Music Ministry

Chancel Choir

The Chancel Choir offers choral music for Sunday worship, as well as other special services and concerts throughout the year.  It is open to high school students and adults.

In addition, the group has prepared many major works, most recently the Requiems of Duruflé and Brahms, and the cantata Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten by Felix Mendelssohn.

Rehearsals are held every Thursday evening at 7:00 pm.  Please contact Greg Homza for more information.

Children’s Music

While there is not currently a children’s choir at FPC, all children who attend Sunday School classes participate in a special Arts and Music program on the last Sunday of each month.

Instrumental Music Groups

Handbell Choir

The Handbell Choir rings periodically for Sunday worship. Previous ringing experience is helpful, but not required. It is open to high school students and adults.

Instrumental Music

Instrumentalists (flute, oboe, cello, trumpet, etc.) regularly enhance the worship services at FPC. Please contact Greg Homza for more information.

Jaeckel Pipe Organ

Our hand-crafted tracker pipe organ was custom-designed for the congregation by Dan Jaeckel, of Duluth, Minnesota.

The instrument was constructed at Jaeckel’s shop in 1997-99, dismantled, shipped to Portland, and installed in the church sanctuary from August 1999 to February 2000. The formal Service of Dedication was celebrated on April 30, 2000.

​The Jaeckel organ has 52 stops, 69 ranks, 3 manuals, and 3,515 pipes. Several hundred pipes from the church’s previous organ were rebuilt and revoiced to become part of the new one.

Jaeckel’s craftspeople created the main case of cherry and alder woods to match the 19th Century Carpenter Gothic sanctuary.

The new instrument restores the basic appearance of the church’s original 1890 Ryder organ (which was replaced by a Möller organ in 1929).

​The project was made possible by a generous leadership gift from Sally and Cecil Drinkward, and donations from the congregation and friends of music at First Presbyterian Church.

Through its singing beauty and visual splendor, the Jaeckel organ inspires each of us to seek and worship the living God. It will serve as a gift to the congregation and the community throughout the years.

Learn more about our historic Jaeckel Pipe Organ here at FPC.