Dealer Spotlight: Classic Organs of Indiana

This issue of “65 Stories Celebrating 65 Years” is a Rodgers’ Dealer Spotlight featuring Classic Organs of Indiana, which serves most of Indiana and parts of Ohio and Kentucky. Inspiring People to Worship has been the guiding theme for Classic Organs to become one of the world's largest providers of church organs. Founder and owner Tom Magee has represented Rodgers Organs for forty years, since 1983.

Classic Organs of Indiana has sold and installed hundreds of digital organs and more than 40 hybrid (pipe/digital combination) organs. Each instrument is unique to the needs of each congregation. Classic Organs of Indiana represents all of the Global Organ Group organs in the Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Dayton, Lexington, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, and Evansville communities.

Tom Magee brings to his profession a history of personal involvement in church music.  He has experience as a keyboardist (organ, piano, and synthesizer), timpanist, choral director, and worship planner. Tom’s first involvement with church organ sales was from the service perspective as he oversaw service and installations for Wilking Music in Indianapolis. During that time, he had his first introduction to Rodgers Instruments when he heard a pipe combination instrument demonstrated. That experience led him to first represent Rodgers in 1983.

Representing Rodgers, a builder with great respect for real pipe instruments, has led to many unique learning opportunities. Tom has worked with many pipe voicers and builders including Arthur Schlueter II of A.E. Schlueter Pipe Organs, Mark Austin (former Curator of Organs, Eastman School of Music), Francesco Ruffatti of Fratelli Ruffatti, Mr. Peter Batchelder (Curator of Organs, Alice Tully Music Hall, NYC), Ken List (former Tonal Director of Schlicker), Mr. Phares Steiner of Steiner-Reck Organs, T. Ernest Nichols (concert organist and author of Virgil Fox – The Innermost Secrets), Ted Alan Worth (Concert Organist and North American Representative for Fratelli Ruffatti) and many others. He has completed more than 40 pipe combination installations as well as hundreds of Rodgers digital installations.  

Tom Magee hosts an annual Carol Sing featuring his residence Rodgers Imagine 351

Tom Magee has prepared Rodgers home organs for Dr. Charles Webb, the retired Dean of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and for concert artist Diane Bish. Classic Organs’ academic clients include the Indiana University School of Music, Anderson University, Taylor University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. Recent clients include Holy Trinity Church in Louisville, Zion Lutheran in Fort Wayne, Saint Ann Church and Shrine in Lafayette, the historic Gothic Chapel at Crown Hill Cemetery, Holy Family Catholic Church in Jasper, and Saint Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Carmel. The Indianapolis Children’s Choir, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Terre Haute Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra have all engaged Mr. Magee to provide organs for their concerts.

Mr. Magee has been a lecturer at two Regional Conventions of the American Guild of Organists and has been a featured speaker to church music students at several regional universities. In 2012, he coordinated a session on organ service and maintenance at the National Convention of Catholic Facility Managers.  Tom is often asked by Rodgers Instruments to assist their staff in designing new instruments and features and for 10 years was a member of their President’s Panel.  

Tom Magee leads a session at a North American Global Organ Group Dealer Meeting

Tom Magee has been a church organist and has served on the Board of Directors of The Harrison Center for the Arts.

Rodgers Instruments has published music by Tom Magee as free downloads from the Rodgers website: Glory to God on High and Remember Thee.

This music has also been featured in two videos viewed from the website of Classic Organs of Indiana and on Rodgers’ YouTube channel.

We invite you to visit the Classic Organs of Indiana website: https://www.classicorgans.net