Most students may walk past the chapel or music department without realizing that Calvin houses seven pipe organs on its campus, each with its own voice, history and unique beauty. From the resonant Dobson organ in the chapel to the portable continuo tucked away in the CFAC, these instruments tell a rich story about worship through music and a legacy of musical excellence at Calvin.

At the front of Calvin’s chapel stands the DeWitt Family Organ, built in 1989 by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa. Calvin organ instructor Rhonda Edgington, a frequent performer across West Michigan, the United States and Europe, discussed with Chimes the history of the DeWitt organ. As a Baroque-inspired instrument, it is suited for both rich organ solo repertoire and congregational hymnody. Edgington explained, “This is always my students’ favorite organ on campus to play … The chapel, with its hard surfaces, is also an acoustic that is generous to the organ.” This organ is used for chapel services, events by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) and is an important aspect of Sunday services at Woodlawn CRC. 

While the DeWitt organ certainly demands attention, the other instruments across campus hold stories of their own. 

The Bernard D. Zondervan Memorial Organ rests in the CFAC main auditorium. Edgington described this organ’s powerful sound that carries well despite the relatively dead acoustic space. The Zondervan organ allows for organ participation in large musical ensemble events like the Fall Music Festival. Built in the mid-60s, for many years this organ was the “only instrument used in chapel services,” according to Norma de Waal Malefyt, an organist, educator and longtime contributor to Calvin’s worship life. As a student in the 60s, Malefyt played a prelude, accompanied hymns and played a postlude for chapel services. 

There are four additional organs held in the CFAC, two smaller Schlicker practice organs and one studio organ upstairs in what Edgington described as the “organ hallway.” These are used for both teaching and individual practice. 

The seminary houses its own quiet beauty, a two-manual Casavant organ from Quebec. During the remodel of the seminary’s chapel, it was renovated and enlarged by organ builder James Lauck, according to Malefyt. 

Finally, hidden in the back rooms of the CFAC, only emerging a couple of times a year, sits a continuo organ. As Edgington noted, it is a small portable organ by German builder Klaus Becker stored in the “piano garage.” It is often used in the context of an orchestra, playing accompanying parts, and it is used most often for the yearly performance of Handel’s Messiah by the Calvin Oratorio Society and Calvin Orchestra. 

For both Edgington and Malefyt, the organ is more than just an instrument; it is also a vocation. Malefyt explained her fascination with the different “colors and timbres” that create the organ’s distinctive sound, describing it as a “one-person orchestra.” Malefyt continued saying, “I like to think of my accompanying of congregational song as supporting and encouraging the largest choir of the church — the congregation — in their worship. … The organ literature written in the past, and yes, today too, continues to bring challenge and joy.”  

This dedication to continuing the organ’s legacy at Calvin has not stopped. Calvin Schouten is a sophomore taking organ lessons and described the impact that playing the organ has had on him. “The organ is so magical … It’s like a locked chest that everyone walks past, thinking it’s just a box. But if you truly learn it, if you truly listen to it — it speaks volumes.” 

Schouten also spoke on the versatility of the instrument, “I love how it can be an intense instrument that can fill a room or be reflective, quiet and somber. It can match any occasion.” 

Calvin University’s organs continue to fill sacred spaces with a beauty that few may notice, but none could replace, continuing to inspire new generations of players. 

Students interested in hearing Calvin’s organs will have several opportunities this semester. On Nov. 12, student Charles Tavera will perform during chapel, and the continuo organ will appear in Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Calvin Oratorio Society and Calvin Orchestra on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m.