Simon Yates

Simon Yates

Fulfilling a life-long dream, investment banker and concert organist and pianist Simon Yates now has a three-manual Allen Renaissance?classical organ sitting next to his Steinway concert grand (9'2") piano in his beautiful and spacious New York City loft.

"The organ is wonderfully built and the stoplist has everything you need," said Mr. Yates. "I really like the quality of the Allen sound and technology and the beautiful Millennium Package, with its two-tone console and walnut sharps. The organ feels, plays, and sounds like a fine pipe organ, without any of the disadvantages of a pipe organ."

After graduating from Cambridge University in England where he held an organ scholarship, Mr. Yates relocated to New York City planning to study at the Juilliard School of Music. However, what was intended to be a temporary job on Wall Street developed into a successful career as a full-time investment banker - who also plays organ and piano concerts.

"It's great having an organ at home, instead of having to practice at odd hours in cold and drafty churches. This particular organ is really helping me to get back into daily practice," said Mr. Yates. When deciding to purchase an organ for his home, his final choice was between a pipe organ and an Allen Renaissance?organ. "The decision was actually easy to make," he said. "The Allen organ can convincingly play the entire repertoire?Bach, Dupr? whatever you want. Very few pipe organs can achieve that."

Mr. Yates continued, "What a fantastic value the Allen organ is! My Steinway needs to be tuned each month, whereas the Allen requires no maintenance and is always in tune?whatever the weather might be doing outside. Nowadays, when I go to play in churches and am met with an organ that's badly out of tune or has rough voicing, I often find myself wishing they'd gone with an Allen instead."

"This organ has some great stops?just listen to the wonderfully round French Horn on the MIDI Division! I think all of Allen's organs are great, but with my three-manual 50-stop organ, I have everything that I need."