Summer 2015

In this issue…

AGO Convention Free Concerts —Page 4

Movie Night

August 24 —Pg 6 Bach’s Supper —

Monday July 6

Upcoming Events Organ Pavilion: Organ Concert 2 p.m. on Sundays

June 5 to July 5—San Diego County Fair featur-

ing daily concerts by Carol Williams 5-5:30 p.m.

www.SDFair.com

Monday June 22—Opening Concert of the Centen-

nial Summer International Organ Festival 7:30 p.m.

See inside for full concert schedule.

June 28 to July 2—West Region Convention of the

American Guild of Organists. Free public organ

concerts listed inside.

July 6—Bach’s Supper—preceding the Monday

night concert by Christian Elliott.

August 10—Annual Spreckels Organ Society Mem-

bership Meeting, 5:30 p.m. in the Santa Fe Room of

the Balboa Park Club.

August 16—Closing ceremonies of the America’s

Finest City Half Marathon.

Oct. 31—Halloween night at the Organ Pavilion.

Dec. 13—Holiday Fundraising Gala at the Admiral

Kidd Club, overlooking the Parade of Lights in San

Diego Harbor.

This photo by Mike Cox is the one chosen to herald the 28th annual series produced by

the Spreckels Organ Society, the Centennial International Summer Organ Festival. The

11-concert festival begins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 22 when former Civic Organist

Jared Jacobsen joins Civic Organist Emeritus Robert Plimpton in a musical tribute to

civic organs such as this one. A newly-commissioned work, the “Balboa Bolero,” will

also premiere that night. The performance will be webcast: www.SpreckelsOrgan.org.

See page 3 for a listing of all this summer’s Monday evening organ concerts at the

Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

CCCENTENNIALENTENNIALENTENNIAL IIINTERNATIONALNTERNATIONALNTERNATIONAL SSSUMMERUMMERUMMER OOORGANRGANRGAN FFFESTIVALESTIVALESTIVAL

Fixtures for the Organ Pavilion’s distinctive Tivoli

lights are on display at Lindbergh Field’s Terminal 2 as

part of “Balboa Park & the City” art exhibit. More

than 3,000 of these light fixtures were painstakingly

replaced by the City several years ago. Today the new

LED lights use just 20% of the electricity that the old

bulbs did.

Drive to 5000 Nears Completion

At press time, the Crommorne rank

had 21 pipes left, valued at $12,830 in

needed pledges. An anonymous donor is

matching each pipe on the Crommorne

rank with ones on the Vox Humana, so

all who sponsor a pipe see their money

doubled. When this rank is complete, the

Drive to 5000 Pipes will be fully funded!

Soon San Diego’s treasured civic organ

will be the World’s Largest Outdoor Or-

gan once again, thanks to the hundreds of

families who have sponsored pipes.

Pavilion Boasts

Reconditioned Benches

The 582 metal benches in the Organ

Pavilion that date from the early 1980s

have been reconditioned for the first time

thanks to a $60,000 project of the Park &

Recreation Department. R.W. Little of San

Diego sandblasted and gave a powder coat

enameling to each bench at a cost of about

$100 apiece in a project that went from

February 5 to May 31. The City’s custodi-

al staff and support services transferred the

benches in rain and sunshine every week

and today they’re all done, even the green

ones around the perimeter!

Bach’s supper

Monday,

July 6, 2015

The traditional “Bach’s Supper” is “Red White and Blue” this year on the lawn across the street from the Spreckels Or-gan Pavilion!

$35 per person ($25 for children 12 and under).

5:30 pm: wine, Soda AND BEER

6:00 PM: FOURTH OF JULY FARE

Concert at 7:30 p.m. – Christian Elliott plays American popular favorites!

BEER Donated by:

Mike Hess brewing

Registration deadline JuLY 1.

Sign up Online at EventBrite, or

Complete this form and mail

with your payment to:

Spreckels Organ Society Special Events Committee c/o Jack Lasher 2756 Ariane Dr. #131 San Diego CA 92117

Please reserve for ____ adults at $35 each. Total: ______

Please reserve for ____ children at $25 each. Total: ______

Add _____ Signed Centennial DVDs ($25 each) ______

Total payment: ______

LIST THE NAMES in your party with your payment. Spreckels Organ Society: 501(c)3 Tax ID: #33-0299072.

