While attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, I was fortunate to be assistant organist for several years at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The experience of playing its magnificent von Beckerath organ had a profound influence on my choice of career, as well as several summers spent working for various builders. After graduating in 1987, with honors, with a B.S. in Physics and Minor in Music, I began a 12-year association with the Noack Organ Company of Georgetown, Massachusetts, gaining experience in practically every aspect of organbuilding. For the last 8 years of my time there, I concentrated in the technical design of the firm’s instruments.
I returned to my native Ohio and founded J. Zamberlan & Co. in 1999. The firm’s first commission was for a new organ to replace one destroyed in a fire at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Greencastle, Indiana. The construction of this 2-manual tracker instrument confirmed for me many of the choices I had made early on about how I wanted to run the company, as well as myriad design and construction details. Successive instruments have afforded us the opportunity to refine our style, while still keeping foremost in mind the sacred obligation we have with our clients to do work of the highest quality.
We have also collaborated with numerous colleagues on a number of occasions. These projects have ranged from building a single chest, to restoring Skinner reservoirs with cone valves, to building the chests and racking for a 32’ Bombarde and handling the physical installation of the stop, and to consoles in various styles.
The company’s well-equipped 3,200 s.f. workshop is located in Wintersville, Ohio, just west of Steubenville, and about 45 minutes west of Pittsburgh, 21⁄2 hours east of Columbus, 21⁄2 hours south of Cleveland and 3 hours north of Charleston. Having a small, carefully-chosen staff enables the company to devote full attention to a single project, while our facility has the space necessary to tackle larger jobs. I hold the Fellow certificate of the American Institute of Organbuilders, have served on both the Education and Exam Committees, and chaired the AIO 2005 Pittsburgh convention.
Thank you for visiting our website. We would welcome the opportunity to become better acquainted with you.
Joseph G. Zamberlan
President
J. Zamberlan & Co.