This is the story behind me — how I started building organs, why I stopped, what I did in between, and why I'm back.

The beginning

I have always been fascinated by the pipe organ — its complexity, its sound, the way it fills a space. As a young engineer, I started my organ-building journey in 2011. What began as a personal project gradually grew into a regular business.

The organ years (2011–2021)

Over a decade I built a wide range of instruments and systems. I designed and built complete Hauptwerk consoles, rebuilt pneumatic pipe organs with modern electronic action, developed MIDI components and pedalboards, and — most ambitiously — created the Cecilia embedded sound system, a fully custom hardware and software platform for virtual pipe organs. The products found their way to churches, conservatories, and private homes. I am grateful to every customer who chose my work.

The hard turn

In 2021, I had to make a difficult decision. Several things came together at once:

• Component shortages. My hardware designs depended on specific electronic components. During the COVID pandemic, these became unavailable or prohibitively expensive, with lead times stretching to a year or more. Manufacturing became unsustainable.
• Personal circumstances. Life took me in a different direction, and I needed to quickly find stable work.

So I closed the organ business. It was not an easy choice, and I know it left some customers wondering what had happened. I want to say plainly: I am sorry for the silence. It was never indifference — it was simply that I could not continue, and I did not know when or if I would return.

The software developer years

I found a new job as a senior software developer. For several years I worked on commercial software projects, gaining experience with modern architectures, development practices, and team collaboration.

This experience proved immensely valuable. I learned several new programming languages and much about software systems in general. Above all, I learned to think about long-term maintainability and to approach projects with greater respect.

The return

But I never stopped thinking about the organ — how I would solve a particular problem today, where I made mistakes, and so on. Gradually I started preparing new products. In 2026, I decided it was time to return and left my job.

What I have ready today:

• A new family of MIDI electronic modules not only for the organ
• New organ keyboards
• I continue with Hauptwerk console production

And Cecilia?

The Cecilia system is not dead, but it cannot simply continue where it left off in 2021. The hardware and software need a complete architectural overhaul. I am working on it, I presume the release date in 2027.

— Jakub Mlnarik