History

From 1965-1992, the organ program at Arizona State University revolved around the Aeolian-Skinner organ in ASU Gammage.  Former professor David Johnson, known for his great trumpet tunes, spent many hours teaching on this instrument.  In 1981, Robert Clark became professor of organ, and he made it a priority to include study and performances on mechanical-action organs in addition to the Gammage instrument. He worked to commission for the School of Music the building of a modern instrument in baroque style. His dream was realized in 1992, with the inauguration of the Fritts organ.  The winning combination of Clark and the Fritts brought many organists to study at ASU, creating a fine organ culture in the Valley of the Sun. 

In 1998, Kimberly Marshall succeeded Clark, later being named the Patricia and Leonard Goldman Professor of Organ. She has built on the fine foundations laid by her predecessors by enlarging the scope of the instrument collection and attracting students from all over the world – from Britain to Newfoundland to Korea.  She also expanded her teaching to include noteworthy instruments in the Phoenix metropolitan area, including Trinity Cathedral, where she is artist-in-residence. In 2006, she organized the loan of the Traeri Baroque organ to complement the Fritts in the Organ Hall.  She has also acquired a new continuo organ as well as two new practice instruments, a 1937 Aeolian-Skinner residence organ and a tracker organ by Jaan van Daalen.