"Our congregation has been delighted with the organ. Everyone agrees that you have created an instrument that is both lovely to hear and to see."
-- Joyce Painter Rice
Music Director, West Parish Church
About Us
Brad Rule
Brad Rule, a native Knoxvillian, holds a bachelor's degree in organ performance from the University of Tennessee. He spent 6 years in Massachusetts working with the prestigious Andover Organ Company: Here he rebuilt and restored 19th century organs and worked in the design and construction of new instruments. In 1987 he returned to Knoxville to establish his own firm specializing in tracker action organs. Tonally, Mr. Rule finds inspiration in American organs of the mid-19th century.
Josef Rule
Josef Rule has spent much of his life working with his brothers building custom homes. The four brothers have 140 years of combined experience building in every imaginable style. This experience in complex woodworking and architecture is put to good use in the B. Rule shop. As well as being an accomplished cabinetmaker, Josef is a machinist and metalworker; these skills have been invaluable in designing and building some of the specialized machines which organ building requires.
Julianne Mundy
Julianne Mundy began work at B. Rule & Co. in January 2012, and has extremely high proficiency in diverse skills, including reed voicing, bellows leather work and chest rebuilding, along with many other highly skilled tasks. She begins studies at University of Hartford in Fall of 2012, pursuing studies in acoustical engineering and French Horn, but continues to be an invaluable adjunct employee of ours, working in the shop when school does not demand her presence.
Will Dunklin
Will Dunklin has worked at B. Rule & Co. for a total of five years. Before that, he studied organ performance at Western Kentucky University. Having recently completed his degree in architecture at the University of Tennessee, he is now an intern architect with a prominent Knoxville architecture firm. He makes himself available to B. Rule & Company in an adjunct capacity, helping in certain organ projects, and always providing wise counsel in architectural matters. He was instrumental in the excellent acoustics for our instrument at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, as well as seeing that other architectural improvements were made during the construction of the building. For more information about this organ, click here: tvuuc.org.
John Wesley Rule
John Wesley Rule currently is a college student and works at B. Rule & Co as his class schedule permits, as well as in the summers. He plays bluegrass fiddle, guitar and mandolin, and continues to hone his woodworking skills. His craftsman's skills, mechanical knowledge and musical ear make him a valuable employee in almost every field of organbuilding endeavor.
Carl the cat
Carl the cat relentlessly pursues mice and any other vermin which dare to cross the threshold of B. Rule & Co, thus ensuring that delicate fabrics, leathers and other organbuilding paraphernalia remain free from harm and molestation. He is also a reliable source of entertainment for the employees.