Music

Our exquisite sanctuary organ was dedicated to the church in 1968, given in memory of Converse College voice teacher Glenn Crowder Stables by his wife, Mary Andrews Stables. The organ consists of 2,895 pipes and was handcrafted by the Æolian-Skinner Organ Company, one of the finest and most recognized names in organ building in the United States. In the fall of 2023, an exciting festival trumpet was added by the Schoenstein Organ Company.

The Chapel's Schoenstein organ was dedicated in 1995 in honor of Dr. John E. Williams, the church's music director from 1946-1991. The first Schoenstein to be built east of the Mississippi river, the romantic-symphonic instrument has drawn wide acclaim for its broad musical capabilities despite its relatively small size.

Our striking Sesquicentennial Bells were dedicated in 1994. The world-renowned French firm Paccard Fonderie de Cloches cast the original four bells in Annecy-le-Vieux. One side of each bell is inscribed with a verse from the Psalms. The other side is inscribed: “First Presbyterian Church, Spartanburg, S.C., Sesquicentennial – 1993, 'Soli Deo Gloria' (To the Glory of God Alone)" with a Celtic cross. Over the years, multiple additions have resulted in a full 48 bell Carillon, one of only three in the state of South Carolina. The bells are used as a call to worship, as festive and wedding peals, as funeral tolls, and as a time-strike system.

A stunning set of 49 handbells was dedicated to the church in 1978 in memory of Ruth Ann Fogartie, wife of Dr. James E. Fogartie and founder of the First Pres handbell choir. These handbells were crafted by Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London, which Guinness World Records recognizes as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain.