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Theatre Pipe Organs
I have been a theatre organist and member of the American Theatre
Organ Society (ATOS) most of my life, primarily in California.
I now live in La Crosse, Wisconsin, but by a happy coincidence,
a local ATOS chapter
has formed (the La
Crosse Scenic Bluffs Chapter), so the adventure continues. We are
now restoring a small Wurlitzer pipe organ to its 1922
glory. The organ has been returned to its original home,
the Temple Theatre (currently under renovation)
in Viroqua. Please visit our Chapter's website,
and I'll keep you updated on our progress! |
I was somewhat younger
when this picture was taken at the four-manual Kimball in the
famous Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles. |
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Here are a few links to help you learn more about the “King of Instruments.”
The aforementioned American Theatre Organ Society is the organization devoted to the preservation and presentation of theatre organs throughout the United States and the rest of the world. They hold an annual convention, usually during the first week of July.
The Theatre Organ Home Page is another really swell resource. Check it out.
George Wright,
seen here giving me an autograph, is considered perhaps the greatest
organist ever to preside over the Mighty Wurlitzer. Beginning around
1950, he recorded over 50 albums, and he was among the
first theatre organists to explore several possibilities
of technology:
- stereophonic recording in 1956
- direct-to-disk recording in 1977
- digital recording in the 1980s
You can check out the George Wright recordings currently available on CD at the BANDA Records Web site and even place an order online. Sadly, George passed away on May 10, 1998. |
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By the way, as a student during the 1930s, George helped install the pipe
organ at Grant Union High School in Sacramento, CA (pictured above), where
I recorded my album, Gary Konas...On Broadway! 45
years later. I wrote a magazine article detailing
this experience.
Check out the Web sites of these fine organists too:
- Jelani Eddington is one of the hottest theatre organists around. It seems as if he comes out with a new CD every month. How does he do it? Most notably, he transcribes orchestral works, such as Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, playing both the orchestral and piano parts! He's also a board member of the American Theatre Organ Society.
- Hector Olivera is one of the
world's great organ virtuosos. If you've never seen him play "Flight
of the Bumble Bee" with only his feet, you've lived an impoverished
existence.
- Walt Strony became one of my
favorites when I first saw him in Chicago in 1977 when he was only
22. He's still one of the top theatre
organists, as well as being in demand as an organ voicer and Allen
Organ rep. He wrote "the book" on theatre organ registration.
- Felix Hell was born
in Germany in 1985 and is rapidly becoming one of the hottest classical
organists anywhere. I saw him perform in Winona, MN when he was
only 15 years old. He left me thinking, "Hell, I wish I could play
that well!"
In November 2006 he performed the complete organ works of Bach at the Peabody
Institute--10 recitals in 4 days!
Let’s hear it for the “plug-in”
Finally, we can't all have pipe organs in our homes. Today there are digital electronic organs that do a good job of simulating true pipe-organ grandeur. Some of the best of the "plug-ins" are made by the Allen Organ Company. For $50,000–125,000, they should sound good!
And let's give equal time to Walker Organ,
which, like Allen, manufactures huge theatre-style electronic organs.
If you don't have at least $100K to spend, fugedabadit. Sigh.
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