John Pike Mander  (106042.226@compuserve.com)
----------------
 
Date of Birth: 6th July 1949
 
Father: Noel Mander (Organ builder)
 
Resident: UK
 
Married to Felicitas (born von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff) with
three children, Dominic 14, Philippa 12, Annabel 8.
 
Educated at City of London School to A-level. Chapel Royal
Chorister 1958 to 63 under Harry Gabb (also sub organist at St.
Paul's Cathedral).
 
Learned organ building with Rudolph von Beckerath in Hamburg,
1968 to 1973 (three and a half year apprenticeship with
completion of journeyman's exams plus additional experience
including the design and installation of a Choir Organ in the
Petrikirke in Hamburg with Beckerath. Also a number of
installations in the United States for Beckerath.
 
Returned to England to work in family firm, mainly in the
drawing office designing half a dozen small organs in the next 7
years, including the scaling and tonal finishing.
 
Meisterkurs at Ludwigsburg in Germany Jan. to July 1980 (three
months after getting married). Master's Certificate completed in
January 1981.
 
Took over direction of N.P. Mander Ltd. from Noel Mander on the
latter's retirement in 1983 (Noel Mander lives on at 84 years of
age)
 
Now mostly concerned with the direction of the firm which
employs about 30 people, but ensures that at least once a year
he takes part in the installation and tonal finishing of an
organ, is also involved in overseeing the tonal preparation and
scales most of the new instruments he finishes.
 
Recent installations and tonally finished organs include:
 
Magdalen College Oxford, Great Britain (GB) (II/22)
Cranmore School GB (II/12)
St. Andrew's University, Osaka, Japan (II/16)
Chamber organ for the Peabody Institute, Baltimore (I/4)
Christ Church Pittsford, Rochester, New York (II/25)
St. Ignatius, Loyola, New York (IV/68)
Immanuel on the Hill, Alexandria, Virginia (II/12)
Azuchi Seminario Hall Nr. Kyoto, Japan (II/30)
H.M. The Sultan of Oman (three of the four instruments)
Later this year, Urakami Cathedral, Nagasaki, Japan (III/52)
 
Interests: catholic in all respects, but in music in particular
(Gabrielli to Pink Floyd). Historical organs and the history of
organ building.
 
Other Interests:
 
Dormant (fortunately very) violin player
 
Dingy sailing (too little time over the past three years)
 
Flying (even more dormant than the violin playing, but he won a
flying scholarship from the Royal Air Force (RAF) at 17 which at
least enabled him to learn to fly at which time he flew the
oldest flying Tiger Moth and spun a Chipmunk over RAF Marsden to
the consternation of on-lookers (deliberately-three times!)
 
Research and sleuthing around old organs and old buildings
 
Ecology