Dear BLC Family,

I’m writing with sadness to let you know that A. David Moore, the builder of our beautiful organ in the sanctuary, passed away recently. He leaves behind a legacy of fine artistry and craftmanship of organ building that is uniquely his own and on par with prominent organ builders in this country and beyond. I would also like to share with you a news article published by The Vermont Standard about David’s life and work.

Here is the link to the news article.

A traditional tracker pipe organ like ours is a very complicated instrument to make and there are not many in the country. Most of you probably already know how world-class violinists prize instruments made by Stradivarius because of the rich, sweet tone quality that can be produced by them. Our organ is one of those examples of a musical instrument made by outstanding hands and ears. The congregation of BLC has been blessed to hear the great sound and music transmitted through one of David’s music instruments in worship from week to week. I feel very fortunate to be one of the organists who get to play on this precious instrument.

I met David in March 2022 and worked alongside with him one evening to tune our organ. During our conversation I witnessed first-hand his passion for the craft of organ building and his dedication to excellence. Although the long distance of travel, his health, and other organ projects prevented him from coming to service our organ again, David mentioned that Parsons Pipe Organ Builders, the local company in Rochester, had done a good job maintaining our organ over the years. Pipe organs need regular maintenance, but the payback is great—they can last for centuries. The most urgent project for our organ upkeep as of today is to clean the dusty pipes, which is a big expenditure. I am grateful for BLC’s commitment to keeping this beautiful instrument functioning well and leading our worship singing for generations to come.

Finally, I would like to invite you all to an organ concert in November, a dedicatory concert in memory of David, featuring students from Eastman School of Music and myself. I hope you will come!

Sincerely,

Raelynn Clare director of music and organist