Dealer Spotlight: R.A. Daffer Church Organs

Our Dealer Spotlight for this story is the team of R.A. Daffer Church Organs, Inc., which represents Rodgers and the Global Organ Group in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Robert A. Daffer founded R.A. Daffer Church Organs, Inc., in July 1977. Bob had been the manager of the church organ department at a local full-line dealer of musical instruments, starting in the church organ business in 1963. His vision was to form a company that would specialize in organ installations for houses of worship, not merely make the sale of church organs part of a large retail business. The dream was to handle electronic organs in the artistic and individualistic way that fine pipe organ builders had done for centuries. In 1977, the Rodgers Organ Company awarded him the Baltimore territory. Rodgers’ organ building technology and philosophy matched the individualized, custom installation approach that was Bob’s goal. Bob’s immediate success in the Baltimore area led to a quick expansion into the Washington, DC area.

From 1979-1990, R.A. Daffer Church Organs also represented the Wicks Organ Company. In 1987 they received the award as the largest representative for Wicks. During their tenure with Wicks, the company sold and installed dozens of their pipe organs in the Mid-Atlantic area.

By 1981, the increasing number of pipe organ installations and Rodgers Organs with pipe additions caused a company expansion of a pipe organ maintenance and installation team. Due to their growing reputation for quality and timely service, in 1983 R.A. Daffer Church Organs was entrusted as curators for the world-renowned pipe organs at the Washington National Cathedral and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Through the years, their work at the National Cathedral has included rebuilding the Cathedral’s windchests, installing a Rodgers computer system to control all the organ’s pipework, and completely rebuilding the Cathedral’s console.

R.A. Daffer Church Organs’ territory for Rodgers expanded through the 1980s to include the Tidewater, Virginia, and the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, areas.

In 1993, R.A. Daffer Church Organs opened their new showroom and shop in Jessup, Maryland. In 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999, R.A. Daffer Church Organs, Inc. was the world’s largest agency for the sale and installation of Rodgers Organs. In 1995, they were named the Mid-Atlantic representative for the Fratelli Ruffatti Organ Company of Padua, Italy. R.A. Daffer Church Organs also expanded into the Wilmington, North Carolina market. In 1999 they expanded into the Southern New Jersey market area, and it was the most successful year in the company’s history.

With the establishment of the Global Organ Group in 2016, R.A. Daffer Church Organs represented three additional organ manufacturers: Johannus Orgelbauw, Makin Organs Ltd, and the Copeman Hart Organ Company.

Some famous organ customers of R.A. Daffer Church Organs customers have included Richard Purvis, Organist Emeritus of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; noted composer and organist Dr. Herman Berlinski; and Berj Zamkochian, organist for the Boston Symphony.

From the year 2000 to the present, R.A. Daffer Church Organs has been Rodgers’ largest and most successful representative, and since 2017 they have been one of the largest US representatives for Johannus Orgelbauw.

Since 1977, R.A. Daffer Church Organs has demonstrated their company philosophy by enhancing worship through music. Their hundreds of customers stand as testament to the care given to each installation, large and small.

Please visit their website for more information: http://www.dafferorgans.com