June Tragedies
Many of you will have heard about the devastating fire at the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders shop. The building and its contents were totally destroyed on Tuesday. Please keep John Panning, Lynn Dobson, and crew in your hearts and minds as they find their way forward. May a phoenix rise from the ashes.
Most of you also know that the Laukhuff company will close its doors permanently on June 30 after 198 years. Reorganizing efforts have failed, and no investors have come forward to offer assistance.
Effects of these tragedies will reverberate throughout the organbuilding and musical world. We are a resilient bunch of folks, many of whom have encountered grave adversities of their own and managed to overcome them. We wish everyone well, and offer condolences to each of them on their huge losses. Yes, we are competitors, but most importantly, we are family. And family takes care of their own.
Mark Hotsenpiller, Executive Secretary
The American Institute of Organbuilders is a professional association made up of pipe organbuilders, organ maintenance technicians, and those in allied professions supporting the pipe organ industry. The AIO’s objective is to advance the science and practice of pipe organbuilding by discussion, inquiry, research, experiment and other means, and to disseminate knowledge regarding pipe organbuilding by such means as lectures, publications and exchange of information.
Join the AIO
Join your peers in an organization committed to the preservation of the art of organbuilding, and enjoy convention & seminar discounts, The Journal of American Organbuilding, online access to past Journal issues, technical resources, AIO Lecture Series, and more.
Upcoming Events
No Events
Resources and Publications
As part of AIO’s commitment to the preservation of the organbuilding craft, we offer a host of technical resources, web links, publications, and videos for reference by the professional and hobbyist alike. Some of these are free and some, due to the cost of archiving, are only available through membership. We invite you to use all of our resources and share this site with others.
AIO Journal
This Institute publishes a quarterly journal featuring technical articles, product and book reviews, and a forum for the exchange of building and service information and techniques.
Subscriptions are provided free to AIO members and are available to non-members by contacting the Executive Secretary.
