ORGAN PROJECT
Click this text for a picture of our former organ in the Capella
Click this text for a picture of the future organ in the former Dutch Church
Click this text for the folder (A3)
Click this text for the order list
Reinstatement church organ in the former Dutch Reformed Church in St. Petersburg.
The church is located at the Nevsky Prospekt 20, in the bustling city centre and at 5 minutes walking distance of the famous Hermitage. This neoclassical church from 1834 is built as a God's House to the many Dutch, who lived and worked in the, at that time, Russian capital.
As a result of the Russian Revolution (1917), not only the church, but also her wonderful Walcker organ are confiscated. The former organ (see annex) is transferred to the Capella in 1927, to the famous Music Hall on the border of the Moika, and later adapted to the new environment. Transfer to the church is in no way possible any more.
Because the organ at church services is missed very much, herewith the soul of the service is lost. Reasons enough for the Foundation Friends of St. Petersburg to acquire an existing Dutch organ, to restore this and adapt the organ to the available space in the church (see annex). The Foundation, which has its office in this church, gives special attention in the recovery and management of this important piece of cultural heritage. There are occasional services held to date.
There is a lot of money necessary to reinstate the beautiful, former organ of the Dutch village Veen (with its construction year 1784) in St. Petersburg. Since the interior of this original organ (the pipes) has been reused somewhere else, an appropriate interior is found in the organ of the municipal cemetery in The Hague. The renowned Dutch organ builders “Pels en Van Leeuwen” has promised full cooperation. The Foundation cannot finance the necessary amount, that’s why your help is requested. The first donation of € 70,000, coming from the partner city Rotterdam, is already promised. So, it should be possible to realize the project. Unfortunately there is no church municipality in St. Petersburg, so we must rely on third parties. A contribution may be achieved in multiple ways, such as:
-
through a gift on ABN-AMRO account 60.77.39.649, to the attention of Foundation "Friends of St. Petersburg" in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (IBAN: NL30ABNA0607739649 — BIC: ABNANL2A)
-
you, your company or your family can become godfather of one or more organ pipes or even of (larger) parts of the organ. You can choose e.g. to have your name engraved. For all possibilities: see the annex
-
become a donor of the Foundation (from € 42 per year). To do this, you can send an email to the Secretary (janlokker@hotmail.com). A simple form is sent to you. Please, print this form, sign it and mail the scanned paper as attachment back to the Secretary. You can also send the form by post.
The Foundation has the ANBI status, making gifts for the Dutch tax deductible.
Leading persons from the International organ-world support this project. They have taken seats in the Committee of Recommendation.
All further information and details you can find in the attached leaflet (Dutch and English) and in the order list. Insofar as necessary both leaflets are also available on A4. The objective is to inaugurate the organ in the end of 2013, during the Year of Russia – Netherlands Friendship with a new composition. Each donation is welcome!
Jan Lokker
Secretary Foundation Friends of Sint Petersburg
Project Manager organ
Otto Roelofsen
Chairman Committee of Recommendation