 Last week we welcomed preschool families to join us for Thanksgiving celebrations. It was wonderful to visit with parents and family members and celebrate all we have to be thankful for.
This week we prepare for Christmas and learn that "Advent is a Time to Wait." We look forward to sharing some of the songs we are learning on Preschool Sunday, December 15th! - Caroline Baldwin, director
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 My Morning Out (MMO) is serving the community beautifully this fall. We consistently have five or more children in the program each day.
Every month I visit MMO for music class, and it is always a joy. We recently had a class all about fall leaves! Last week we had a fun visit from our Grymes book buddies. We look forward to having them back next month! Ms. Ellen came to help the children make dog biscuits. They’ll be sold at the Holiday Market this weekend. - Caroline Baldwin, director Orange Presbyterian Weekday School  This was a special week at Orange Presbyterian Weekday School (OPWS). We had a wonderful visit from the Orange Volunteer Fire Company this week!
The children always learn so much and have a wonderful time. We conclude our study of community helpers this week and move on to PUMPKINS! We will begin this unit by visiting Sarah's Pumpkin Patch for our annual field trip on Friday. - Caroline Baldwin, OPWS director 
About the concert
We present a concert showcasing the organ playing a variety of musical styles. Accomplished musicians from across the area to demonstrate how the instrument blends and enhances soloists, ensembles, and choruses. This concert marks an important milestone -- the halfway point of our organ restoration and upgrade. Orange Presbyterian Church (OPC) has long been a vital part of the Orange music community. In 2021 Orange Presbyterian Church (OPC) elected to give the sanctuary organ a major overhaul and renovation. Time had taken its toll on the instrument. Parts of the instrument were unplayable, and beyond repair. The original organ was installed in our old sanctuary (now the Fellowship Hall) in 1915. When the new sanctuary was built in 1973, the organ was dismantled and moved into the choir loft. It was expanded with pieces from other organs to create an impressive instrument of over 1,100 pipes. Phase One of the project replaced the old console with a Viscount 363DK Classic Organ. This electronic organ, with its system of 26 professional-grade speakers and 99 presets is the instrument you'll be hearing this evening.
GIOIOSO! A CELEBRATORY CONCERT
MUSIC FOR ORGAN WITH BRASS, SOLOISTS, AND CHORUS OCTOBER 27, 2024 2:00 PM ORANGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 162 W Main St, Orange, VA 22960 CONCERT PROGRAM Gioioso! for brass sextet and organ Charles J. Torian, Jr. Brass Sextet: John Harding, Dick Stageberg, trumpet; Sara Lindgren, French horn; Scott Colley, Steve Sanford, trombone; Tracey Stakem, tuba; Theresa Torian, organ Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee Ludwig van Beethoven, (setting by Joel Raney) Greg Harris, piano; Theresa Torian, organ Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Orange Community Chorus; Greg Harris, director; Theresa Torian, organ Fanfare Prelude on “Old Hundredth” Louis Bourgeois Theresa Torian, organ Pie Jesu from "Requiem" Charles J. Torian, Jr. Betsy Smith, soprano; Theresa Torian, organ Hymn # 1 Holy, Holy, Holy John B. Dykes Congregation, Instrumentalists, Theresa Torian, organ Meditation, Op. 76, No. 6 Cécile Chaminade (arr. by Charles Callahan) Heather Welch, clarinet, Theresa Torian, organ National Hymn for Brass & Organ George W. Warren Brass Sextet; Theresa Torian, organ Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 Johann Sebastian Bach Alice Layman, organ When the Saints Go Marching In Spiritual (arr. by John Rutter) Heather Welch, clarinet; Steve Sanford, trombone; Theresa Torian, piano Introit and Kyrie from "Requiem" Charles J. Torian, Jr. Orange Community Chorus; Greg Harris, director; Theresa Torian, organ Toccata from Symphony for Organ No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42, No. 1 Charles-Marie Widor Alice Layman, organ   It's never too early to start making items for the OPC Christmas Bazaar! Sunday, Sept. 15 some folks gathered after church for a Bazaar workshop. It was a simple project, but lots of fun. They created bud vases from salt shakers, with buttons for the flowers. Everyone had a great time, and fourteen items are now ready for tsale!   For months a group of talented women have been working hard creating a stunning quilt. The ladies met frequently to cut out fabric, sew squares, and join rows. The pattern, "Painted Ladies" was inspired by the Victorian row houses of San Francisco. What's the quality of this quilt? It won first prize at the Orange County Fair!  We'll be raffling off this beautiful quilt at the OPC Christmas Bazaar Saturday, Nov. 23. Tickets are $5.00 a piece, or 3 for $10.00 Proceeds benefit the Christian Emergency Council, the Orange Habitat for Humanity, and the Orange Presbyterian Weekday School scholarship fund.   