Volume 56, Number 3 March-April 2021

Official Newsletter of The Rochester Theater Organ Society Inc.

The Rochester Theater Organ Society The Brett Miller concert is Proudly Presents a virtual concert and is available only on YouTube. Virtually Yours….. The Auditorium Theatre is NOT open. Live streaming on YouTube will begin on Saturday, April 17, 2021. To view the concert, search YouTube for: “Rochester Theater Organ Society”

He has been featured as a pianist at the Pennsylvania District Orchestra and in October 2018 at the New York All-State Band and Orchestra ensemble. Aside from music, Brett enjoys Photo by Bob Bower traveling, biking, skiing, and Join us in welcoming this exciting new artist for his spending time with family and premiere performance on the RTOS Mighty Wurlitzer friends. He studies theatre organ with Jelani Eddington and has A Salute to RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre Featuring played as a featured organist at his church in Bucks County PA, the A Cornucopia of All-Time Favorites From Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Broadway and Hollywood! PA, Union County Performing Arts, Stephen Sondheim - Lerner & Loewe Rahway, NJ, Loews Jersey Julie Stein - Lin-Manuel Miranda - Jerry Herman Theater in Jersey City, NJ, the Marvin Hamlisch - John Williams Brooks Performing Arts Center in and Richard Rogers “ Slaughter on 10th Avenue ” Clemson, SC, and the Trenton, NJ War Memorial. In Fall 2018, Brett Brett Miller was the youngest of the White House Student Film opened for the sold out the three finalists in the ATOS Festival honorable mention for a appearance of George R.R. Martin, Young Organist Competition in film featuring their community author of the Game of Thrones, June of 2018. He has attended service work. Brett was also the and on New Year’s Eve was and performed organ concerts recipient of the Kohl’s Care, featured on the Möller with the and silent films for the past five Prudential Spirit of Community Capital Philharmonic at the Trenton years around Pennsylvania, New Awards as well as the Music and War Memorial. Jersey, and New York area as Spirit award for his high school Brett is currently studying at the well as Chicago and Boston. He and marching band. He is a Eastman School of Music to pursue recently played for the 35 mm member of the Philadelphia Youth a BM in Music Education. Since Film Fest Awards Program Orchestra Organization where he moving to Rochester he has honoring the Library of Congress received an award in May of 2019 embraced the Rochester Theater and their work. Along with his for his performance of the Leroy Organ Society and participated in brother, he founded Anderson Piano Concerto. Brett the 2020 Tim Schramm RTOS “musicalpromise.org ” a musical also performed in his high school Holiday program. He is thrilled to initiative to help fund the Juvenile band and jazz ensemble where he be performing his debut solo Diabetes Research Foundation. was recognized at the Cavalcade concert on the RTOS Wurlitzer at Brett and his brother received Champions as a superior soloist. RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre.

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Rochester Theater Organ Society President’s Letter (Founded 1964) PO Box 17114 Rochester, NY 14617 While the world has been turned upside down, your RTOS Concerts & Info: (585) 234-2295 Board has been busy at work. We continue to maintain contact http://www.rtosonline.org with the Auditorium Theatre and monitor current laws in effect ————————— that affect our ability to offer live concerts. We have brain- M C stormed ways of offering programs this calendar year. We Ken Wilson have met monthly on Zoom, even holding our Annual Meeting 11 Bly St. on Zoom on January 6 with several members attending. Rochester, NY 14620 Highlights of the last several months: (585) 690-5479 [email protected] Several repair projects were completed on our organs. David Peckam rebuilt the vibraphone last summer and attended to several Membership (from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 ) minor maintenance problems with the 4/23. Kevin Scott, Andrew Magin, and Full: $75.00 Mark Smith completed a re-leathering project on the Eisenhart organ. Assoc.: (50+ miles from Roch): $55.00 Student (age 18-24 with ID): $45.00 We continue to assess long overdue refurbishing of the 4/23 blower and —————————— issues with our aging chamber humidifiers. Bob Bower, Roger Wood, and B E Russ Shaner are working on needed upgrades to our concert recording system. Laura Finger Bob Bower has received permission from several previous artists to put their 22 Blue Avocado Ln. concerts on the RTOS YouTube channel. Bob and Richard Neidich are Rochester, NY 14623 preparing these virtual concerts and will soon add them to the channel. Be (585) 298-9786 sure to check the RTOS YouTube channel regularly for new content. [email protected] —————————— Our first online Christmas concert, “ We Need A Little Christmas ”, produced O C and created by Tim Schramm and Bob Bower, has been viewed over 3000 Martin Ippolito times to date! We are grateful to the administration of RBTL for sending out an PO Box 17438 email blast to their members announcing our program. Rochester, NY 14617 Richard Neidich, a charter member of RTOS, has worked with Bob Bower to (585) 266-6337 create a wonderful new website. The website is very user friendly and offers —————————— history and pictures from the beginning of RTOS. Additionally, the website P C offers easy access to information on the next event/program, membership Russ Shaner information, donation information, and contacts. Russ Shaner has updated the (585) 266-2854 history of all concerts/artists offered by RTOS. See new website at the same [email protected] place on the internet: www.rtosonline.org Our secretary Ken Wilson has been working on revising our membership Visit the RTOS website at: information and mailing. He is keeping members informed with his email blasts www.rtosonline.org in between the issues of the Blower . Be sure to add your email to our growing list if you haven't yet done it.

