Hazel Wright Organ


The Hazel Wright Organ is an American pipe organ located in Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. It is one of the world's largest pipe organs. As of 2019, it has 293 ranks and 17,106 pipes, fully playable from two 5-manual consoles.
Funded by a $2 million gift from Hazel Wright, a viewer of the church's Hour of Power telecast, the organ was constructed by Fratelli Ruffatti based on specifications by Virgil Fox and expanded by Frederick Swann. It incorporates the large Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ originally built in 1962 for New York's Avery Fisher Hall, and the Ruffatti organ which had been installed in the church's previous sanctuary in 1977.
Beginning in 1982, the year of the present organ's dedication, Frederick Swann was organist and music director at the church. During his 16-year tenure, he was widely regarded as the most visible organist in the world as people in more than 165 countries worldwide saw and heard him playing the organ on the weekly Hour of Power televised episodes.
Following the Crystal Cathedral's final Hour of Power in June 2013, the organ was scheduled to be dismantled for a $2 million refurbishing, led by Fratelli Ruffatti, and then to be re-installed for the building's planned re-opening as Christ Cathedral. After three decades of use and exposure to heat, sunlight and water damage, the organ was in need of extensive repair. The organ was removed in February 2014 over the course of a week and shipped to Padua, Italy for restoration. The organ was returned to California in May 2016, and re-installation is underway as of 2019.
The organ was due to be dedicated on May 15, 2020, with a recital by organists Frederick Swann, Paul Jacobs, Hector Olivera, and expected recitals during 2020 include performances by Peter Conte, Chelsea Chen, Olivier Latry, and Stephen Tharp; all events have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stoplist

The organ has the following pipe ranks:

Recordings

Frederick Swann has recorded two compact discs playing the Crystal Cathedral organ:
Peter Baicchi has recorded one CD:
The Crystal Cathedral Choir and organ are heard on the CD We Sing the Power.