The final Triple Fugue is a nod to Worcester’s distinctive “triple-deckers.” A city of many firsts, Worcester is the birthplace of the triple-decker, first built by Worcester architect Francis Gallagher (1830-1911).* The “Worcester Organ Symphony” was premiered by the composer in Mechanics Hall on Sunday, 17 October 2021 at 4:00 p.m. * = Charles Nutt, History of Worcester and its people, p. 473 ABOUT THE WORCESTER ORGAN This awe-inspiring organ, installed in 1864, dominates the main auditorium of Mechanics Hall. American organ builders Elias and George Greenleaf Hook, brothers from Boston, constructed the 52-stop, 3504-pipe instrument, which is often referred to as the “Worcester Organ.” Today, it is the oldest unaltered four-keyboard pipe organ in the Western Hemisphere located at its installation site. Restored in 1982 by the Noack Organ Company, the Worcester Organ since then has become one of the most popular and respected organs in the United States. It has been featured numerous times on National Public Radio, performed in several recordings, and has been featured on television and in a major motion picture, as well as in a music video starring Michael Crawford, the original “Phantom of the Opera.”