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John Santoianni Keeps Duke Chapel Organs In Top Condition

Maintaining and tuning eight harpsichords and10 organs is a year-round job

 

Name: John Santoianni

Position: Ethel Sieck Carrabina Curator of Organs and Harpsichords

Years at Duke: 10

What I do at Duke is: I take care of 10 organs and eight harpsichords on campus. I spend a lot of my time tuning and preparing the organs and harpsichords for concerts and worship services. The harpsichords are sensitive to humidity and some get once-a-week checkups. And the organs need to be constantly adjusted because the temperature affects the pitch of the pipes, and there are so many moving parts. The largest organ, the Aeolian Organ from 1932, has miles of wiring and almost 7,000 pipes, some as small as a pencil, others as large as a tree trunk. 

How I got my job at Duke is: I came from a family of engineers and machinists, and after graduate school (at the New England Conservatory), I worked in the organ tuning and maintenance businesses. When I came for the interview at Duke, I was set loose in the Chapel to track down and fix some dead notes on the organs. 

My first paid job was: Setting up chairs in a building that was used as a daycare during the day and for classes on the weekend. I also trained as an organist and would substitute for different churches when I was 14 or 15.

When I am not at work I like to: Work on my kitchen. When we moved to Durham, we bought a house that needed a lot of work. I'm building the cabinets, so the kitchen has my thumbprint all over it. 

If someone wants to start a conversation with me, they should ask about: My kitchen. Because lots of people have the same ongoing issue. 

What I love about Duke is: The privilege of working on amazing instruments and working with people who are at the top of their game. The two organists, Bob Parkis and David Arcus, are both phenomenal players. It's a bit like being the pit crew for a racecar: no matter how fast they are playing, or how many stops they have on, it all has to work perfectly. 

The music I am most likely to be caught listening to is: Whatever is being played in the Chapel since my office is in the basement. I also like to listen to Baroque opera by Handel and Purcell. When I'm in the car with my kids, I'll listen to whatever they listen to. I actually like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The most recent book I read was: "The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins. My daughter, Emma, brought it home from school.

If I could have one superpower it would be: The ability to fly. It is not an issue of transportation. It is just the thought of what I'd get to see.

Something most people don't know about me is: I was a stay-at-home Dad when my two children were young.