First Presbyterian Church

Birmingham, Michigan

Year Built: 2009
Manuals: 4
Stops: 50
Ranks: 64

Swell Organ (Expressive)

16′ Lieblich
8′ Diapason
8′ Chimney Flute
8′ Salicional
8′ Voix Celeste CC
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flute Celeste CC
4′ Principal
4′ Flûte Octaviante
2 2/3 Nasard
2′ Octavin
1 3/5 Tierce
III Plein Jeu
III Petit Plein Jeu
16′ Double Trumpet
8′ Trompette
8′ Trumpet
8′ Hautbois
8′ Vox Humana
4′ Clarion
Tremolo
Swell to Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4′
8′ Tuba (CH)

Great Organ

16′ Violone
8′ Principal
8′ Solo Flute (SO)
8′ Harmonic Flute
8′ Violone
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Nachthorn
2 2/3 Twelfth
2′ Fifteenth
1 3/5 Seventeenth
IV-V Fourniture
8′ Harmonic Trumpet
Tremolo
Great Unison Off
16′ Trombone (PED)
8′ Tromba (PED)
8′ Tuba (CH)
4′ Tromba Clarion (PED)

Solo Organ (Expressive)

8′ Solo Flute
8′ Gamba
8′ Gamba Celeste CC
4′ Solo Flute
8′ French Horn
8′ Clarinet (CH)
8′ English Horn
Tremolo
Harp* (CH)
Celesta* (CH)
Solo to Solo 16′
Solo Unison Off
Solo to Solo 4′
16′ Tuba TC (CH)
16′ Trombone (PED)
8′ Tuba (CH)
8′ Tromba (PED)
4′ Tromba Clarion (PED)

Choir Organ (Expressive)

16′ Double Dulciana (1-12*)
8′ Geigen Diapason
8′ Geigen Celeste*
8′ Bourdon
8′ Dulciana
8′ Celeste (1-12*)
4′ Principal
4′ Koppelflöte
2′ Flautino
1 1/3 Larigot
IV Chorus Mixture
16′ Bass Clarinet (1-12*)
8′ Petite Trompette
8′ Clarinet
Tremolo
Harp*
Celesta*
Cymbelstern
Choir to Choir 16′
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4′
8′ Tromba (PED)
16′ Tuba TC
8′ Tuba ‡

Pedal Organ

32′ Contre Violone*
32′ Contre Bourdon*
16′ Open Wood
16′ Principal
16′ Subbass
16′ Violone (GT)
16′ Lieblich (SW)
16′ Double Dulciana (CH)
8′ Solo Flute (SO)
8′ Octave
8′ Bourdon
8′ Violone (GT)
8′ Chimney Flute (SW)
8′ Dulciana (CH)
4′ Solo Flute (SO)
4′ Choral Bass
2 Solo Flute (SO)
IV Mixture
32′ Ophicleide*
16′ Trombone †
16′ Double Trumpet (SW)
16′ Bass Clarinet (CH)
8′ Tuba (CH)
8′ Tromba
8′ Trumpet (SW)
4′ Tromba (CH)
4′ Clarinet (CH)

Reversibles

Great to Pedal (with toe piston)
Swell to Pedal (with toe piston)
Choir to Pedal (with toe piston)
Solo to Pedal (with toe piston)
Choir to Swell
Solo to Swell
Swell to Great (with toe piston)
Choir to Great (with toe piston)
Solo to Great (with toe piston)
Swell to Choir (with toe piston)
Great to Choir
Solo to Choir
Cymbelstern (with toe piston)
32′ Ophicleide (toe piston)
32′ Contre Violone (toe piston)
32′ Contre Bourdon (toe piston)
Tutti I (with toe piston)
Tutti II (with toe piston)
All Swells to Swell

Couplers

Great to Pedal 8′
Swell to Pedal 8′ 4′
Choir to Pedal 8′ 4′
Solo to Pedal 8′ 4′
Swell to Great 16′ 8′ 4′
Choir to Great 16′ 8′ 4′
Solo to Great 16′ 8′ 4′
Solo to Swell 8′
Choir to Swell 8′
Swell to Choir 16′ 8′ 4′
Solo to Choir 16′ 8′ 4′
Great to Choir 8′

Pistons

16 General (with toe pistons)
7 Swell
7 Great
7 Choir
5 Solo
6 Pedal (with toe pistons)
* digital voices
enclosed in Solo box
The Tuba is under separate expression in the Choir box

The Nichols & Simpson organ for First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Michigan replaces a Casavant organ that was built in 1953. The three-manual Casavant instrument was installed in one chamber on the side of the chancel. The Nichols & Simpson organ has 50 stops and 64 ranks of pipes, of which 12 stops or portions thereof are incorporated into the new organ from the Casavant. The pipes of the main divisions of the organ are on pallet-and-slider windchests. Larger pedal pipes and duplexed stops are on individual valve windchests. The church interior was completely redesigned architecturally by Constantine George Pappas Architects of Troy Michigan and acoustically by Riedel and Associates of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The chancel width was opened up, and most of the organ is across the front of the chancel fronted by new casework designed by Frank Friemel. The Swell division together with some Pedal basses are located in the original organ chamber which was made shallower. The new four-manual console is constructed of American Cherry and features manual keys with coverings of bone and rosewood. The drawknobs are of rosewood with bone faces inset for engraving. The tilting tablets are of bone. The five expression shoes are solid rosewood. The wind pressures for the organ range from 4″ for the Great division to 6″ for the Solo division, with the separately enclosed Tuba stop on a wind pressure of 15″.

Those who contributed to the realization of the organ include:

C. Joseph Nichols
(engineering, installation, tonal finishing)

Wayne E. Simpson III
(design, voicing, tonal finishing)

Jorge A. Osorio
(construction, installation)

Timothy M. Bovard
(construction, installation)

David C. Scribner
(construction, installation)

Christian C. Lentz
(voicing assistant)

Paul D. Morphis
(construction)

Justin Carr
(construction)

Whitney M. Patterson
(construction, installation)

Bryan K. Gray
(computer-aided drawing and design)

R. A. Colby, Inc.
(console)

Frank Friemel
(facade case design)

QLF Custom Pipe Organ Components, LLC
(facade case construction, chest grids)

A. R. Schopp’s Sons
(pipework)