Ring in 2011 with a Pipe Organ Recital

Happy New Year! Soon.

Get 2011 started big by hitting a pipe organ recital this week. Upcoming in the Washington area...

On Sunday, January 2, visit the National Cathedral to hear 10,000+ pipes sing at 5:15pm. More info here.

On Wednesday the 5th, St. John's LaFayette Square in downtown DC has a noontime (12:10pm) recital on their new Lively-Fulcher pipe organ. Anything else? Let us know. Email kingsofthecapital@gmail.com.

Image of the National Cathedral in the public domain via Wikicommons.

Historic Skinners: Cleveland Auditorium

What an instrument. What a building. Awesome.

More on the organ at the American Municipal Pipe Organ Website.

St. John's Lafayette Square - Organ Recital Series Added to Calendar

St. John's Lafayette Square in DC has a fine new Lively-Fulcher pipe organ.

This week we've added the parish's recital series in the calendar, at right. Learn more about the series here. Looks like the next recital on the organ will be January 5.

Image courtesy St. John's website.

New Digital Theatre Organ in Culpeper, VA

Reposted from the Star-Exponent...video of the new digital theatre organ in the Library of Congress Packard Campus theater. Article here, and more information about the theater here.

New Recitals Added - Free State Theatre Organ Society

If you're in Catonsville, MD and interested in hearing a theatre organ, check out the Free State Theatre Organ Society's instrument located in the Spring Grove Hospital Center's Rice Auditorium.

FSTOS recitals are now in the pipe organ recital calendar at right.

Lots more coming up, including a FSTOS recital this Sunday, December 5. Before that, National City Christian continues its recital series at 12:15pm this Friday with NCCC Director of Music Charles Miller at the console.

Image of Shady Grove Hospital Center's Rice Auditorium via FSTOS website.

NYC Gets its Concert Hall Pipes Back

The Big Apple is getting its groove back in the pipe organ world.

According to NYT, the Kuhn instrument is currently the only pipe organ in any major NYC concert hall. It was recently reinstalled and rededicated in Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.

Reporter James Oestreich says, "Now here it was, on Tuesday evening, restored and fitted out with the latest technology to make it more user friendly and give it greater sonic heft."

Now...we'll see if Lincoln Center makes it easy to go hear it. Image from Nils Olander via Wikicommons.

2011 Organ Historical Society Convention Coming to D.C.

New update in the pipe organ recital calendar this week.

The 2011 annual convention of the Organ Historical Society is coming to Washington, D.C. June 27-July 1, 2011.

No word yet on which instruments will be featured - although an OHS Tracker ad for the convention shows an image of the 1969 Reiger at All Souls Unitarian Church in D.C. We'll be sure to publicize details when OHS does.

Pittsburgh was home to the 2010 convention. Click here to see that convention's website.

Image at left is the front cover of this month's OHS journal, The Tracker. It's a gut-wrenching image of the fire-damaged 1918 J.W. Steere & Son Opus 700 at the Baptist Temple in Brooklyn, NY.

Pipe Organ Recital Calendar Updated

Lots more pipe organ recitals for the Washington, D.C. / Northern Virginia / Maryland region added to the calendar this week. Take a look at the right.

In particular...NOVA's local chapter of the American Guild of Organists has a Member Recital Tuesday at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Alexandria.

St. Luke's McLean has a recital at 1 on Wednesday. National City Christian continues their recital series this Friday at 12:15. And the National Cathedral's 10,000 pipes get a workout this Sunday the 21st.

For you Washington, D.C. region theatre organ enthusiasts, head to Frederick, MD to hear the Mighty Wurlitzer at the Weinberg on Saturday. Plus, Richmond's Byrd Theatre always plays its Wurlitzer before the evening movie.

Impromptu Hallelujah Chorus!

Good times with the Wanamaker Organ at Macy's Philadelphia!

Courtesy The Frisky.

Largest Pipe Organ In China

DC Concerts: July 17-18

Sunday, July 18

6pm: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Summer Concert Series

Different this week...hear the Basilica's Crypt Church organ in concert at 6. It's a neat space directly under the main sanctuary.

Hats Off to Hector...and other online programs this week

Streaming now...Pipedreams has a tribute to the great Hector Olivera. (Last week, it was off to the Jersey shore with Live from the Ocean Grove...KOTC missed that post.)

Across the pond, Nigel Ogden on the BBC plays tracks from a recently installed Wurlitzer in The Victoria Hall, Saltaire in Bradford, England. Learn a little more about the Wurlitzer here.

ICYMI Video: Tampa Chapel Installs New Organ

Take a look at these six short videos of the University of Tampa's new Dobson pipe organ, Opus 89. The professionally-shot takes are images of the instrument being installed in the stunning Sykes Chapel. Here's the one of the installation of the pedal pipes:

Listen Live: Sunday, July 4, 5pm - Wanamaker Organ Hour on WRTI

Philadelphia's public radio station WRTI broadcasts and streams today from 5-6pm EDT their monthly program, The Wanamaker Organ Hour. Hosted by Jill Pasternak and Wanamaker organist Peter Richard Conte.

Beyond the Beltway: Concerts for July 2-6

Saturday, July 3

Ocean Grove, NJ

12pm: The historic Ocean Grove Auditorium. Read about organist Gordon Turk. Free.

Richmond, VA

Every Saturday evening, the famous Byrd Theater has a 30-minute theatre organ concert before every film. Call ahead. $1.99 to hear the organ and see the movie.

