LOOKING AFTER THE Ex BLACK'S REGAL / ODEON, MIGHTY COMPTON (3/9) ORGAN BASED AT RYHOPE COMMUNITY CENTRE SR2 0RX
Next Concert...Sunday 17th April 2016 with Paul Roberts.
We welcome to the console Paul Roberts on the 17th April at 2.30pm. Paul travels from his home in Somerset to play for us in a concert that has been most generously supported by the "Theatre Organ Club". Paul was born in Warrington in 1960 and from any early age expressed his interest in music studying piano, classical organ and clarinet. For over 30 years he has been prominent on the UK and Europe concert circuits and has made 35 tours of the USA and Canada. We are assured of an afternoon of musical delights from this talented and popular organist.
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| Paul on keyboard. |
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| Paul Roberts |
Use the side red door entrance on Black Road, doors open 2pm for 2.30pm prompt start. Interval refreshments included in the admission ticket.
Review of our last concert...
Our opening concert for the 2016 season featured the extremely talented young organist Christian Cartwright who travelled from his home near Ashton under Lyne to play for us. Christian has played here in 2009, is a well known and popular organist on the UK circuit, resident organist at "Pipes in the Peaks", and has played in North America at a number of venues. He is self-taught and indeed has made his own arrangements of the popular tunes he plays. He began his programme with a rousing march followed by a selection of Strauss waltzes recently made famous again by Andre Rieu. A few tunes in the "Blackpool" style followed, then "Pasadena", "One alone", and "You belong to me". Christian played "My heart will go on" from the film "Titanic", old photographs and a clip from the film accompanied the music. We remembered Petula Clark and Cilla Black with a few tunes from the 1960's, and some excellent projected views of the "big apple" accompanied "New York-New York". It is Her Majesty the Queen's 90th birthday in April and Christian played a medley of tunes popular in her birth year of 1926. There followed a 1950's selection including "Answer Me", then some 60's music made popular by the "Beatles". A really splendid afternoon's listening pleasure by a very accomplished young organist.
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| Christian at the console. |
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| Christian made "light work" of the Compton. |
Other News...
In June, we are happy to announce that the popular organist Andrew Nix will make a welcome return to the console on Sunday, June 19th at 2.30pm. He last performed for us in 2014 when he shared the concert with Tony Stace. Andrew is a Ryhope favourite and has appeared here a number of times. He was born in Selby (1968) and by age ten, an interest in organs became apparent. By sixteen he was playing a few nights a week at local venues (Working Men's Clubs) and age seventeen he was appointed organist and musical director for a holiday camp organisation which included "Butlins". He has performed for organ societies countrywide, and since 2000 has toured with a Roland Atelier to organisations and venues that do not have their own. We are assured of a varied programme from Ballads to Latin...Marches to Songs from the Shows. It will be an afternoon of musical delights...not to be missed.
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| Andrew Nix |
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| Andrew with Tony Stace at Ryhope in 2014. |
Sunday 21st August...Joe Marsh
Sunday 18th September...Bob Chilton (proceeds to Macmillan cancer)
Sunday 16th October...Cameron Lloyd
Sunday 11th December...Chris Powell
A few from the Sunderland Compton Organ archives...
Peter Lish played in concert a number of times at Ryhope, and was a strong supporter of the Society until his most untimely and sadly all too premature death. This cover from a cassette recording shows Peter at the console of the WurliTzer installed in the James Finegan Hall at Eston (Teesside). The WurliTzer is a model 3c/8 rank and was originally installed in the Granada cinema Bedford in 1934. Peter was patron of the Langbaurgh Theatre Organ Society whose members were responsible for installing the organ in the James Finegan Hall in conjunction with the Langbaurgh Borough Council.
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| Cover from the recording of Peter playing the WuliTzer at James Finegan Hall, Eston. |
The advert for John Compton Organs appeared in the 1930's and referred to the new Compton 3 manual 9 rank installation for the Black's Regal theatre/cinema in Holmeside, Sunderland. It refers to the well known North East musical director and organist Arnold Eagle who was present at the opening in 1932.
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| 1930's advert for John Compton organs. |
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| Carlo Curley at the console with founder member Peter Brigham. |
posted by Neville
for concert & organ information
email. ryhopecomptonorgan@gmail.co.uk
Society membership forms available at concerts or members meetings or apply through the email address.
The Society has a "Facebook" page just type in the search.. Sunderland Theatre Organ Preservation Society.
Concert details available on "organfax.co.uk"
