Rededication of renovated Sarah Graham Kenan Memorial Organ
The School of Music at UNCSA will rededicate the recently renovated Sarah Graham Kenan Memorial Organ – the C.B. Fisk, Op. 75 – with a free gala recital at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11.
UNCSA Kenan Professor of Organ and Salem College Associate Professor of Organ Timothy Olsen will perform works by J.S. Bach, César Franck, Julius Reubke and Margaret Sandresky in Crawford Hall on the UNCSA campus at 1533 S. Main St.
The rededication is the capstone of the John and Margaret Mueller Memorial Weekend, Oct. 10-11 at UNCSA and Salem College. The weekend celebrates the special collaboration between the two institutions’ organ programs, honoring the legacy of distinguished UNCSA and Salem College Organ Professor Emeritus John Mueller, who served 40 years, and Salem College Professor Emerita Margaret Mueller.
2025 renovation of the Fisk organ / Photo: UNCSA
The recital celebrates the completion of a significant renovation of the Fisk organ, which was originally installed in 1977 under John Mueller’s supervision. The restoration, which took place this past summer, included revoiced pipework, the addition of two new stops, and a “major tune-up,” said Professor Olsen. C.B. Fisk President Michael Kraft and Director of Special Projects & Maintenance Carl Klein oversaw the three-month project (see the time-lapse video).
The project was made possible through the generosity of longtime supporter and dear
friend Thomas S. Kenan and the Kenan Family.
In fact, the organ itself is a tribute to the Kenan Family. As the Fisk company says
on its website: “The Sarah Graham Kenan Memorial Organ, Opus 75, is a fitting testament
to Mrs. Kenan and the seven generations of her family that have worked for the welfare
of North Carolina and its citizens. Thomas S. Kenan III, in consultation with Dr.
James G. Ferguson, and John Mueller, organist at UNCSA, selected Charles Fisk as the
builder.”
“I am grateful and proud to give the gala recital at the official rededication of the Sarah Graham Kenan Memorial pipe organ during the Mueller Memorial Weekend,” Olsen continued. “John and Margaret were institutions in the organ world and together, they made an enduring impact on the education of young artists.
“The meticulous, painstaking work on Opus 75 by the Fisk company has surpassed our expectations,” Olsen added. “Its original personality is still the core of this powerful instrument. But, with the new stops and modest renovations, it is now ready for its next 50 years of inspiring students, performers and audiences alike.”
Located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, C.B. Fisk Inc. was founded in 1961 by Charles Brenton Fisk (1925-1983), who was the first American organ builder to build significant tracker organs during the 20th century, and one of the first modern American organ builders to abandon the electro-pneumatic action of the early 20th century and return to the mechanical (tracker) key and stop action of European and American instruments of an earlier time.
The John and Margaret Mueller Memorial Weekend also offers additional events, including concerts and master classes. Former UNCSA Professor of Organ Jack Mitchener will return and join Olsen and Salem College piano professor Barbara Lister-Sink in recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Shirley Recital Hall at Salem College. Mitchener will also give a master class at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, same location.
Internationally renowned Bach scholar Russell Stinson will give a guest lecture-recital, "Franck's reception of the organ works of J.S. Bach," on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Crawford Hall. For a full schedule of weekend events, which are free and open to the public, see the UNCSA/Salem College organ Instagram page.
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October 07, 2025