Saint Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church has received a $250,000 grant from The Hampson Albert Sisler Foundation, Inc. to support the restoration of its pipe organ, a cornerstone of the church’s worship and musical life.

Built in 1986 by the Holtkamp Organ Company and comprising 47 ranks divided among three manuals and pedal, the organ is recognized as an important part of Arizona’s sacred music heritage. The restoration will preserve and enhance the instrument’s character and its longstanding role in worship, recitals, and community concerts.

The work will include exhaustive restoration and revoicing of the pipes, with addition and rearrangement of several ranks to increase the organ’s scope and flexibility. Restoration will be performed in 2027 and early 2028 by the renowned firm of Quimby Pipe Organs of Warrensburg, Missouri.

“After forty years of steady service and heavy use, our mighty Holtkamp is in serious need of renovation, and we are deeply grateful to The Hampson Albert Sisler Foundation for its exceptional gesture in support of sacred music and heritage preservation at Saint Philip’s,” said Dr. Jeffrey Campbell, Organist and Associate Director of Music.

Dr. Justin Appel, Director of Music, added, “Each year, we offer some of the most demanding and moving music in the sacred and concert repertoire, spanning styles from Palestrina to Pärt, with the goal of inspiring parishioners and our community with music at its highest level. Our organ is central to this aspiration, and I’m thrilled to see it receiving the care it needs to support our program for generations to come.”

The Hampson Albert Sisler Foundation is a private foundation established in 2015 by Dr Hampson A. Sisler. The Foundation envisions a world in which the art of the pipe organ is not only preserved but flourishes, sharing in Dr. Hampson Sisler’s lifelong goal and passion. To learn more about its work, click here.

Renovation of the organ has been established as a top priority of the upcoming capital campaign. Removal of the organ is scheduled for the spring of 2026, before stabilization of the church’s front facade commences.