Happy Holiday with the Wurlitzer Organ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
{please include in all calendar listings}
[high-resolution images available upon request]

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CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT:     Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer
featuring theatre-organist Jelani Eddington, with special guests, the School for Creative and Performing Arts Children’s Choir   
WHEN:     Thursday, December 16, 2010 • 10:30 AM & 7:00 PM
WHERE:  Music Hall Ballroom
PRICES:  $25 / $20 (students/seniors)
INFO:       There’s nothing quite like the unique sound of the Albee Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer – an orchestra and more all in one organ! Acclaimed theater organist Jelani Eddington will perform holiday favorites with all of the bells, whistles, and special effects that only an instrument as grand as the Mighty Wurlitzer can create!  Relive your memories of yesterday as you create new memories of tomorrow with your friends and family!

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now
•    www.CincinnatiArts.ORG  
•    (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
•    Aronoff Center Ticket Office
•    Group Sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157
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CINCINNATI, OH – The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall (SPMH) is pleased to announce its second organ concert in the Music Hall Ballroom – Happy Holiday’s with the Mighty Wurlitzer – on Thursday, December 16 at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM.   SPMH dedicated the Albee Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer on November 28, 2009 during a sold-out inaugural concert at the organ’s new home in the historic Music Hall Ballroom.  The holiday concert is being presented in cooperation with the Ohio Valley Chapter of the American Organ Society.

Tickets are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.ORG, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office.  

There’s nothing quite like the unique sound of the Albee Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer – an orchestra and more all in one organ! Acclaimed theater organist Jelani Eddington will perform holiday favorites with all of the bells, whistles, and special effects that only an instrument as grand as the Mighty Wurlitzer can create!  Special guests will include The School for Creative and Performing Arts Children’s Choir and, direct from the North Pole, Santa Claus!  This memorable holiday concert promises to be a fun and festive event for the entire family.

“If you have memories of the excitement of a Mighty Wurlitzer concert, it's still just as fun and joyous as you might remember,” said Don Siekmann, SPMH President.  “If you haven’t experienced a Mighty Wurlitzer performance, this concert will surely lift your spirits. It’s a wonderful holiday treat for the entire family, and will have audiences leaving Music Hall with a smile in their hearts and a bounce in their steps.”

The Mighty Wurlitzer was installed in the ornate Albee Theater on Fountain Square in December 1927 – one of only 2,200 theatre-organs produced at that time to accompany silent feature films.  When talkies took over in 1929, the theatre organ was mainly silenced.  The Albee organ was donated to the Emery Theatre in 1969 (where it played for movies and other events) and was partially rebuilt by the Ohio Valley Organ Club. It was removed from the Emery in 1999, and put into storage.  

The leadership at SPMH thought the historic Music Hall Ballroom would be an ideal location for the instrument, and in June 2007, Ronald F. Wehmeier, Inc., Pipe Organ Service in Cincinnati was contacted to completely rebuild and install the Wurlitzer. A donor foundation funded the entire project in the amount of $1,410,000.00.  Only a small number of Wurlitzers of this size still exist, and Cincinnati (the home of the Wurlitzer Company) is one of the few cities in the country to have an instrument of this quality.

The Wurlitzer was expanded in tonal colors and effects, from 19 ranks of pipes to 31 ranks (a rank is made up of 61 pipes, and represents orchestral sounds, such as trumpets, flutes, tubas, strings, etc.).  A full array of percussion effects is also present – xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, chimes, and even a large Steinway grand – all playable from the giant three keyboard and pedal console, decorated in 22-karat gold leaf.  Wind for the pipes is provided by a 15 HP high pressure turbine, the electrical switching is controlled by computer, and pipes range in size from 16 feet to the size of a pencil.  In addition, the Wurlitzer is now fully computerized, so that it can be played without an organist through a digital input system.

Jelani Eddington
Jelani Eddington is one of the most prominent and sought-after theatre-organists on the concert circuit today. During the course of his concert career, Jelani has been featured at numerous national and regional conventions of the American Theatre Organ Society, and has toured extensively throughout the world, including numerous concert appearances in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. He has also accompanied numerous silent films and appears regularly at film series. In 2007, Jelani accompanied the classic film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for an international organ festival in Finland on the country’s largest pipe organ.

Jelani has also produced and marketed over 30 theatre organ albums on some of the best-known and most dynamic instruments in the country. In August 2001, the American Theatre Organ Society honored Jelani’s extensive career as a concert and recording organist by naming him the 2001 Theatre Organist of the Year. Jelani retains the distinction of being the youngest-ever recipient of this prestigious honor.

For a full bio, visit Jelani’s website at http://www.rjeproductions.com .

The School for Creative and Performing Arts Children’s Choir
This acclaimed youth choir, under the direction of SCPA vocal department chair, Laurie Wyant, has performed on numerous occasions with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Eric Kunzel, and at events throughout the Tri-state region.

The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall
The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall (SPMH) is a non-profit organization that provides ongoing financial and volunteer support toward maintaining and improving Cincinnati's historic Music Hall. SPMH members are volunteers from all walks of life who are dedicated to the continuing preservation of Music Hall as a national historic monument and promoting it as one of the world's foremost performing arts, entertainment and rental facilities.

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