Nestled in the historic lower Hudson Valley village of Sleepy Hollow is a seventeenth-
So what’s the big secret? Well, for its entire 313 year history up to 1998, the Old Dutch Church had never contained a pipe organ.
Eleven years ago, a world-class tracker pipe organ was built and installed in the Church’s balcony. Spearheaded by previous pastor Gerald Vander Hart and his wife Barbara in the 1990’s and made possible through donations from parishioners and others, the organ was constructed in stages.
Known as the Noack Tracker Organ, it was dedicated in October 1998, and a recital was given at that time by a prominent organist. Since then, it has been used almost exclusively amid the church’s ringing acoustics for summer worship, Christmas Eve services, and the occasional wedding.
The current music directors of the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns, Mi-Won Kim and Jeremy Goldsmith, have admired the instrument since they were hired by the congregation in 2007. They have organized the first in what they hope will be an ongoing series of recitals on the organ.
Dr. Riyehee Hong, organist, lecturer, and Director of Music and the Arts at the Philadelphia Cathedral, will give an initial recital consisting of varied traditional and contemporary organ music, bookended by works of J.S. Bach, on Saturday, November 7 at 3 P.M. Admission is free. There will be a free will offering. Visitors should be aware the heating in the building is supplied by a wood stove and to dress warmly if the day is cool. No advance reservations are needed.
In 1998, master organ builder Fritz Noack said, “This organ is not a copy of any other organ. It is a modern organ, but in overall concept, case design and stop list it makes us think of some 17th Century village church somewhere in Holland. In this instrument many people’s dreams, traditions, and efforts unite to give this gem of a church its own voice.”
The pipe shades, of native American wood, were carved in a style that could have been utilized in the Colonies in 1685. Carvings symbolize images of local history, among which are wheat sheaves representing the Dutch town of “Tarwedurp,”
Dr. Hong, who will perform the recital, oversees all music and art programs as well as all the liturgies at the Cathedral and Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hong is in demand as a lecturer, recitalist, accompanist and choral director, and has performed numerous concerts in the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and France. She holds a DMA from the Moores School of Music, the University of Houston where she was a lecturer in Music History and Music Theory, and a Master of Music from Boston University where she was the Associate University Organist at Marsh Chapel where the services were broadcast on WGBH radio. She also earned a Master of Divinity from Hanshin University focused on Liturgy and Music, and a Bachelor of Theology from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea.
“This is an instrument that deserves to be played, and all people who admire great organ music deserve to hear it. The historic nature of the building and the grand sound of this instrument should amount to a memorable event. Dr. Hong is just the artist to pull it off…she’s a marvelous organist,” said Jeremy Goldsmith, co-director of music at the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns/Old Dutch Church. Goldsmith and organist Mi-Won Kim, the other co-director of music, were introduced to Dr. Hong by Anthony Meloni of Meloni & Farrier Organbuilders of Portchester, NY. Mr. Meloni serves as organ curator for the congregation.
The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow is at 430 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. Parking is available in a free lot south of the church, which shares an entrance to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. For more information, please call the Church Office at (914) 631-4497.
