In Full: Questions for Bill Czelusniak ‘70

Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh
Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh

Bill Czelusniak ‘70, a pipe organ expert and owner of Messrs. Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc., has been maintaining the Phillips Stevens Chapel pipe organ since 1998, when Alan Shaler asked him to step in for the retiring John Wessel. In 2014, during renovations and upgrades to the Chapel, Mr. Czelusniak and his company relocated and rewired the organ, which Mr. Czelusniak describes as “one of the greatest assets of the school.”

The following is the full interview with Mr. Czelusniak, with minor edits.

Tell us a little about your Williston experience.
My time at Williston Academy certainly encompassed my most formative years of adolescence, and sometimes embarrassingly so, at least in retrospect. However, the greatest values of being at this school, during that time, were in the broad nature of the teaching philosophy, the scheduling of our work time, and the general educational opportunities that were at once both disciplined and yet offering independence of thought and exploration. Actually, it was under these nurturing terms that I had the fateful chance to pursue in depth my nascent interests in the pipe organ, its construction, music, and science.

What’s your favorite Williston memory?
Herbie Bergman’s chocolate chip cookies—never had better—and Barry Moser’s introduction of letterpress printing to the art courses. Ancient history now, aren’t they?

How did you begin working with organs?
As a hobby, just before starting at Williston, by the good fortune of meeting the right people at the right time to foster my curiosities—teachers, organists, and organ builders alike. Upon coming to Williston, I was captivated to find the substantial pipe organ in the Chapel, exposed to it principally by the playing of Alan Shaler and Yves Couderc (un, deux, trois; un, deux, trois; etc. Always counting too loudly!) during the obligatory daily morning services. Then I caught on to the periodic service schedule of John Wessel (builder of the instrument), and did my best to terrorize his seasonal work with my questions and curiosities. The hobby, apparently always a passion, became a part-time business (1971), then full time (1976), and now a long history with perhaps some notable accomplishments to leave behind.

Tell us about one of your favorite projects? Why do you particularly remember that one?
In the course of 40 years of corporate activity, we have had the privilege and responsibility of working for some very large and affluent churches, as well as for the smallest of country churches, and (in another vein) for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood (for 30 years, now). Of these ventures, the most notable experiences have been those at the extremes—three small country churches in particular that worked wonders to unite members, friends, contributions, and vigorous fund-raising to accomplish thorough and fussy restorations of important old tracker organs, now preserved as musical artifacts and continuing in reliable service. These jobs were impressive for being big projects in small places, executed successfully as generous communities, and resulting in enduring friendships.

At the other end of the spectrum is our high-pressure job to maintain The Shed pipe organ at Tanglewood, with constant attention during rehearsals and performances, slowly restoring the instrument in phases. This particular work experience has served to broaden greatly my musical tastes and awareness, has provided opportunities to meet several classical music stars, and to work a number of times with Mark Morris and his dance company.

It has been said that one never stops learning. That platitude is particularly true with pipe organ work. There is something new every day, even after 40 years’ experience.

Tell us about the Williston organ. Is there anything that distinguishes it?
The pipe organ in the Phillips Stevens Chapel at the Williston Northampton School was built in 1964 by Elroy E. Hewitt and John Wessel of Brattleboro, Vermont. Both men had been employees of the Estey Organ Corporation in Brattleboro, which ceased business in 1960, then producing several spin-offs in the industry. These men had begun their partnership maybe even before Estey closed (doing maintenance work in Vermont), and soon accepted on their own this major project to construct the 3-manual, 30-rank instrument in Easthampton, as designed by organist Alan Shaler.

The tonal specification of the Chapel organ was typical of the period—an eclectic list of voices that would render a broad range of the organ literature, that included appropriate principal choruses to support the boys in Chapel hymn singing, and that included some stops representing the prevailing tastes for neo-Baroque sounds, the “American Classic” model. This specification was valid in its concepts and has remained useful to this day, for all of the varied demands upon this organ, from religious, academic, and concert services in the Chapel.

The actual construction of the organ is another matter. It is a substantial instrument in scope and size (with at least 1800 individual pipes sequestered in those chambers), clearly produced under fiscal restraint, on top of the cost of the Chapel building itself. Williston Academy produced organ enthusiasts long before me; and, one of the most notable might have been Harry Upson Camp, who retired in Southampton. Mr. Camp, Williston class of 1914 and an organist himself, worked in the late 1920s as a voicer for the Frazee Organ Co. (Everett, Mass.) and had one of their instruments installed in his home. At the time of the design of the new Chapel, Mr. Camp donated that pipe organ to the academy, of which the great foundations, the swell division and related pedal are comprised. Hewitt and Wessel added new windchests and pipework to fill out the desired stoplist, with some of those components coming from other ex-Estey men working then as suppliers in Guilford, Vermont and Waynesboro, Virginia, at least.

To be blunt, the Chapel organ is an amalgamation of parts from reliable sources forming an instrument that fits the room suitably, but which lacks the musical integrity of an all-new-from-scratch pipe organ by any major builder, as one will find in other educational institutions in the Pioneer Valley. Conversely, we can acclaim the presence and survival of this pipe organ in the Chapel as one of the greatest assets of the school (with a current replacement value of at least $900,000), and as the better investment for proper teaching from a real acoustical instrument, as opposed to any electronic substitute.

After a full 50 years of continuous service to the school, and still in regular use, it is prudent to expect that this organ will require some renovation in the foreseeable decades—another worthy investment that would support good academic teaching and performance, but which is likely to be a lower priority under careful financial management. Nonetheless, this pipe organ is a precious legacy to the school from Alan Shaler, in addition to his general track record here, and one which holds substantial value as a foundation for fulfillment and refinement, when the passage of time and use bring the needs of the instrument to the tilting point.

Describe your work with the Williston organ.
From the time of its creation until his retirement in 1998, John Wessel cared for this instrument routinely and regularly, in close concert with Alan Shaler. Upon Mr. Wessel’s retirement, I was flattered to hear promptly from Mr. Shaler, with the request to continue the support and preservation of this instrument—and that is exactly what we have done now, for over 15 years already.

The instrument is maintained as built, with periodic repairs and adjustments (as some of the aging relays and switches demand repeatedly), and with tuning as requested for special events or performances, and subject to the temperature vagaries of those organ chambers. From our maintenance work, we have identified chamber components that could be improved (or eventually will have to be replaced), fatigue and irregularities in most of the reed ranks, and weary console mechanisms that should be upgraded with solid-state electronic systems that would include automatic play-back and MIDI connections to other instruments. A console modernization of that sort would result in new opportunities for musical performance, experimentation, composition, and teaching, limited only by imagination.

The school authorities are well aware of all of these conditions and options. There are no plans to move ahead with any major organ work right now, finances being in the balance, but no intention to neglect the instrument, either. During 2014, some considerable attention has been expended to protect the pipe organ during renovations to the chancel area of the Chapel, to relocate the console within this space while keeping the whole organ intact and usable, and necessarily to recable the console to the chamber junctions in a code-compliant manner, as part of the relocation “on stage”. A thorough job has been done in this regard, while remaining at the very low end of options and costs. Nonetheless, this pipe organ continues in full form and function as built, and remains ready for all possible uses: Chapel and academic services, performances, teaching, and practice purposes. It is only up to the imagination of the students and faculty to put it to more and better use!

Is this the work you imagined or hoped you’d be doing when you graduated from Williston?
Apparently, yes. Apparently, others saw this path ahead of me before I did, although my underlying interests in the pipe organ were passionate and clear since about the 8th grade. I never had the discipline to play (to practice). I knew that performance was not my thing. My interests in the instrument were fueled by the mechanics, the technology, the sciences, and the mathematics of the pipe organ. One would be hard-pressed to find a more inter-disciplinary line of work, which extends from basic and finish woodworking, to leather work, metal work, electrical work, design and engineering, and so on to the ear work and musical product—with the demands of craftsmanship and attention to detail always at the highest level.

With the application of solid-state technology to the operating systems of pipe organs, there are new pursuits in circuitry, accessories, and interfaces that do appeal to today’s cyber-youth. It’s all about the imagination, but also about history, philosophy, workmanship, and of course, music! All of the organ builder’s efforts would be useless, if the resulting instrument could not produce good music at the hands of a skilled player. We are the means to a greater end. We are always collaborators with performers, work which often proves challenging, and always gratifying if met head-on.

What advice do you have for students today?
Take great advantage of your time at the Williston Northampton School. Use your imaginations, and reach out, and experiment with your inherent interests, and do not be constrained in your thinking. There will be no easier nor risk-free opportunity to blossom, to investigate your wildest interests and curiosities with guidance and freedom, all of which will clarify your future paths and educational pursuits. Your Williston Northampton time is a unique and valuable experience—make the most of it as your personal development unfolds, as well as for the best foot-hold on education that you can get for your future.

My time at Williston Academy made my life. I wish you all the same success.

2 thoughts on “In Full: Questions for Bill Czelusniak ‘70”

  1. I enjoyed reading the entire article about the organ in the chapel. Having grown up with part of that organ in my home,
    it is wonderful to think that it has been in place at Williston for over 50 years.
    I do hope some students are able to study organ.
    Thank you

    Charlie Camp

    1. Thank you, “young Mr. Camp” for this kind reply to the article in “The Bulletin”. I just found it now, while working at filing various things in my office. I grew up in Southampton (Pomeroy Meadow) and remember your father vaguely from my youth, and because of an inherent interest in history, thanks to teachers Mary Clark and Margaret Zoudlick (in particular)… also the Church musicians there, Dorothy Andrews and Miriam Howland. Miriam Stone Howland (and her father) were neighbors to your father, if I remember correctly. I knew the Frazee organ (and its parts) only from the Williston installation – they are obvious by their manufacture – and continue to function reliably, perhaps moreso than some of the newer additions! I hope that you will have a chance to hear this instrument again, in the Chapel, on some future visit to the School. I have a milestone reunion there this year, myself; and, we are pushing now to finish the details of work, following the recabling project. Much appreciation and all best wishes to you! Respectfully, Bill Czelusniak ’70

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