It was over two years ago that we agreed terms to supply the brand new Church of South India in Abu Dhabi, with a light oak Envoy 35-F that would play through 10 external speakers and a sub bass. The advice we gave on this setup was based on the construction drawings available for this ‘church in the round’.
As you can see from the outside picture it is a very high-quality build as well as significant architectural achievement.
Church construction delays
The instrument was shipped out in April 2022 but it was not until the March of 2024 that our colleague Richard Goodall travelled to voice the instrument. Like most construction projects the completion date kept being delayed and frustratingly the focus date of Christmas 2023 was also missed.
We had advised that the main speaker resource be placed at gallery level above the choir stalls with an additional 4 speakers added on the central lantern. It was intended that these could be added for additional volume for times when the church was full.
Remote support and advice
With back up from the team here at Viscount in the UK, through photograph mark ups and video calls, the speaker installation was carried out by the churches building team, so all we had to do was conduct the final voicing. Richard left Heathrow for the UAE in the second week of March, and takes up the story here…
Sharing a church whilst Church of South India is built
The Church of South India is part of the Anglican Communion, and until now the congregation in Abu Dhabi had been sharing the Anglican Church of St Andrew in the city centre.
However, the new building is some 26 miles to the north, just off the main motorway linking Abu Dhabi and Dubai, close to a district called Al Rahba. Here, there is new development on desert land, and the new Church of South India building stands proudly next to an already complete Hindu temple.
Angel wings
The church has a striking appearance on approach: two high, gently curved walls flank the main entrance. These were described to me as representing the wings of an angel.
A stunning building
With the circular floor plan mentioned by David, light and colour is provided both by the central lantern and many tall stained glass windows, and this is supplemented by multiple spotlights and a large central chandelier. Despite the fact there are no straight walls, a west-east liturgical axis has been created, with the galley being at the “back” (in line with the entrance hall) and a large sanctuary area at the “front”.
The organ and speakers placement
The organ console and choir stalls are located to the right of the sanctuary, with the 6 main organ speakers installed high above the choir, and the subwoofer near the wall.
Naturally, I was surprised to discover that the project managers had decided not to install the additional speakers in the lantern! From tests they deemed that the six main speakers and subwoofer provided enough sound – and, once I started voicing on my first day, this certainly proved to be the case.
The console has been positioned next to the choir stalls facing towards the sanctuary, so there is good communication and lines of sight all round. The church’s open circular space results in an excellent egress of sound from the speakers above the choir stalls, and the acoustic is certainly “generous” when the building is empty. The pedal stops are also effective since there is plenty of room for the low frequencies to “roll out”.
A team of organists
Fortunately, both my host, the project’s manager Mr Reji John, and a colleague were organists, so at various times during the day we were able to play to one another and listen from different points in the building. This included judging the bass levels from across the opposite side of the church and from the back, and volume and balances from up in the gallery.
On the second morning I worked alone on the finer details of the individual stops voicing, before being asked in the afternoon to give a complete demonstration of the features to the organist team, which included two keen teenagers.
The final presentation
In the event, around 20 members of the choir attended my informal presentation, as there was clearly great interest in the instrument! My visit finished with the organ being put through its paces by the organists accompanying some very enthusiastic hymn singing.
It was a trip to remember, and I remain grateful to everyone for their warm welcome to Abu Dhabi, especially the Vicar, Rev. Lalji M Philip, and Mr Reji John.
Richard is based part-time in our Bicester head office, also being a freelance organist in the Oxford area. He comes to Viscount with many years’ experience in the digital organ industry having worked previously for the Royal School of Church Music in its Addington days. Richard has been organist and choir director at St. Margaret’s Church, Oxford for the past fifteen years.
Leave a Reply