William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
Peragallo Organ Company
Paterson, New Jersey
Stoplist
Peragallo Opus 652: From Residence to Concert Hall
In 1997 the organ enthusiast John Whitney commissioned the Peragallo Organ Company to design and build an instrument for the new music room in his home in Buckhead, Georgia, outside of Atlanta. The completed organ was a large three-manual and pedal instrument, in the French cathedral style, with exquisite, hand-carved mahogany casework. The acoustical design of the music room, by Scott Riedel, allowed everyone else in the home to coexist peacefully—without hearing even a hint of organ tone. The instrument was greatly appreciated by the Atlanta organ community and was also featured on The Joy of Music with Diane Bish. Eventually, however, John and his family had to relocate, and to his dismay, he could not bring his beloved instrument with him.
In 2014 the organ was dismantled, packed, and placed in storage in our warehouse in New Jersey. In November 2017, after years of searching for a suitable buyer, at John Whitney’s request we advertised the instrument for sale in The American Organist. Professor Tom Marshall, of the music department at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, immediately connected the dots, as he was hoping to acquire an organ for the university’s new Music Arts Center. Tom recognized the value of the instrument and envisioned the organ as the keystone of the concert hall. Subsequent fundraising was a success, due to the tireless efforts of many individuals. John Whitney’s instrument had finally found the perfect home.
The organ case includes a new carving of the William & Mary cypher, high in the center tower. The instrument has a vast dynamic range, from gentlest pianissimo to a thundering, grand fortissimo.
It is so gratifying to see this organ find a proper home, and to have had the opportunity to revoice its 1,269 speaking pipes—which have been handled by three generations of the Peragallo family—in an exciting new acoustical environment. It is our hope that this instrument will be a firm support for the music program at William & Mary and an inspiration for many future organists.
John Peragallo III
President, Peragallo Organ Company
A New Concert Hall for a Venerable University
In every industry, there are core factors that keep products relevant to consumers; moreover, there are some who create the product and others who utilize it. In the world of pipe organs, the product we all work to create is music. The development of organ music can be shaped by a composer or performer’s abilities, and by the instruments on which the work will be played. For organists, the versatility of the instruments they are exposed to is closely linked with their own growth and development.
As organbuilders, we are but one cog in the machinery that forms well-trained and adaptable musicians. Still, we have an important responsibility to create instruments that inspire new music, whether in a small parish, a grand cathedral, or, as in this case, a university concert hall: William & Mary’s new Music Arts Center.
While exploring the university’s newly finished Arts Quarter—a 180,000-square-foot facility with six modern performance venues and 1,500 audience seats—I was reminded of my education at the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture, which constantly sought to incorporate perspectives from a variety of fields. The late and well-respected Leo Nestor, from the university’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, was a regular critic in many of our design courses, offering insights about how something as intangible as music could influence the built form. This input helped to shape wonderfully designed spaces that would not otherwise have come to be.
It has been wonderful to witness the design and realization of the Arts Quarter, which will serve almost 30 percent of all students at William & Mary, directly supporting coursework related to the performing arts. In the Music Arts Center, the concert hall where the newly installed organ resides utilizes state-of-the-art technology. We are all familiar with the old saying, sometimes attributed to Ernest M. Skinner, that the room is the most important stop on the organ. With that concept in mind, acousticians were included in the design team, and they equipped the new hall with technology that can adjust the acoustical behavior of the space. The range of possibilities here is vast, spanning the mildest reverberance to the richest, and granting performers great control over what listeners will hear. We employed a variety of settings during tonal finishing.
Established in 1693, William & Mary is one of the oldest universities in the United States—predating even the official founding of the country. To say that it has a long tradition of excellence in the fine arts would be an understatement. Just as the young Mozart was given the finest training and surrounded by the best minds of his time, this place, too, seeks to grant a wealth of knowledge and opportunity to its students. Integrated into this venerable institution, the new Music Arts Center is a lab of creativity that seeks to form creators. This environment is fertile ground, and we couldn’t be more proud that a Peragallo organ is found at its heart.
It is our hope that many other institutions will follow William & Mary’s lead and create similar environments for the creation of our most beloved commodity: music.
John Peragallo IV
Principal, Peragallo Organ Company
Organ Study at William & Mary
Although relatively small compared to other universities in Virginia, William & Mary has had an unusually high number of organ students over the decades. In recent years, we have seen an increase in all applied music course offerings, including organ study, and with the opening of the Music Arts Center—now home to Peragallo Opus 652a, the crowning glory of the concert hall—we anticipate even more student interest.
Organ instruction at William & Mary began in the mid-1950s and was made possible by the generosity of several churches near campus. While most of the teaching and practice in the early days took place on the 95-rank G. Donald Harrison/Aeolian-Skinner instrument at Bruton Parish Church, with the growing number of organ students, we subsequently hired two additional teachers, who taught in other neighborhood churches. Still, there was a real need for a quality pipe organ in a dedicated performance space right here on campus.
A fortuitous confluence of events occurred in 2017, when I became aware that this organ was being sold by its original owner. When the instrument was combined with a new concert hall, the result was a happy conclusion to a long period of hoping for a significant pipe organ on campus.
The instrument, which had been in storage for nearly ten years, was finally heard by an audience in our new concert hall on September 11, 2023. Renowned organist Mickey Thomas Terry played the inaugural recital in conjunction with the dedication of the entire performing arts facility at William & Mary’s annual homecoming celebration. This beautiful instrument has been an aural and visual delight to all who have encountered it. And as expected, it has attracted a new wave of students interested in studying the organ.
Thomas Marshall
University Organist, William & Mary
Notes from the Community
The organ allows for the performance of grand, powerful pieces that simply won’t work with a smaller instrument and space. I love the variety of moods this organ can express, as well as its richness and depth of sound.
Connor Martin
Physics Major and Organ Student, William & Mary
It is incredibly rewarding to witness the opening of William & Mary’s Arts Quarter, and as a central part of that, the installation and inauguration of this beautiful organ. William & Mary students, faculty, and community members already feel the impact of both the instrument and the rich culture of arts exploration and dis-covery unfolding in our midst. We look forward with great anticipation to all that lies ahead for music and art at W&M.
Suzanne Raitt
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, William & Mary
I believe that the rewards of mastering the pipe organ exceed those associated with any other instrument; thus, organ study should absolutely be part of any college music program. Having a concert hall designed for an organ maximizes the tonal colors that the instrument produces, giving students and audiences the ability to play and hear the organ in a way that no other venue can offer.
John Whitney
Original Owner of Peragallo Opus 652
The addition of the Peragallo organ to the new Music Arts Center at W&M will impact the campus and community alike for generations. The sound is extraordinary, and we look forward to programming and promoting organ concerts as part of a presented performing arts season. With these beautiful new facilities and continued institutional investment, we are poised to take our place as a regional, national, and internationally renowned center for innovative and impactful arts education and programming.
Eric Despard
Inaugural Executive Director of the Arts, William & Mary