I have been spending a few days with my family in California and you’ll never guess who else is here?

It’s Joan Ishibashi, my “London agent” (!) who is here in California visiting her family. Joan has finalized all the arrangements regarding our Cleveland trip, and just today sent me the information on the Berghaus organ I will be playing at Trinity United Church of Christ church in Akron, OH. (I previously thought it was a Lutheran church, but it turns out to be UCC. BUT… it’s still named Trinity AND it also has a Berghaus organ!)

This will be the first Berghaus organ I’ve encountered and found this information about Leonard Berghaus:

Founder Leonard G. Berghaus’s interest in pipe organ building was largely spurred by the installation of a new Beckerath pipe organ back in 1956 at Trinity Lutheran Church, in Cleveland, Ohio.  With the church located close to his home, the teen-aged Berghaus made frequent visits to the church to observe the progress of the installation.

Interesting that Mr. Berghaus was inspired by a Beckerath organ—the one that I’ll be playing next Wednesday!

Trinity UCC, where I will be playing next Wednesday afternoon, is a fairly large installation, 54 ranks, 3 manuals, including a Gallery division.

Turns out I found these pictures on the Trinity UCC Facebook page:

While I’ve been in California, my family took the opportunity to set up a Reunion dinner at a Chinese restaurant where we had SIXTEEN (16!) courses and we all sat at a huge round table.