"The Eastman Bunch" to perform on Feb. 21, 2010
The fourth annual edition of the highly successful collaboration between the Rochester Theater Organ Society and the University of Rochester's world renowned Eastman School of Music to take place at Rochester's Auditorium Theater.
The fourth annual edition of the highly successful collaboration between the Rochester Theater Organ Society and the University of Rochester's world renowned Eastman School of Music to take place at Rochester's Auditorium Theater.
Since 2007 this ground-breaking event has presented ESM students and their instructors in concert on the famed RTOS - Grierson 4/23 Wurlitzer as part of our yearly concert series each February as these aspiring organists strike out beyond their usual regimen of classical organ studies to explore the joys of Theatre Organ performance in an authentic setting before an audience that thrives on the music of the Mighty Wurlitzer. In the fall of 2006, Jon Ortloff, then an ESM student, with the encouragement of the ESM organ department's David Higgs and William Porter brought the idea to RTOS where it took root and has grown into an annual event that each year exposes more and more people who we would normally never reach to the thrills of theatre organ music. Capping an unprecedented three day weekend Pipedreams Live event last year, American Public Media's Michael Barone presided as Eastman faculty and students brought down the house before a cheering audience of nearly 1200.
This year, led by Professor Porter and Doctoral candidate David Baskeyfield no less than eight performers are spending long hours braving the unheated theater to hone their skills as each prepares for his or her opportunity to experience the thrill of applause as they put their skills to the test.
David Higgs, Chairman of ESM's organ department, is currently spearheading an effort to expand interest in theatre organ performance at Eastman and has a stated goal of establishing a certificate course in its instruction making use of the two RTOS Wurlitzer organs and eventually acquiring and installing a suitable theatre pipe organ at the school as a teaching and practice instrument. Admittedly an ambitious and long term endeavor, success will go a long way toward ensuring a bright future for our instruments and performers.
Russ Shaner - February 9, 2010