My Name: __________________________________________________ My Address: _______________________________________________ City / State / Zip: __________________________________________ Phone: _________________ E-mail: ___________________________ Method of Payment: Check (Payable to: Spreckels Organ Society) Credit Card # ___________________________________________

Expiration Date: _____________________ Circle One: VISA MasterCard Amex

Cardholder Signature: ___________________________________

For more information contact Jack Lasher: john.lasher5@gmail.com or (tel) 858-483-1326

Dear Musical Friends, Soon the International Summer

Organ Festival will be here and this is

the special year we have all be waiting

for.

Robert Plimpton and Jared Jacob-

sen have a fantastic opening concert -

this is a must!.

The whole season is very exciting

and I have to thank my program com-

mittee for all the hard work they have

put in.

For the month of June, I will be the organist for the San Diego

County Fair. This is a first for this annual San Diego event. A trib-

ute to the 100th Anniversary of Balboa Park has been set up and a

replica of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. I shall be playing a Rodg-

ers Infinity 484 - wow what an instrument.

Every night at 5pm I shall give a concert.

Also in June, I will release a CD of all my compositions - I have

written for organ (obviously!); piano; violin and organ; soprano and

organ and bagpipes and organ.

It has been a rewarding project which has taken a few years.

Well, that is for now folks - back to rehearsing.

Best Wishes,

Doc Carol

Dear Fellow Members of the

Spreckels Organ Society, In preparation for this Centennial

Celebration Year, the Spreckels Organ

Society has worked to build bridges

with our many friends in Balboa Park

and throughout San Diego. Much cred-

it should be given to our tireless Exec-

utive Director, Ross Porter, for these

connections and the general goodwill

we enjoy in the community. Since as-

suming his fulltime position in January of this year, Ross has

"done it all”--running the office, creating weekly programs and

marketing materials, processing your generous membership

checks, greeting concert audiences, and attending all manner of

meetings in Balboa Park, helping the Society to play a vital part

in what he describes as "our circle of friendship." When you see

Ross, do thank him! (Look for him with top hat and beard, look-

ing every bit the 1915 gentleman.)

But thanks in abundance surely must go to Dr. Carol Williams

for her exceptional musicianship, wonderful programming, and

her outreach in San Diego and beyond. I'm now thinking in par-

ticular of Carol's just-concluded Marathon Concert in support of

Operation Rebound. For 12 hours and 15 minutes, Carol kept the

music going at the Spreckels Organ -- breaking a record for time

at the console and raising a record amount for this exceptionally

worthy non-profit. Kudos to Carol!

And now it’s almost Opening Night of the Centennial Sum-

mer International Organ Festival. You won't want to miss a sin-

gle Monday night. Some of the brightest stars in the organ world

will be on our stage, performing a wonderful mix of repertoire

and styles. Note that our Bach's Supper will not be on opening

night, but rather on July 6: an American patriotic themed picnic

on the lawn across the street from the Pavilion. Please come!

Finally, anyone who has not yet purchased a pipe as part of

the "Drive to 5000" should do so quickly. We have only a part of

one rank of pipes (Crommorne) left. If you would like to contrib-

ute to this effort, and perhaps have one or more pipes dedicated

to you, your family, or an organization, you need to act quickly.

It would be wonderful if you could "put us over the top."

See you at the Pavilion on Sundays, and, starting June 22, on

Monday nights! Remember, together we make it happen.

