NEW ULM — The Church of St. Mary’s refurbished organ will be celebrated with a dedication concert this Sunday.

The concert starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. at St. Mary’s Catholic church on South Minnesota Street. The instrument will be played by Holy Trinity Cathedral Director of Sacred Music, Nathan Knutson.

Knutson said the St. Mary’s organ is the newest instrument in town. This organ is smaller than the new organ at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, but it has a rich history.

It was originally installed at the Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1953. A new organ replaced it and this organ was placed in storage in Baltimore, Maryland. Now the organ has been rebuilt and installed at St. Mary’s Church in New Ulm.

The original chests and console were retained and completely overhauled. It has also been updated with state of the art electronic equipment.

Knutson said this organ has an American style. It was designed by the Holtkamp Organ Company of Cleveland, Ohio. To highlight its American background, Knutson hs selected multiple organ pieces from American composers.

The program will begin with “Prelude in Classic Style,” by Kansas native Gordon Young. The performance will also include works created by Benedictine monk, Christopher Uehlein from South Dakota. Knutson will play three works of Uehlein’s including “Interlude,” “Cantabile” and “Postlude on an Original Theme.”

The concert will also feature organ classics from Johann Sebastian Bach and César Franck. Knutson said the “Prélude, Fuge et Variation” by Franck will close out the performance. It is the most difficult and longest of the pieces selected.

Knutson said was a challenge to find a good crowd pleaser to end the performance, but he believes this piece from Frank will do the trick.

The public is encouraged to attend the dedication concert and experience the rich sound produced by the Holtkamp Organ and honor the work done to bring music to St. Mary’s Church.