Contact John
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MillerOrganClock @gmail.com |
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(414) 581-9875 |
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8501 W. Becher St.
West Allis, WI 53227 |
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Classically Trained in Old World Craftsmanship
John received his Journeyman Certificate in Pipe Organ Building after completing a 3.5 year apprenticeship in Germany. He has worked for Nolte Organ Building & Supply of Milwaukee, WI, Orgelbau Schulte of Kürten, Germany, and Johannes Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany. He received training in organbuilding theory at the Oscar-Walcker-Schule of Ludwigsburg, Germany. John received the Journeyman Certificate from the Industrie- und Handelskammer Bonn in February of 2019, and returned to his hometown of Milwaukee to start his own company shortly thereafter.
Services Offered
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Mechanical Music InstrumentsIncluding Street & Carousel Organs, Orchestrions, Self-playing Organs
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Pipe Organsfor Churches, Theaters, Residences, and Institutions
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ClocksTower Clocks and Black Forest Musical Clocks
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John J. Miller
Owner, Journeyman Organbuilder
Born in Milwaukee, WI, John took an interest in pipe organs and clocks at a very young age. At age three, he had his first exposure to mechanical music when the Circus Parade came to Milwaukee. After turning the crank on a street organ for the first time at age six, John’s dream to own such an instrument was born. John began taking organ lessons at age 12, and played for his first church service at age 14. In high school, John’s interest in mechanical devices led him to take apart and successfully repair a cuckoo clock and phonograph.
While completing an eight-week Spanish immersion program in Mexico, John saw organ grinders playing historic street organs originally made in Berlin. Upon his return to the US, he decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a street organ. At age 17, he bought a street organ from Orgelbau Stüber in Berlin. He soon began playing at the South Shore Farmers Market in Bay View, WI as well as many private parties. Near the end of high school, John skipped class to watch Stanton Peters tune the pipe organ at his high school. This began a friendship and mentorship between John and Stanton that would be influential to John over the years. John built a 20-pipe portative organ as his senior woodshop project. To complete the project, he received help from Nolte Organ Building and Supply of Milwaukee, WI. Upon graduation, John was offered a job with the company and worked there during school breaks in college.
Between 2012 and 2015, John studied the Biblical Languages with a minor in German at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. He took enough organ lessons to fulfill a minor in organ performance, however, that minor was not offered through the college. During one summer break John and his friend Ryan Mueller spent several days repairing and cleaning the 1880 E. Howard Tower Clock at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Another summer break, John attended a five-day workshop with TV star and Williamsburg's master housewright Roy Underhill at the Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, NC learning carpentry using historic techniques. Through much encouragement from Stanton Peters and other influential friends, John decided that he wanted to receive formal training in pipe organ building under the strict dual education system for the trades in Germany. John made the difficult decision to abandon his collegiate studies and leave his friends and family for three and one half years to pursue an apprenticeship in pipe organ building in Germany.
In August of 2015, John began as an apprentice with Orgelbau Schulte in Kürten, Germany. There, he worked to restore and repurpose abandoned Romantic American and English pipe organs for renewed life in German churches. After two years of working with the company, John desired more experience, especially in the area of metal pipe making. In January of 2018, John transferred his apprenticeship to Johannes Klais Orgelbau. There, he received experience in restoring German pneumatic instruments, constructing new tracker instruments, and emphasized training in the repair and construction of metal organ pipes. John’s practical exam took place in February of 2019, and he was tasked with the construction of a working model of a tracker organ from scratch—including the pipework—in four weeks. He passed the exam and received his Journeyman Certificate in Pipe Organ Building from the Industrie- und Handelskammer Bonn, the governing agency for the trade in that region.