Tuesday, July 6

New York City

7pm: Riverside Church shows off the second-largest pipe organ in New York City at 12,000 pipes. $20. More info

DC-Area Pipe Organ Concerts: July 2-4

Friday, July 2

7pm - Chevy Chase Presbyterian presents a pre-AGO program of J.S. Bach on their Rieger pipe organ. Free. Before the concert, grab a decaf at Starbucks two blocks down the street on Conn Ave, or catch a matinée at the historic Avalon Theater.

Sunday July 4 - Happy Independence Day!

11:30am - St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Alexandria, VA, presents their Fourth Annual Pipe Organ Fireworks, featuring patriotic favorites. Free. Lots of places for brunch.

2pm - Washington National Cathedral shows off their 10,000-pipe monster organ for its annual Independence Day organ recital. This year features the Washington Symphonic Brass and the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters. Pipedreams host Michael Barone will emcee. Free. Before the concert, have the absolute best fajitas, chips and salsa in town at Cactus Cantina, just a block down the street on Wisconsin Ave.

AGO Concert Schedule July 3-8

It's a big week coming up for many of DC's Kings. Take a look at the American Guild of Organists 2010 Convention concert and event schedule here.

Note that unless you're a paid convention attendee, almost none of the venues are open to the general public. So, pay up!

If you're not an organist, join AGO today as an Independent Member. It's a great way to help show your support for the future of the pipe organ, and plus, you get a really nice monthly magazine, The American Organist.

Listen Now: This Week's Organ Webcasts

An all-organ, all-Bach Pipedreams - what's not to love? Listen in as host Michael Barone travels the world with some lovely organ works from the master himself.

On the lighter side, BBC's Organist Entertains host Nigel Ogden runs through some theatre organ classics from the UK and the U.S.

Listen Now: Pipedreams - Around Bach

Listen Now: BBC's Organist Entertains

Watch Video: CBS News Visits World's Largest Organ

Today: Wanamaker Organ Day in Philadelphia

Looking for something to do today on a hot Saturday? Take a (most of the time) quick drive up to Philadelphia for Wanamaker Organ Day.

The King of King of Instruments has its day in the sun each year to show off its nearly 30,000 pipes, which as KOTC readers know is the largest operating pipe organ in the world.

The Wanamaker organ is played each week day, and twice on Saturday, and has been since 1911.

Pipe Organ Concerts: June 25-27

Sunday, June 27, 6pm

Basilica of the National Shrine of the

Immaculate Conception

Summer Organ Concert Series

A Sunday summer winner! A great chance to hear the rumble and roar of one of the Washington region's largest pipe organs. Before you go, stop off at nearby Colonel Brooks' Tavern for a pre-pipings toddy. The Brookland restaurant and bar has a great selection of regional beers on tap, and has an easygoing, relaxed atmosphere with a solid and well-priced menu of favorites.

Check out Brookland Avenue for more on this charming neighborhood.

Meet the Kings: 1964 Möllers, 1987 Schudi, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Put down the iPad, turn off the iPod, and stop worrying about the Nats' recent dry spell. The Basilica this summer is again hosting a summer recital series on its three magnificent pipe organs - and what better place to hear the live roar and rumble of these modern-day giants!

According to their website, the two M.P. Moller organs of the Basillica's Upper Church, one in back and one next to the High Alter in the Chancel, were built in 1965. They're played by identical 4-manual consoles located in both the South Gallery (back loft) and in the Chancel. The instruments total 9,393 pipes, 157 stops, and 172 ranks. That's a lot of pipes.

In addition, the architectually-stunning Crypt Church, located directly under the main sanctuary floor, is home to a 1987 two-manual instrument of 25 ranks and 1,355 pipes, built by the Schudi firm.

Concerts run every Sunday evening through August 29. Directions.

Listen Now: This Week's Pipedreams from DC

The countdown to the AGO National Convention in DC continues.

This week, Pipedreams host Michael Barone features several well known pipe organs from the area, some of which will be featured during the AGO convention.

'Capitol Pleasures' includes (among others) the National Cathedral's 1973 Aeolian-Skinner; the 1951 Moeller from St. Matthew's Cathedral downtown; and the splendid 1970 Aeolian-Skinner at National Presbyterian. Listen now.

BTW, what do you think about Dirksen's hymn, Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore him?

Get to Know a Builder: Lewis & Hitchcock

Lewis & Hitchcock is an important local builder in the Washington region. According to their website, the firm's founders - Theodore C. Lewis and William I. Hitchcock - came to the area in 1915 as installers of the National Cathedral's original E.M. Skinner organ in the Bethlehem Chapel.

Continuing from their website, "Mr. Lewis was a voicer and Mr. Hitchcock had been the factory foreman and installation supervisor for Skinner. Thus they knew the Skinner organ and how to build a similar instrument without violating patents. All the early Lewis & Hitchcock organs were very much like Skinner instruments.

"In the 1950's they developed a new form of electro-pneumatic action that was used until Mr. Hitchcock's death in 1967. At that time the firm was purchased by George Payne, who had apprenticed with the firm.

"Under his direction the first mechanical and electric action organs were built. During his tenure the firm expanded by incorporating the Newcomer Organ Company, the Roggman Organ Service and the Lent Organ Service companies. Mr. Payne in turn sold the firm to men who had apprenticed at Lewis & Hitchcock - David McCahan, Gerald Piercey and Dave Selby. The firm continues to offer quality church organs that can play the literature, through the building of new organs, the rebuilding of existing instruments and quality pipe organ service work." Lewis & Hitchcock website.

Pipe Organ Concerts for June 18-24

Sunday, June 20, 6pm

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Summer Organ Concert Series