While this organ isn’t the original Aeolian-Skinner organ it’s still a very beautiful and fiery organ that fills the cathedral and fully utilizes the building’s natural acoustics. Dobson did build an impressive organ unique to the church. You have to listen to the organ from a musical perspective not a tourist perspective. The ensembles are great,the flutes and strings are beautiful and bright,the bass reeds like and rumbling and the diapason and principals are brilliant and clear. The organ is well voiced and very well rounded.

The Miller-Scott Organ (built by Dobson) is quite a beast (the big 32' pedal reed is awesome . . . as is the Tuba Mirabilis and the Trompette en Chamade!). The softer stops are equally fabulous examples, as are all the main choruses and mutations, and for an American instrument, it is remarkably 'English Cathedral' in tonal design. (You are probably not familiar with John Scott, who came to NY from St Pau's Cathedral in London. When I was your age, Charles, I turned pages for John Scott at a school organ recital as we both lived in the same town in Yorkshire and John was two years older than me and had just finished at Wakefield Cathedral before heading off for Oxford, and an all too short but illustrious career as an organist and choir trainer. He was an incredible player and I shall not forget watching him, at 18, play some of the most demanding organ music ever written). The Loening-Hancock gallery organ is a wonderful contrast to the main organ, speaking directly into the nave. How wonderful that you can have a Dobson at one end and a Taylor & Boody at the other (from your home state, I think, Charles - Virginia?). The Kellner temperament of this tracker organ would make for an interesting duet with both organs being played simultaneously, especially if a piece was in F Sharp Minor! I am envious that you got to play these world-famous organs in New York! What an experience for you: bravo! You are a lucky dude!

If you ever go visit Minnesota, make sure to see Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie. It has the largest tracker in the US with 5 manuals, 8 divisions, 74 stops, and 6,294 pipes. It's quite grand, lots of strings, and 3 full length 32' stops!

There is a recording of Pierre Cochereau improvising a fantastic 4 movement symphony with the previous Aeolian-Skinner organ in 1970 while the then-organist of St. Thomas William Self repeates the theme of the improvisation with the old gallery organ between the movements. Highly recommending to check it out if you haven't heard it, can be found on KZfaq: "Pierre Cochereau Improvises in St Thomas NYC"

Glorious Widor!!!

Saint Francis Xavier church ⛪ in west 16th street in Chelsea, Manhattan also has 2 pipe Organs.A whole new one, and the new old one.

I got to visit St. Thomas when I was there over a year ago! I love those instruments.

Aww, it's Maks! He was the organist when I sang in a choir at St. Thomas on the Sunday after Easter. He was amazing, as is the organ!

Amazing I love the organ at St John the Devine and the organ at St Thomas on 5th is absolutely incredible!!! You're such a talented young man and so blessed and lucky to have the opportunity to play some of the best instruments in America. Keep up the fantastic work, you'll be as big as Virgil Fox!

Bravo, Charles! Two quite distinct but wonderfully brilliant instruments. You seemed very much "at home".

I love playing in stocking feet too!

I'm glad they let you play it! The people there are often NOT welcoming at all; they're quite full of themselves.

Gilbert Adams.

Very impressive pedal division - I didnt quite get it how many voices there are for the pedal division itself? Also its such a huge sound that I actually haven't heard a deeper one on the internet. It would be heaven having this organ sampled for hauptwerk and it would require some hardcore bass speaker.

The positive Gedeckt is lovely. The complete ensemble doesn't persuade me, unfortunately. A Father Willis it certainly isn't but in not sure what it is trying to be!

The Dobson will never come close to the A. Skinner. A great tragedy that it was ripped out.