This past week, Phase One of our organ project became a reality. (Read more about the organ project here, with detailed explanations of Phase One and Two.) A large truck from Sound/Organ Design arrived in our parking lot. Inside the vehicle was a new console, professional-grade speakers, and supporting electronic gear. The old Viscount organ console was removed, and the new one installed.  From Italy to Orange The new console has had quite a journey! It was constructed in Italy, and then shipped via container freight to New York City. From there it went to a warehouse in Kentucky. And finally the console arrived in Orange, Virgina. Moving in Getting the new console up to organ loft was no mean feat! Part of the challenge was the narrowness of the staircase. This limited the number of people who could help with the moving. And remember -- the old console had to come out the same way.   Refurbishing the loft New wiring had to be run up to the organ loft to support the new electronic instrument. Once the electronics are installed, the Sound/Organ Design team will work on the sound. The goal is to optimize the sound quality for the space. And to ensure that speaker placement is correct to generate the appropriate sound field.  Not done yet! This is only the first part of this extensive project. When the old console was removed, the pipe organ fell silent. There are no keyboard manuals to send air through the pipes. Phase Two involves reconnecting the over 1,100 pipes in the loft with the new console. The mechanisms that regulate air in the pipes will be replaced with modern upgrades. Ancient wiring will be replaced. The pipes will be cleaned and returned. And in the end, the organist will have the full power of the new speakers plus the glorious sound of the refurbished acoustic pipes at their disposal. We need your help Phase One has been paid for in full. But the organ fund balance has only a fraction of what's needed for Phase Two. Please consider contributing today!  These pipes will only sing again when Phase Two is completed.  Lyle Sanford This past Sunday OPC was treated to some high-energy music during worship. Lyle Sanford's Fun Band was in the house! The Fun Band is an important part of musical life here in Orange, Virginia. Its founder and leader is Lyle Sanford, a music therapist. The concept of the group is simple. Whoever shows up, plays. Sanford's created a library of arrangements that can accommodate virtually any combination of instruments. This past Sunday the combination was banjo, autoharp, flute, bass clarinet, fiddle, and trombone. This all-volunteer group frequently provides plays for worship services, as they did this past Sunday. Several of the churches in town are looking forward to their next visit from the Fun Band. For churches, Sanford performs what he calls "the good ol' hymns." Many of these date from the turn of the 20th Century and are common to many denominations. The Fun Band's set list for this past Sunday:
As always, the Fun Band delivered. Thanks to Lyle Sanford and his volunteer musicians for making worship, well, fun! Below is a sampling of the Fun Band from the Sunday Service.   This past Sunday was the last Preschool Sunday of the school year. On the third Sunday of the month, the staff, students and parents of Orange Presbyterian Weekday School (OPWS) joined us in worship. OPWS is a vital church ministry we offer to the community. So making a strong connection between worship and learning is important. This Sunday the children sang, making this a truly special service. You can listen to the OPWS children's choir singing by opening the link below.  Denny Burnette also offered a special message for the children, concluding with an invitation to return any time. It's an invitation that's also open to their parents and families. You can hear Denny's message by opening the link below. It was a very special service. And the fellowship time afterward even more so. Seventy nine people worshipped together that Sunday, and spent time together following the service. As you can see from the photos, it was a unique experience, not to be repeated. At least, until the fall, when the next scholastic year begins. And Preschool Sundays return to OPC.  The OPC Easter tradition continues. Yesterday, during the first hymn of the Easter worship service, people came to the front of the sanctuary. An ugly, wooden cross was their destination.
The cross, covered in chicken wire. represented was a symbol of Jesus' death. The congregants covered the cross with fresh flowers. So many people crowded around the cross that it was blocked from view. But when everyone returned to their seats, the cross was transformed. It was covered in fresh flowers of all different colors and hues. It was now a thing of beauty and life. The perfect symbol for Jesus' resurrection. As this tradition has been at OPC for decades. |
