2020-11-02/2020-11-02 - Howard Marsh was one of the first employees of the fledgling Schlicker Organ Co. in Buffalo, in the 1930s. Eventually feeling the call of academia, when Schlicker wanted to expand to a larger shop with employees, and offered the position of superintendent to Marsh (which would have been a career decision), Marsh decided his life's call was teaching. He was on the faculty of the State University of New York at Fredonia first as instructor organ and music theory, rising in the early 1970s to Dean of the School of Music and shorty thereafter, Dean of the College of Fine Arts. He was instrumental in the acquisition of a 3-manual concert instrument by Schlicker-- first installed in the auditorium of "Old Main", and then moved to the newly-built King Concert Hall and enlarged in 1968. He was organist for several decades at the First Presbyterian Church of Dunkirk, NY, playing on Schlicker Opus 1, an electrification of a 2-manual Felgemaker. In honor of his 25th anniversay at the church in 1975, the congregation had the organ enlarged to three manuals in his honor, with the addition of a Positive division and enlargement of the Pedal. Hemoved and installed a two-manual Steer & Turner in his music room, doing the restoration and rebuilding work himself in the late 1960s. In 1976, he rebuilt the George Andrews organ in Christ Episcopal Church, Manlius, New York. Other than an extensive history as organ consultant in the western New York area, these are the only two hands-on organ projects in which he is known to have actively engaged. He passed away in the mid-1980s, in his late 70s. -Scot L. Huntington
Regrettably, it is not possible to display the information about the sponsor of this pipeorgandatabase entry or if there is a sponsor. Please see About Sponsors on Pipe Organ Database.