Last April the LDS Church celebrated the opening of its new Conference Center.
Six months later, conference- goers and watchers will experience another first-- the debut of the Center's
new pipe organ.
Religion Specialist Carole Mikita got a behind- the- scenes look at the Church's new set of pipes.
As the sounds swell through the magnificent hall, John Longhurst prepares himself for the big unveiling. The new Conference Center pipe organ is nearing completion and he played a role in its design. Those tones you hear, he calls heroic.
John Longhurst, Tabernacle organist: "THE SOUND OF THIS ORGAN, I WOULD DESCRIBE AS SOMEWHAT FULLER, BROADER, PERHAPS A LITTLE MORE ROMANTIC THAN THE TABERNACLE ORGAN."
When finished this organ will have 7,667 pipes.
Even though the facade with these beautiful gold pipes looks finished, there are 4,000 of them. Behind these there is room for another 3,000 to 4,000 pipes."
Hundreds of those pipes have actually arrived at the Center, some of them huge and square.
In the meantime, the show must go on.
"THERE HAS NOT BEEN A DAY GO BY SINCE PRESIDENT HINCKELY ANNOUNCED THIS BUILDING... THAT THIS ORGAN IN SOME STAGE OF PLANNING, CONCEPT, EXECUTION HAS NOT BEEN FOREMOST IN OUR MINDS."
It has taken some 100 artisans four years of design and building, and this weekend the organ has its first audience.
It may take still another six months before all of more than 7,500 pipes are installed.
