Crystal Cathedral organ, Pipe organ in Christ Cathedral, Garden Grove, United States
The Hazel Wright Organ is a major pipe organ installation in Christ Cathedral with 293 ranks and 17,106 pipes arranged throughout the building. Two separate consoles with five keyboards each allow organists to control all sections of the instrument from different positions.
This instrument was created in 1982 by combining a 1962 Aeolian-Skinner organ from New York's Avery Fisher Hall with a 1977 Ruffatti organ. The Fratelli Ruffatti company assembled these two separate instruments into one unified installation.
The organ is nicknamed "Hazel" by fans, after Hazel Wright, a Chicago viewer of the Hour of Power who gave $2 million toward its construction. From 1982 to 1998 Frederick Swann played it on the weekly Hour of Power broadcasts, seen in more than 165 countries. A rededication concert with Hector Olivera followed on September 30, 2022.
Visitors can experience a modern restoration of this historical instrument, which underwent complete rebuilding from 2014 to 2022 in Italy. The renovation incorporated updated technical components while improving protection from climate and humidity changes within the cathedral.
The organ's four sections sit at the points of the diamond-shaped room: the Chancel Organ behind the altar to the north, the Gallery Organ to the south, and the Epistle and Gospel & Echo Organs at the west and east points. The Gospel & Echo Organ runs at a wind pressure of 406 mm.
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