Shopping on Amazon? Although we have had very limited use of the Auditorium Theatre because To direct your support to RTOS, type the RPO has been using it to record their virtual concerts, we were able to have smile.amazon.com in your web Brett Miller practice and record our new virtual concert. We are pleased to be browser and enter “Rochester Theater able to offer this concert and we welcome Brett to the Rochester community. Organ Society” as your charity. We have reviewed the RTOS Mission and 2020 goals and revised the goals for 2021. Our priority for 2021 will be a goal to “Expand Participation in RTOS Do you use Facebook? Help us Events”. We will work on offering a variety of programming including silent publicize RTOS: films, familiar popular music, and theme concerts. We will offer musical Visit our page ( Rochester Theatre program content of concerts in publicity in advance. We will also research and Organ Society ) and ‘Like’ us. cross promote programs with other organizations. Post our concert posters on your We are extremely grateful to everyone who donated to RTOS this year, Facebook page. allowing us to exceed our goal of $10,000. Although we do not have the expense of offering live concerts right now, we do have continuing expenses of organ maintenance and repair, insurances, and printing and mailing. The Just $1 online programs require the purchase of equipment, in addition to performer’s costs. We will recognize 2020 membership cards for all of 2021. Memberships Help RTOS keep the music play- for 2022 will be available this fall. ing. If everyone drops $1 into a do- Hoping for a healthful and much happier New Year for everyone. nation box at each concert it will pay Chris Van Stean ([email protected]) the yearly cost for our publications.

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Are you on the RTOS New RTOS Website (Sternberg) Albiez and Penny (Scott) McCartney; two nephews, email list? Available on the Web Kurt Sternberg and Craig Scott; six great-nieces; five great -nephews; Email is the most effective way On Thursday, March 27th the and four great-great-nephews. Don to communicate with our RTOS new and vastly improved RTOS was predeceased by three family. If you have not signed up website was launched by our siblings, Robert and Raymond to receive our email notifications, webmasters Richard Neidich and Scott, Eleanor Ciocci; and nephew, we urge you to do so. Instructions Bob Bower. It contains much Gregory Sternberg. can be found on the new RTOS updated and expanded content. Don was born in Canandaigua website, or contact Ken Wilson at Please check it often for the and was the son of Maurice and [email protected] latest RTOS news and Mildred (Smith) Scott. He was a information. graduate of Canandaigua The address is still the same: Academy and Simmons School of Open Console May www.rtosonline.org Mortuary Science. Don worked as Resume Soon a funeral director for Kennedy & Son Funeral Home and as a Theatre Organ salesman at Kennedy Furniture Efforts are underway to resume Store for over 50 years. He was a monthly Open Console sessions Blooms on the Web very talented musician and played for RTOS members at the the organ at several local Eisenhart Auditorium. Information As a result of the shutdown of churches. Don also gave piano will be posted on the RTOS live performances due to COVID- and organ lessons to many website when available, or contact 19, many of the theatre and students in Canandaigua and Martin Ippolito at (585) 266-6337 to Rochester. He was the organist at inquire. classical organ clubs, venues, and artists are producing the Town Pump restaurant in concerts for online viewing like Orleans for many years. RTOS on YouTube we have at RTOS. YouTube Don was a significant person in shows are the most prevalent the early days of RTOS. He had and easiest to access. If you are been a student of Tom Grierson The following video content is a Facebook user, much is and officially performed 11 times now available for viewing on the available there as well. for RTOS between 1964 and 1987 RTOS YouTube channel: While you can find content on including the first “official” concert

Full Programs your smart phone, it is best to at the RKO Palace on September Tim Schramm, 2020 Holiday view these shows on your smart 19, 1964 following the founding of Dan Minervini, 9/9/2018 concert TV with a good sound system RTOS, the last performance at the Palace on July 21, 1966, the first Ken Double, 10/26/2018 concert connected. While it would be difficult to performance at the Auditorium on Concert Selections provide a comprehensive list Jan. 21, 1967, and the dedication Luke Staisiunas, 2/3/2019 here, searching YouTube for concerts of the Eisenhart Wurlitzer Aaron Hawthorne, 2/9/2020 on Oct. 13-14, 1978. He also “Theatre Organ” or “Classical Informational Organ” will produce many recorded an LP, An Evening at the Behind the scenes - tours of the possibilities. Palace . Released in 1966 as part organ chambers and the theater of fundraising for the purchase and relocation of the RTOS-Grierson Coming on April 17 Wurlitzer, it was the last recording Virtually Yours...Brett Miller Don Scott Obituary of the organ prior to its move to the Additional content is in Auditorium. Although Don was not development. Check back often. Donald M. Scott, age 96, listed among the first 50 (founding) To find the RTOS on YouTube, passed away Saturday, March members of RTOS, he was named click the search bar and type: 13, 2021 in Canandaigua. He is its second Honorary Member in “Rochester Theater Organ Society” survived by three nieces, Amy 1965. Be sure to click “Subscribe” (Ciocci) McCarthy, Elizabeth to add us to your subscribed site list.

Rochester Theater Nonprofit Org. Organ Society U.S. POSTAGE P.O. Box 17114 PAID Rochester, NY 14617-0114 Rochester, NY 14692 Permit No. 190 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Christine Van Stean, President Bob Bower, Vice-President Ken Wilson, Secretary, Membership Robert Hunter, Treasurer Paul Law , Past-President David Higgs, Director Ted McWharf, Director Greg Spring, Director Russ Shaner , Director, Programs Ken Veneron , Director, Mailing

RTOS Presents: Virtually Yours… Brett Miller Streaming on YouTube beginning Saturday, April 17, 2021 Thank-you to our 2020-21 fund drive donors. We have exceeded our $10,000 goal!

Guardian ($500 or more) Benefactor ($100 - $249) (Contd) Sponsor ($50 - $99) (Contd) Myron J. Biggar Keith B. Conrad Kevin D. Long** Janice Brewer Charles Courtsal & Lisa Gwinne Gail McShane* Bruce A. Clark Mendal W. Dick Gary E. Newman Patricia M. Gaglio John A, Dunham Carol E. Samuel Christopher L. Haag Clara S. Firth Lawrence N. Schuth Elizabeth M. Haag William S. Galloway Jr. Dorothy A. Schulz Robert Hunter* Keith Grierson** David R. Searle Theodore McWharf Jr.* Gary D. Haines Carol S. Stephenson Russell E. Shaner Alex and Debra Heinonen Ellen Teichman** Ken Veneron Thomas and Janette Keenan Ruth A. Unzicker Carole H. Webster Jack L. Kellogg Daniel W. Wilke President’s Circle ($250-$499) Phillip M. Leutz Sasha Yaworsky Bruce & Marilyn Burkey* Gregory Marshall Patron ($25 - $49) Peter M. Depew Bruce and Dinah Mayer Bruce T. Benson Robert E. Green Scott M. McCarthy Walter and Carol Bettin* Norman L. Horton Karen C. Noonan Nancy L. Burdulis Paul A Law Glen G. Roat Lois Cornell Ronald Moffatt James T. Shott Colleen Dill* John L. Strawway William Smith Gail L. Hatch** Dennis A. Unks Louis J. Volino Jean I. Izard Christine Van Stean John M. Wright William Limburg Lisa Wemett* Sponsor ($50 - $99) Malvin A. Long** Benefactor ($100 - $249) Brad Bovenzi Roxanne L. Saxton** John H. Auer Jr. Gordon J. Estey Cecil Wolcott Robert and Georgianna Becker Richard & Kay Frenz Friend ($10 - $24) Kathy Bentley Sandra L. Glantz Lawrence Tyndall John and Marie Bower* Charles L. Hahn Edgar H Borkhuis Peter and Donna Head* *Includes Memorial Gift for Doris Garth and Martha Brokaw Mary L. Hockenberger** Montgomery Gary and Lana Brumbaugh Glenn R. Hufnagel **Memorial Gift for Gail Grierson Margaret D. Compton Edgar L. Jorolemon