BUMC Organist Jeffrey Neufeld

Jeffrey R. Neufeld, organist, holds a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University where he was a student of Douglas Cleveland and Richard Webster. Jeffrey received his Bachelor of Music degree from Wheaton Conservatory of Music where he studied organ with Dr. Ed Zimmerman, piano with Dr. William Phemister, and choral conducting with Dr. Paul Wiens. Jeffrey has been involved in church music since he was ten years old, and has held a number of positions in his native Minnesota and in Chicago area churches. Most recently, he served as organist and interim choir director at Our Redeemer's United Methodist Church in Schaumburg, Illinois. He has also appeared as a guest organist with the West Suburban Choral Union and given recitals in a number of locations across the United States.

Jeffrey is also an active member of a number of music organizations including the American Guild of Organists, the Royal College of Organists and the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. In addition to his musical endeavors, Jeffrey is also a Second Vice President in the Global Investments unit of The Northern Trust Company in Chicago.

Wicks Pipe Organ, Opus 6412

The following article originally appeared in the April 2004 issue of The Diapason magazine.

© Copyright The Diapason 2004, reprinted with permission.

The Wicks Organ Company, Highland, Illinois has built a new organ for the Barrington United Methodist Church, Barrington, Illinois. In 1999 the church building was destroyed by fire. Their losses included a 41-rank Möller pipe organ, which had been rebuilt as recently as 1988. As planning for their new building began, the search for a new pipe organ started. The church's demands for their new organ were that it had to be a great congregational organ, but also able to perform for recitals as well. The sanctuary was to be a top-notch performance facility as well as a place of worship. The church desired an organ of 3 manuals and 5 divisions, including an antiphonal. Each division was to have a principal chorus, and the foundations of the Great organ were to be exposed.

The church committee heard many styles of instruments built by Wicks over the last seven decades. This included, a North German neo-Baroque style instrument, a symphonic organ scaled and designed by Henry V. Willis, an American Classic, and an Aeolian instrument from the 1920s that had been rebuilt by the Wicks Organ Company in conjunction with Mr. Madison Lindsey. The service playing abilities of each instrument were demonstrated to the committee, and they identified and found themselves drawn to the English/symphonic style of the rebuilt Aeolian instrument. The organ committee chose Wicks over several other builders after hearing several new Wicks installations and the company's recent success in exactly this style of instrument.

The completed organ is described as an English service organ with orchestral capabilities. The instrument is able to not only provide a seamless crescendo from ppp to fff, but can do it with flair. In addition to service music, the organ is able to perform every possible type of organ literature from the Renaissance to the present. It is also able to realize orchestral transcriptions with great skill, thanks to the presence of many orchestral solo stops in each division, blending choruses, and 2-inch thick beveled and overlapping felted shades. The completed organ consists of 24 ranks of pipes and 25 digital voices. The Wicks design team pre-engineered space to accommodate real pipe ranks to replace these voices. The Swell is on 7 inches of wind, the Pedal 10 inches; the Choir and Great are on 6 inches, with the exception of the Clarinet, English Horn, and Tuba in the choir, which are all on 10 inches.

The solo reeds of this organ are of a unique style, derived from the Willis/Wicks style reeds used in many Wicks organs over the decades, married to the traditional ideas of Skinner solo reeds. The end results were clear, smooth, stops of unique color and great versatility throughout the compass. The greatest asset to the organ is the lively acoustical environment of the sanctuary. The collaboration of the building committee, acousticians Kirkegaard & Associates of Chicago, and the Wicks Organ Company have resulted in a beautiful, successful combination of organ and room.

The console is drawknob style with 45-degree side jambs, a glass music rack, and P&S keys with ivory resin naturals and ebony sharps. The drawknobs are made of polished hardwood. Made of red oak, the interior is very light and the exterior is stained to match the woodwork of the chancel furnishings. The console features a tilt tab that allows the digital Tuba and Festival Trumpet to emanate from the antiphonal division located in the rear of the church instead of their native divisions. The console also has a Manual I/II transfer for French literature.

Installation of Opus 6412 began in August of 2003, and an initial tonal finishing and adjustment of digital voices took place in early September. After the church's dedication, Wicks tonal director Dr. William Hamner and reed voicer Greg Caldwell completed an entire tonal finishing.

--Brent Johnson

ORGAN BENEFACTORS

In Memory of Mr. and Mrs. Corliss D. Anderson, Sr.

Barrington United Methodist Church Memorial Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Howard O. Wagner

In Memory of Mrs. Catherine Dunlop Anderson

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. Bruning
Mr. James A. Dunlop
Ms. Gladys D. Johnson
League of Women Voters of the Barrington Area
Mr. and Mrs. David C. McClintock
Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Mowry
Mrs. Frederica S. Pederson
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Peyla
Mr. and Mrs. John Rockwood
Dr. and Mrs. Billy B. Sharp
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Schwemm
Dr. and Mrs. Curtis C. Verschoor

In Memory of Mr. Leslie Behrend

Ms. Jean M.Chirillo
Stephenson Family Foundation

In Memory of Mr. Robert A. Colburn

Mrs. Frances D. Colburn

In Memory of Mrs. Emma Caroline DePue

Mr. John N. DePue

In Memory of Mrs. Jayne Henriksen

Mr. Arne Henriksen, Sr.

