Russia
The historic Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God in Vladivostok, Russia has installed a three manual Rodgers Trillium digital church organ. It was played for the first time by organist Marina Omelchenko on December 3, 2003. The Rodgers Trillium 927 was "christened" the "Stella Maris" organ in honor of Stella Maris Catholic Church, which helped with the purchase the organ for the Russian Church.
When the new organ first sounded during its December installation, workers from the parish offices rushed to the sanctuary with looks of awe on their faces. "It was wonderful to hear and wonderful to see the effect that the organ had on all who heard it," said Father Dan Maurer. The Cathedral's building superintendent suggested that if they put some pipes on the wall in front of the speakers, no one in Vladivostok would be able to tell it is not a pipe organ. The new organ was an immediate success!
The story actually began in 1996, when the Church of the Epiphany of Coon Rapid, Minnesota, donated a used Rodgers organ to the Russian Mary Mother of God Mission Society which was restoring the Cathedral. At the time the organ first played in Valdivostok, it was the only Russian church organ within nearly 3,000 miles. The original donated organ and the Rodgers "Stella Maris" organ are still the only church organs in the state of Primorye in Vladivostok, a city of 800,000.
A series of concerts on the "Epiphany" organ began in 1998 to help defray the costs of rebuilding the Cathedral. The popular concerts grew to 16 per year, all sold out in advance. The Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God Organ Concerts became the most successful continuing concert series in Vladivostok history.
In a letter to friends and benefactors of the music program, Father Dan wrote, "I cannot say thank you enough to all who made this possible. It is a miracle of God's grace that our poor parish has acquired this grand instrument with which to worship and praise the Lord and to try to attract non-believers to the truth of His love with sacred music."
