Our Organ Builder

Our organ builder is Confederated Organ Craftsmen of America (COCA), maker of Robert William Wallace Pipe Organs.  The company is composed of three firms representing over 50 years of organ building experience. The members of COCA are proud to be the builders of what has proved to be a thrilling musical instrument - an organ designed to give generations of service and musical excellence to the worship of Saint Mary Church.

Katherine Holland, Mary-William Baines, and K. Patricia Stanley, of KMK Pipe Organ Services of Suffolk, Virginia, are a team of artisans who have been providing high-quality service and maintenance to pipe organs in the Virginia Tidewater area, as well as across the mid-Atlantic region, Florida and the Caribbean for close to 30 years. Their role within the group is as project contractor/administrator and production/installation managers, making certain that all of the necessary parts and equipment for their instruments are ordered, manufactured, delivered, installed, and finished in a timely manner. Additionally, KMK designed the physical layout of our organ.

Charles Gibson, of C. W. Gibson, Inc, Pipe Organ Specialties of Monroe, New Jersey, and his team are responsible for developing layout details with KMK as well as the installation of our instruments. Chuck has vast experience in working with all kinds of organ actions. Having cared for the famous Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia for many years, he is well acquainted with symphonic/orchestral-style instruments such as we have built at Saint Mary, and their requisite higher wind pressures, actions, and voicing. He is particularly well-versed in E. M. Skinner actions, their maintenance and restoration.

Mark Scholtz, of Scholtz Pipe Organ Tonal Solutions, Inc. is based in Alton, Illinois. Mark handles the tonal design, scaling, voicing, and tonal finishing of COCA instruments in collaboration with Dr. William Hamner. Mark was also the manager of the development and building of our organ’s console. Mark and our consultant William Hamner have collaborated on a number of exceptional pipe organs in recent years.

Our organ consultant is Dr. William Hamner, of Hamner Pipe Organs of Williamsburg, Virginia, formerly Tonal Director at Wicks Organ Co. in Highland Park, Illinois.  Dr. Hamner has guided us in designing the specification of the organ, from decisions about the overall tonal concept to the most minute details of pipe construction.  Bill has also helped us navigate through the complexities of this project in which the design of the organ and the substantial renovation of the church must complement and work with each other. Bill is a gifted organ voicer and tonal finisher and collaborated with Mark Scholtz in the tonal finishing of our organ.