In Memory of Mrs. Laura M. Keck

Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Mowry

In Memory of Mr. Phil Mark

David A. Lincoln and Nancy Purcell

In Memory of Mrs. Josephine Rehl

Mr. and Mrs. William W. Jenks

In Memory of Mr. George Robertson

Mr. and Mrs. Ratin Das
Mr. and Mrs. George Deak
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Fox
Ms. Lorraine Gorski
Mr. and Mrs. Norbert Graunke
Mr. and Mrs. Dale Hoyd
Mrs. Winifred Hoyd
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Jonsson
Ms. Rosemarie Karner
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf Koch
Mrs. Helen Rocco

In Memory of Mrs. Bernie Schafer

Mr. Douglas Schafer
Stephenson Family Foundation

In Memory of Miss Gladys Sellstrom

Mrs. Elaine Anderson
Mrs. Yvonne Bachman
Mrs. Evelyn Johnson

In Memory of Dr. Charles Shaner

Mrs. Janis D. Shaner

In Memory of Mrs. Mabel Sherman

Barrington United Methodist Church Memorial Fund

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C.Hudson, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Hudson, III

In Honor of Mrs. Sibyl K. Sharp

Billy Sharp, Darrin Sharp, Chryssa Sharp, Kendra Sharp and David Hill

In Honor of Mr. Howard O. Wagner

Mrs. Shirley Wagner

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Earl F. Young

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Hudson, III

To the Glory of God

Mrs. Frances Janette Adams

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Albrecht

Mr. and Mrs. William T. Ames

Ms. Laura C. Anderson

Mr. Neil B. Arnberger

Mr. William A. Badgett

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Badskey

Barrington United Methodist Church Women

Mrs. Helen B. Beckwith

Mrs. Carol M. Beese

Ms. Gwen Bennett and Mr. Thomas F. Rogers

Mr. and Mrs. S. Les Bennett

Ms. Frances Bottom

Neal and Sandra Ficke Bradford

Mr. and Mrs. Terry L. Bradley

Mr. and Mrs. J. William Braithwaite

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. Bruning

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burdette

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bush

Mrs. Barbara B. Calhoun

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas K. Calhoun

Mr. and Mrs. Lyle H. Carter

Mr. and Mrs. Clark Chaffee

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Clemens

Mrs. Terry L. Costello

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Cripe

Drs. Carl Cucco and Marilyn Mitchell

Mrs. Ruth Daugherty

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Davis

Mrs. Kathryn DeMent

Mrs. Kathleen DeRango

Ms. Arlene C. DiVenuta

Mr. and Mrs. Les Eastwood

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. FitzHarris

Miss Taylor Fox and Miss Lauren Hitzhusen

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Fox

Mr. and Mrs. Melvin L. Franklin

Dr. Kiran Frey

Mr. and Mrs. Allen J. Ghimenti

Mr. and Mrs. George K. Gill

Mr. and Mrs. Hank Grana

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Gray

Mr. and Mrs. Del R. Haagen

Mr.and Mrs. Doyle D. Hayt

Mr. Mark Heaton

Mrs. Florence T. Houston

Mrs. Martha S. Istvan

Mr. and Mrs. C. Roy Jackson

Mr. and Mrs. Alex Jansen

Ms. Helen W. Jantz

Ms. Bonnie Sue Keck

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory R. Keegan

Mr. and Mrs. James R. Kinney

Mr. and Mrs. John A. Koten

Mr. and Mrs. David Lamb

Mr. and Mrs. Steven E. Larson

Mr. and Mrs. Randall P. Lawrence

Mrs. Earlee S. Leaf

Jennifer and Roger Lucas

Mrs. Claudia W. Mandabach

Mr. and Mrs. Bradford B. Marion

Mr. and Mrs. John Maxson

Ms. Barbara D. Merwin

Ms. Sandra G. Michener

Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson Mountsier

Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Nearing

Mrs. Betty J. Nordli

Dr. and Mrs. Jack D. Noyes

Mrs. Edward J. O'Brien

Dr. and Mrs. Paul D. Ochenrider

Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Ochenrider

Ms. Laura Olsen

Mrs. Linda M. Osikowicz

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher L. Paris

Mrs. Frederica S. Pederson

Drs. William and Julie Perry

Mr. Bruce G. Posey

Ms. Margaret Price

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin C. Richardson

Ms. Beth J. Robertson

Mrs. Dorothy A. Robertson

Mr. and Mrs. William S. Robertson

Mr. and Mrs. David G. Roeder

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis D. Rossow

Mrs. Faith M. Rotan

Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Schairer

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond P. Schmitz, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Byron A. Schneider

Dr. and Mrs. Billy B. Sharp

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Spreyer

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas G. Steltz

Mr. and Mrs. Norval Stephens

Mrs. Joan M. Story

Mr. and Mrs. James E. Streed

Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Svoboda

Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Thomas

Mr. and Mrs. John P. Toren

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Trotter

Dr. and Mrs. Curtis C. Verschoor

Mr. and Mrs. Mannis R. Wesley

Mr. and Mrs. John P. Williams

Mr. and Mrs. James D. Wilson

Rev. and Mrs. James M. Wilson

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Wulff