Phillip Parkey on the State of American Organ Building Today

By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)

​Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #68!

Today's guest is Phil Parkey who is the President and Tonal Director of Parkey OrganBuilders in Duluth Georgia (metro Atlanta), a position he has held since 1995.

Phil is a trained organist with a BS degree from the University of North Carolina in Business Management and Administration with concentrations in accounting and economics.

​He has studied organ building with key personnel from Flentrop, Moller, and Aeolian-Skinner and has completed study tours of organ building in England, Germany, and France.

Locally he has worked with the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, serving as Board Member At-Large, Sub-Dean, and Dean.  He is a past president of the Atlanta Metropolitan Choral Arts Society.  Phil's present duties include marketing, design, and tonal finishing, but he also works closely with his staff regarding mechanical and structural design of Parkey instruments.

His work has carried him through the central, southeast, and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.  He is the current President for the American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO).  Parkey OrganBuilders is a member firm of the Associate Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA).

In his personal time, Phil is an avid car collector and restorer.  His car collection includes pre-war automobiles, European sport sedans, and unique American cars. He also shares a passion for residential architecture.

In this conversation, ​we talk about Phil's experience in building organs, about his study of organ playing in his youth, and also about the current state of organ building in America.

​Enjoy the conversation and share your comments below.
​
And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends.

Thanks for caring.

Related links:
The American Institute of Organ Building
www.parkeyorgans.com
APOBA - The Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America