George Hardy, President

Page 2 StopTab Summer 2015

StopTab: A Quarterly published by the

SPRECKELS ORGAN SOCIETY 1549 El Prado, Suite 10, San Diego CA 92101-1661

(619) 702-8138 / SOSorgan@gmail.com / SpreckelsOrgan.org

Board of Trustees Officers

Chair of the Board - Vivian Evenson

President - George Hardy

Vice President - Randy Ward

Treasurer - Clifford McMillan

Secretary - Jean Samuels

Trustees

Edward Barr Jack Lasher

Mitch Beauchamp Max Nanis

Andrea Card David Nesvig

Len Filomeo Dang Nguyen

Dennis Fox Marion Persons

Richard Griswold Lynn Reaser

Charles Gunther Paulette Rodgers-Leahy

Pamela Hartwell Spencer Scott

Ralph Hughes Barbara Truglio

Jared Jacobsen Tony Uribe

Sean Jones Tony Valencia

Thomas Warschauer

Ex-Officio Trustees

Lyle Blackinton—Curator Emeritus

Ross Porter—Executive Director & StopTab Editor

Dale Sorenson—Curator

Dr. Carol Williams—Artistic Director & San Diego Civic Organist

Photography: Robert Lang, Mike Cox, Spreckels Organ Society

On March 21, an all-day choral event, San Diego Sings!, brought 20

choirs and choruses to the Pavilion, including the Martin Luther

King, Jr. Choir. Kudos to the San Diego Choral Consortium for this

first-ever event!

Page 3 StopTab Summer 2015

Page 4 StopTab Summer 2015

Centennial Programming Bonus

The Centennial magic continues as the Heliotrope

Ragtime Orchestra brings a bit of 1915 to the sum-

mer concert audience on July 6. This local band

that specializes in authentic sounds from the early

20th Century will entertain at the Bach’s Supper

and in the Pavilion prior to the start of the organ

concert by Christian Elliott.

New DVD this Summer!

Produced by Bell Video and the Spreckels Organ Society, this

DVD captures the magic of the 100th anniversary celebration of the

great Spreckels Organ, from rehearsals and preparation to the mar-

velous entrance parade and concluding fireworks. Special thanks to

The Thursday Club for making this production possible!

Highlights of the Spreckels Organ Centennial Concert

December 31, 2014

With performances by:

Sam Bass, MC (KyXy 96.5 FM San Diego)

Dr. Carol Williams, Organ

House of Scotland Pipe Band

Cameron Highlanders Pipe Band

Robert Plimpton, Organ

Karen Rokos, Harp

Westwind Brass

Dr. John Russell, Conductor

The Spreckels Centennial Choir

Jared Jacobsen, Demonstration of the Spreckels Organ

Available this summer at the Gift Shop for $25 each! The perfect

gift for San Diegans, whether vintage or newly-minted, and a won-

derful souvenir of the Spreckels Organ for any music lover.

Page 5 StopTab Summer 2015

Centennial Display—Downtown Library

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is the focus of this display pan-

el, one of four created by Heritage Architecture & Planning to

mark the Centennial of the Panama-California Exposition in Bal-

boa Park. You can find it on the first floor of the new Main Li-

brary downtown.

June 28 to July 2

Concert Schedule All concerts are open to the public.

A free-will offering will be collected.

Register to fully participate in the convention and

have access to workshops and meals.

Details at:

www.agosandiego2015.org

Welcome to American Guild of Organists!

Page 7 StopTab Summer 2015

Thanks to this intrepid

team of volunteer scrapbook-

ers from the Casa de Manana,

the clippings and photos of

the Society's recent events are

saved in beautiful form. Left

to right: Robin Suarez, Ilene

Schroers, and Ken Suarez.

Volunteers are sought for

help at concerts and at the

Spreckels office. Greeting,

sales, docent work, key office

tasks, and leadership are all

done by volunteers. Inquire at

the Gift Shop or Membership

Table at any concert.

Page 6 StopTab Summer 2015

Society Memberships Are Up in 2015

Starting the annual membership campaign with a mailing at

the holidays and following up with a reminder letter that went

out in April, the Society is seeing longtime friends re-joining at

greater rates while new members flock to support this unique

civic asset. Already we’re up to 900 people who have brought

their memberships current in 2015, with a goal of 1,200 for the

year. This summer we’ll ask those in the big concert audiences

to join us for the first time. Help us out by giving membership

as a gift, or inviting someone to a Spreckels Organ concert for

the first time. Members at the Magnaton level or above are

listed in the Summer Organ Festival program book each year.

We can’t say “thank you” enough!