As part of Germany’s dual education system for the trades, John received training in organbuilding theory from the Oscar-Walcker-Schule in Ludwigsburg, Germany. At the school he passed his Jouneyman exam in organbuilding theory, and the law, business, and management portion of the Master Craftsman exam. A benefit of the school training was also taking field trips to other organbuilder’s workshops and prominent organs around Europe. John was privileged to visit Gottfried Silbermann organs in eastern Germany, Andreas Silbermann organs in Alsace, France, and Cavaillé-Coll organs in Paris, France—including Notre Dame’s organ before the fire! John also visited many mechanical music museums in his free time. This included the museum and workshop of Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, Netherlands; the Compunium in the collection of the Musical Instrument Museum, Brussels, Belgium; the museum, workshop, and storehouses of Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett, Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany; and the several mechanical music workshops and the Elztalmuseum in Waldkirch, Germany.
In March of 2019, John returned to the US and began his own company at the age of 25, while renting workshop space from his mentor, Stanton Peters. John became the head organist of Historic St. John’s on the Hillside Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee, and married Elizabeth, the love of his life, there in May of 2019.
While completing an eight-week Spanish immersion program in Mexico, John saw organ grinders playing historic street organs originally made in Berlin. Upon his return to the US, he decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a street organ. At age 17, he bought a street organ from Orgelbau Stüber in Berlin. He soon began playing at the South Shore Farmers Market in Bay View, WI as well as many private parties. Near the end of high school, John skipped class to watch Stanton Peters tune the pipe organ at his high school. This began a friendship and mentorship between John and Stanton that would be influential to John over the years. John built a 20-pipe portative organ as his senior woodshop project. To complete the project, he received help from Nolte Organ Building and Supply of Milwaukee, WI. Upon graduation, John was offered a job with the company and worked there during school breaks in college.
Between 2012 and 2015, John studied the Biblical Languages with a minor in German at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. He took enough organ lessons to fulfill a minor in organ performance, however, that minor was not offered through the college. During one summer break John and his friend Ryan Mueller spent several days repairing and cleaning the 1880 E. Howard Tower Clock at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Another summer break, John attended a five-day workshop with TV star and Williamsburg's master housewright Roy Underhill at the Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, NC learning carpentry using historic techniques. Through much encouragement from Stanton Peters and other influential friends, John decided that he wanted to receive formal training in pipe organ building under the strict dual education system for the trades in Germany. John made the difficult decision to abandon his collegiate studies and leave his friends and family for three and one half years to pursue an apprenticeship in pipe organ building in Germany.
In August of 2015, John began as an apprentice with Orgelbau Schulte in Kürten, Germany. There, he worked to restore and repurpose abandoned Romantic American and English pipe organs for renewed life in German churches. After two years of working with the company, John desired more experience, especially in the area of metal pipe making. In January of 2018, John transferred his apprenticeship to Johannes Klais Orgelbau. There, he received experience in restoring German pneumatic instruments, constructing new tracker instruments, and emphasized training in the repair and construction of metal organ pipes. John’s practical exam took place in February of 2019, and he was tasked with the construction of a working model of a tracker organ from scratch—including the pipework—in four weeks. He passed the exam and received his Journeyman Certificate in Pipe Organ Building from the Industrie- und Handelskammer Bonn, the governing agency for the trade in that region.
As part of Germany’s dual education system for the trades, John received training in organbuilding theory from the Oscar-Walcker-Schule in Ludwigsburg, Germany. At the school he passed his Jouneyman exam in organbuilding theory, and the law, business, and management portion of the Master Craftsman exam. A benefit of the school training was also taking field trips to other organbuilder’s workshops and prominent organs around Europe. John was privileged to visit Gottfried Silbermann organs in eastern Germany, Andreas Silbermann organs in Alsace, France, and Cavaillé-Coll organs in Paris, France—including Notre Dame’s organ before the fire! John also visited many mechanical music museums in his free time. This included the museum and workshop of Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, Netherlands; the Compunium in the collection of the Musical Instrument Museum, Brussels, Belgium; the museum, workshop, and storehouses of Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett, Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany; and the several mechanical music workshops and the Elztalmuseum in Waldkirch, Germany.
In March of 2019, John returned to the US and began his own company at the age of 25, while renting workshop space from his mentor, Stanton Peters. John became the head organist of Historic St. John’s on the Hillside Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee, and married Elizabeth, the love of his life, there in May of 2019.
