'Frasier' star lends hand to hometown church

By GERALDINE FREEDMAN Post-Star Correspondent Updated: Sunday, October 11, 2009 8:34 PM EDT SARATOGA SPRINGS -- David Hyde Pierce, the comedic actor best known for his role on the sitcom "Frasier," presented one of his lesser known talents Sunday afternoon to a capacity congregation at the Bethesda Episcopal Church. Pierce performed two works on the restored 1921 Skinner organ, which he and his three siblings donated the funds to rebuild. The organ has been renamed the Pierce Memorial Gallery Organ in honor of their parents, George and Laura Pierce. "I hadn’t played organ in awhile," Pierce said before the ceremony while standing next to the instrument, which is located upstairs in the gallery of the church. "But I live in New York City, so I practiced in some churches there to bone up." The Emmy and Tony-winning actor attended the Bethesda Episcopal Church while growing up in Saratoga Springs. He was an assistant to the church organist as a teen. As a boy, Pierce learned to play on the Casavant organ located in the chancel, which is the instrument that replaced the Skinner organ in 1967 when it was deemed unplayable. About three years ago, when the church decided to try to restore the Skinner organ, Pierce and his siblings, Tom, Nancy and Barbara, got heavily involved. David Lemieux was hired to rebuild the instrument to re-create some of the sounds that congregations 100 years ago heard. "He did a fantastic job," Pierce said. "The sound is powerful. There’s a variety of colors. They even hand-picked pipes originally from the 1920s." The church also refurbished the organ’s 1925 console, updated the electrical wiring that powers the organ, put in new flooring, painted, added new chairs and restored the chimes. A console that connects the two organs was also enhanced.