By Megan Ma

Tatiana Granoff/special to the town Crier Accompanist Debbie Yowell is one of the first to practice on Los Altos High School’s new German pipe organ, a gift to the school’s choral department from alumni and students.

Choral music students at Los Altos High School eagerly looked on as the new Oberlinger pipe organ from Germany was unpacked in September. The new organ, dedicated to the choral program’s late accompanist Virginia Hebel, is housed in the school’s choir room.

The instrument represents more than 20 years of teamwork, with $5,600 remaining to complete the purchase. Alumni from the Main Street Singers, the award-winning choral program at the school, presented the organ as a surprise for choir director Mark Shaull at a September reunion.

“Its being here physically is a huge thing,” said Tatiana Granoff, one of the lead fundraisers on the project.

Oberlinger, the German organ company, reduced the $40,000 price tag by 10 percent when it learned the organ would be used in a high school, Granoff said. And Oberlinger shipped the organ before the full amount had been raised.

While the generosity of the company has helped, the “Surprise Mark Shaull” fund still needs some extra community support to reach the finish line, she said.

Granoff, a former Los Altos High School parent whose son and daughter sang in the choir, said the students are delighted with the new addition. Until now, the choral groups practiced on an electronic and grand piano. Since much of their repertoire is organ-based, the instrument will change the program dramatically.

“This expands what Mark is able to teach them and will expose them to new styles,” Granoff said.

Main Street Singers alumna and Los Altos High graduate Erica Dunkle has been instrumental in the fundraising efforts even from Durham, N.C., where she is a graduate student at Duke University.

Since 1985, choral students and alumni have made the expensive purchase a labor of love, Granoff said. Students appealed to community members and family. Contributions from the 164 donors range from $10 to $5,000, which has helped tremendously, she said. The Los Altos Rotary Club donated $500 to the cause.

The organ is symbolic of hard work, but more importantly, it stands as a tribute to the main pillars of the school’s choral program, Granoff said.

“The impact and power of the program on students really attests to Mark Shaull and Virginia Hebel,” Granoff said. “This organ is a tribute to them and the district’s support of such a wonderful program.”

To donate, make checks payable to the Los Altos Community Foundation (put Hebel Organ on the memo line) and mail to: Hebel Organ, c/o Tatiana Granoff, 440 Cherry Ave., Los Altos, CA 94022.