The voicing of the new organ in St Elizabeth’s Church was completed today. The work, which began at the start of September, was carried out by specialists from Finland, and the instrument now sounds mellower than before.
Voicing is the organ builder’s most delicate work: the sound of each individual pipe is shaped so that the stops speak evenly and the instrument suits the acoustics of the church. It decides whether an organ sounds sharp and obtrusive, or soft and carrying.
The organ in the south transept, built by the organ builder Hardo Kriisa and consecrated in 2010, is the younger of the church’s two instruments; the west gallery holds the organ built in 1928 by the Riga firm Kolbe & Dury and thoroughly restored in 2001. The new voice was promised to the parish’s supporters last December, when we wrote that “our new organ will be voiced in September 2026, giving the king of instruments a somewhat gentler sound than at present”.
The new sound will first be heard at a concert next week, when the ÖÖvalgel light festival comes to St Elizabeth’s Church on 1–3 October. In “Eyes to the Sky”, which begins at 7 p.m. each evening, organ, electronic music, lasers and projection are woven together, with Ines Maidre at the organ. All performances are ticketed; programmes and times can be found in the parish calendar.
Thank you to everyone whose donations help to keep the church and its instruments in good order!
