Our brand new Makin Digital Organ has been installed in our church! It was played for the first time to accompany our Sunday service on February 15, 2026.
To experience its clear, beautiful solo sounds and magnificent crescendos, join us for our Sunday Eucharist service at 10:30 am every Sunday.
Why did St. Paul’s choose a Makin Digital Organ? (Or everything you ever wanted to know about the Thirlmere II-36 Digital Organ but were afraid to ask)!
Our Thirlmere II-36 Digital Organ is Makin's flagship first installation in Canada. It is a two-manual (2 keyboard) instrument with 36 “stops” or individual voices. Our former Casavant organ (fondly known as “Cassie”) had four basic voices or “ranks” extended to look like 25 but could never sound like 25!
Organ technology has improved immensely since 1942 when Cassie was built and player amenities which back then were available only on very large and very costly instruments are now available on even some entry-level models.
Our new organ, (fondly called “Thirlie”) has 32 combinations pistons and 100 levels of memory, a transposer, MIDI — IN and OUT, keystrokes record and playback..... all only recently available in modest instruments like the Thirlmere II-36D.
The “D” indicates DRAWKNOBS, the traditional method of adding and subtracting stops. Tilting or lighted-tabs are more common because they are a lot cheaper but they don't offer the same secure “feel” nor speed of selection for the organist as do draw knobs. Additionally, since every Thirlmere is a Custom Built instrument, our Thirlmere has been designed to accommodate the specific needs of St. Paul’s choir with a “Choir Organ” included on the lower manual (on many organs this is a separate third manual) providing colourful accompaniment capability for anthems and liturgical music in addition to being a “perfect hymn machine” as one famous organist has commented.
An adjustable bench provides for better pedal playing, and LED lighting will keep music sharply focussed for readability. The high-compliance speaker system will perfectly reproduce the sampled sounds of some of Britain's finest parish church pipe organs, filling St. Paul’s with clear, beautiful solo sounds and magnificent crescendos. Just think of the many new opportunities this opens up for St. Paul’s music program and weekly worship services.