The completed organ, seated in front of the historical rose window in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Kramer, director of religious education and communication for the Cathedral of Saint Joseph.
By Jared Ostermann, director of music and cathedral organist, Cathedral of Saint Joseph
After a summer spent removing the old pipe organ and preparing the choir loft, the Cathedral of Saint Joseph welcomed its new Juget-Sinclair organ on Sept. 22. The new instrument, hand-built by a small team of artisans in Montreal, Quebec, has been under construction for around a year and a half. It was finished in August of this year and fully assembled in the shop; the builders even hosted a shop open house and concert on the new instrument, which hundreds of people from the Montreal area attended. Then, the instrument was carefully broken down and packed into two 18-wheelers for the long journey to Sioux Falls.
In the weeks after the arrival of the organ and the Juget-Sinclair team, organ parts, carvings and pipes filled the cathedral, waiting to be hoisted up into the loft and assembled. That initial construction phase took around three weeks to complete, at which time the organ looked finished. Its striking white, gold and silver façade framing the rose window and inspired by the colors and carvings of the cathedral was already a beautiful addition to the historic Mother Church of the diocese. But in some ways, the most important work was only beginning.
The voicing process began then, and continues now, with an expected completion in mid-December. In this process, each of the roughly 4,000 pipes of the organ are painstakingly assessed and hand-adjusted so that it speaks well in the cathedral acoustics and blends properly with the pipes around it. This is the height of the organ builder’s art and ensures that the instrument sounds its best and fits perfectly into its new home.
In building this world-class, monumental instrument, the cathedral hopes to share its beauty with as many people as possible—whether those who attend liturgies at the cathedral, or visit to tour, or attend concerts here.
Three special events in particular will mark the completion of the instrument. First, on Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m., the organ will be blessed by Bishop DeGrood as part of a solemn vespers. This event is free and open to the public, so please come!
Second, the new organ will be featured in the Christmas at the Cathedral concerts Dec. 18-21. Tickets for these concerts are going fast, as always, and are available through the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota.
Finally, the inaugural concert of the new organ will be held on Friday, May 1, 2026, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker and the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph. Internationally-renowned concert artist Isabelle Demers will perform. Tickets for this event are available at stjosephcathedral.net/sacred-arts-series.
Please take advantage of these opportunities to experience this new musical treasure of our diocese.