Brunch, Concert and Tour May 9

About 100 people enjoyed a Prado-catered brunch at the House of Hospitality, followed by an intimate concert by Carol Williams and an

exclusive insiders tour of the Spreckels Organ by Dale Sorenson leading the curatorial team. Photos by Mike Cox tell the story.

Carol’s 12-Hour+ Organ Concert

Sunday, May 24 at 8 a.m., about a dozen people sang the na-

tional anthem as Carol Williams began to play. By noon the ter-

races and seating areas were awash with people curious to hear

the great organ and learn more about the cause for which Carol

was working so hard.

Volunteers from the Challenged Athletes Project joined with

about a dozen more from the Spreckels Organ Society to greet

the crowds. In the Pavilion, representatives from the Veterans

Museum, San Diego Diplomacy Council, and American Guild of

Organists had information and activities. Veteran and artist Tony

LoBue offered a special art project, encouraging the creation of

more than 300 hand-made cards that were delivered to the Navy

Medical Center San Diego.

Kids, dogs, passing tourists, and awestruck music lovers

heard Gershwin and Sousa medleys, "Fanfare for the Common

Man," the Widor Toccata, Tournemire's "Te Deum," "Swinging

Bach," more medleys from Phantom of the Opera and The

Sound of Music, the recently exhumed 1915 Exposition March

composed for San Diego by Fred Stansfield, and the recently

written work of Carol Williams herself including "Twilight," the

"Venus Toccata," and the "Centennial Fanfare."

On the stage, State Senator Marty Block led a host of digni-

taries that included Larry Baza, Chairman of the San Diego

Commission for Arts & Culture, Balboa Park Ranger Kim Du-

clo, Kathleen Winchester of the Daughters of the American Rev-

olution, Bruce Warren of the Balboa Theatre Foundation, Wayne

Louth of World Me-

morial, Stacey Zeitlin

of the Humane Socie-

ty, and others brought

on by hosts Robert

Santos of 10 News

and Luis Cruz of U-T

TV. A midday ap-

pearance by the

House of Scotland

Band of pipers was a

big hit.

Nico Marcolongo and others representing Operation Rebound

were onhand to cheer throughout the day as the audience gave gen-

erously. The final donations received in person totaled more than

$5,000, while online receipts were at more than $13,000, putting

Carol well on the way to her $20,000 goal. Of course there's still

time to donate, at www.Melcot.com.

As darkness gathered, the Pavilion lights blinked on to encourage

Carol's last 45 minutes. Mezzo soprano Martha Jane Weaver and

dramatic reader Walter Ritter of Write Out Loud were on stage to

lend poignant meaning to this Memorial Day Weekend occasion.

Finally at 8:15 Carol finished the last toccata, surrounded by well-

wishers from the volunteer team. After 12 hours and fifteen

minutes, the marvelous musical marathon had come to a successful

conclusion.

Movie Night August 24

Organist Donald MacKenzie has

selected a comedy by Harold Lloyd,

who attended acting classes here and

graduated from San Diego High

School.

In “For Heaven’s Sake” (1926), J.

Harold Manners (Lloyd) is an uptown

millionaire playboy who falls for

downtown girl, Hope (Ralston) who works in Brother Paul's Mis-

sion. To win Hope’s attention Harold tries to drum up attendance

and winds up being chased by the whole town. Come early to get

your seat! (Photo (c) 2011 The Harold Lloyd Trust )

Exhibits at Airport, Model RR Museum

Spotlight Spreckels Organ Pavilion

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is highlighted in exhibits at

two more locations: San Diego Airport’s Terminal 2, and the

San Diego Model Railroad Museum.

At the airport, four display cases show the Pavilion architec-

tural details and the mechanics of making music. The display,

located near the baggage claim area, can be reached without

going through security.

At the Model Railroad Museum, a miniature Organ Pavilion

is one of several park icons in the outdoor Centennial Railway

Garden, opened in April.

These displays join exhibits at the Downtown Library and at

the San Diego History Center that feature Balboa Park and high-

light the unique Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Girl Scouts surround organist and one-time Girl Scout Alison Luedecke

on May 16 when Alison played for the annual Girl Scouts Bridging Cere-

mony. Thanks, Girl Scouts, for helping with our snack bar this summer!