EDMONTON — After a careful, principle-guided search, the University of Alberta is pleased to announce that Casavant Opus 3358 has found a new home. The University of Alberta has reached an agreement with the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Picture Butte, Alberta, to provide a permanent home for the 1978 Casavant pipe organ (Opus 3358) as Convocation Hall undergoes its long-planned renewal. The agreement represents the successful conclusion of the search for a new home for the organ.
“This is an outcome of which we can be genuinely proud,” said Robert Wood, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. “After a rigorous process grounded in clear principles, we have found a partner who will ensure the organ is played, heard, and honoured. Casavant Opus 3358 is a magnificent instrument with deep roots in our community, and this agreement guarantees it will have an active musical life for generations to come.”
In May 2026, the University commissioned an independent assessment by Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray to examine the organ's history and memorial significance. His report, completed in June, confirmed that Casavant Opus 3358 is a war memorial and put forward four recommendations: finding the organ a suitable home, honouring its memorial status through formal rededication, ensuring professional disassembly and preservation, and communicating clearly throughout the process. The University has accepted all four recommendations in full.
“The congregation in Picture Butte has invested considerable time and thoughtful deliberation in determining how they will steward an instrument of this calibre,” said Summerby-Murray. “The fact that they maintain an active, weekly music program was crucial — this is a home where the organ will be played regularly. This agreement ensures the instrument continues to serve the musical life for which it was designed.”
The congregation will take ownership of the organ at nominal cost, consistent with a stewardship transfer between non-profit and charitable organizations rather than a sale. The organ will be professionally dismantled and stored for approximately 18 months until it is ready to be reinstalled in the congregation’s new facility, which is currently in the design stage and will be centred around Casavant Opus 3358.
“We are deeply honoured to receive this historic instrument,” said Rev. E.C. Adams.
“Netherlands Reform worship has a weekly worship tradition that uses the organ as the sole instrument to lead congregational singing, and our community includes a number of proficient organists. Casavant Opus 3358 will be integrated into a newly constructed sanctuary, where it will be actively played many times a week. In addition to its regular use in our worship services, the organ will provide new learning opportunities for the many young people in our congregation who aspire to become organists.”
As the organ's memorial status travels with it, the congregation will formally rededicate Casavant Opus 3358 once it is installed in Picture Butte.
“The organ’s memorial status is important to us. Many in our congregation have family members, or were youngsters themselves, who were living in the Netherlands at the time of the Canadian liberation in 1945. We look forward to preserving the organ’s memorial status, and to rededicating it in a way that honours its origins while also connecting it meaningfully to our own community,” said Rev. Adams.
Separately and in addition to the organ's rededication, the University is enhancing the memorial at Convocation Hall's entrance as part of the Hall's renewal — strengthening remembrance on campus through enhanced honour rolls. The on-campus memorial design will be informed by a design committee that includes the Royal Canadian Legion and members of the veterans community. The university will work with our partners to formally designate the memorial upon its completion.
The congregation has expressed openness to supporting access to the organ by academic staff in the Department of Music, for scholarly research purposes. This preserves an ongoing connection between the instrument and the academic community it has long served.
“We are grateful to have found a partner in the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Picture Butte who understands the significance of Casavant 3358,” added Wood. “This agreement ensures the organ is honoured, rehoused, and rededicated with the care it deserves, and with a community who will play it reverently for many years to come.”
For more information about the renewal of Convocation Hall, please visit the Convocation Hall Renewal webpage.
About Casavant Opus 3358:
The Casavant organ in Convocation Hall was installed in 1978 as a memorial honouring the University of Alberta students who died in the world wars. The instrument is a significant example of the craftsmanship of the Casavant Frères organ-building firm. Its relocation is necessary to restore full accessibility to the historic building as part of the University's planned renewal of Convocation Hall.
For media inquiries contact:
Michael Brown, UofA Media Strategist | michael.brown@ualberta.ca | 780-977-1411