Mighty Wurlitzer Summer Organ Concert

Organist: Betty Keppler 

The Renaissance is pleased to announce that the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ will once again play beautiful music in our 2012 Summer Organ Concert Series after being out of commission for a series of repairs!  Four concerts are planned with two dates also showing a classic movie.  All four concerts are free, however, a donation is greatly appreciated to help us to maintain this wonderful instrument.  The organists will be listed at a later date.

The 2012 Summer Organ Concert Series:  

Thursday, July 12 at 1pm: Organ Concert

Thursday, July 26 at 1pm: Organ music & the classic movie My Man Godfrey

Thursday, August 9 at 1pm: Organ Concert

Thursday, August 23 at 1pm: Organ music & the classic movie Nothing Sacred 

The Renaissance WurliTzer Opus 2022 was originally built in WurliTzer’s North Tonawanda, New York factory in 1928 for Warner Brothers Vitaphone Company and installed in the Sunset Boulevard Studio in Hollywood in 1929. It was built for scoring “talkies” and beefing up the studio orchestra. The organ was used for recordings and radio shows throughout the 30’s & 40’s. In 1955, this organ was purchased by Joe Kearns. Kearns, best known for his roles as the vault-keeper on the Jack Benny radio show and as Mr. Wilson on TV’s “Dennis the Menace” series, had been a professional theatre organist in Utah. Mr Kearns actually built a home around this instrument in Hollywood, California. The Renaissance purchased the organ in 1985.