DETROIT THEATER ORGAN SOCIETY Volume 54, Issue 3 March 2015 letus Goens Opens 2015 Season DTOS Executive Board Sunday, March 15, 2015 & Directors C Doors 2:00 p.m. Concert 3:00 p.m. The Detroit President Theater Organ Lance Luce S o c i e t y i s [email protected] pleased to start the 2015 con- Vice President cert season Michael Fisher with Cletus [email protected] Goens. Cletus will be perform- Treasurer ing his first Dave Calendine concert for [email protected] DTOS at the Senate on Sun- Corporate Secretary day, March 15, Kevin Werner 2015. [email protected] C l e t u s Goens is no Joan Brown stranger to the [email protected] theatre pipe organ. He has Gil Francis been playing [email protected] the organ for most of his life. restaurants and lounges. His team for three seasons. Cur- His parents started his love of interest in the theater organ rently, Cletus is house organist music by enrolling him in continued, and he was a fill-in at the Embassy Theatre in Fort Paul Jacyk piano lessons at an early age in organist at the Cardinal Music Wayne, playing organ music on [email protected] his hometown of Marion, Palace of Fort Wayne and the Grande Page Organ in- Indiana. At the age of four- Pipe Dreams Pizza in stalled there. For his “day job,” Dick Leichtamer teen, he was taken to The Kokomo. Cletus is the Piano Specialist for tibiaplena434@buckeye- Paramount Music Palace in Returning to Marion, he Sweetwater Sound, the world’s express.com Indianapolis. He was bitten provided piano and vocal en- third-largest music retailer. by the theatre organ big listen- tertainment at a country club, Come warm up to the sounds George Orbits ing to the organist play the holding that position for of the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre [email protected] Mighty Wurlitzer installed twelve years. During this Pipe Organ at the Senate Thea- there. Two years later, he was time, he was also organist and ter as Cletus Goens makes his Bob Weil at the bench of the organ at music director for the televi- premiere at the Senate. Doors [email protected] the Paramount Theatre in sion series, “Your Healthy open at 2:00 p.m., and the con- Anderson, Indiana, playing Home” and was also organist, cert starts at 3:00 p.m. We look Chris Werner for intermissions. His interest choir director, and Minister of forward to seeing you at the [email protected] in the organ continued Music as well. Senate! throughout his high school Moving to Fort Wayne in years, and he was booked to 1988, he held the post of or- play the Hammond organ and ganist for the Fort Wayne piano at several Midwestern Wizards minor-league baseball Page 2 Detroit Theater Organ Society im Casterson J October 8, 1932—January 15, 2015 It is my sad duty to report Bob Weil. Jim and his late wife, to open, and working on the passing of Jim Casterson, Wendie Ann, would often come the lights for the a long-time supporter of the to the theatre from their home concerts. Detroit Theater Organ Society. in Windsor, Ontario, to work We send our Jim passed away peacefully on on maintenance items and help condolenses to the January 15, 2015, at the age of clean the theater between family of Jim Caster- 82. shows. son, his daughter Jim was an active member Jim often brought his son, Susan Pranschke, son of the Detroit Theater Organ TJ, to all of the concerts. TJ TJ, and brother Society for several years, and can still be seen at many con- Robert. He will be had served as co-building man- certs helping the organ crew, as missed. ager of the Senate Theater with well as getting the theater ready isher Building Tour Paul Jacyk F DTOS Board of Directors Join us for a free Pure De- Photography is encouraged. at the Pure Detroit shop at the from the north Fisher building troit Fisher Building Tour Learn intimate details as well north entrance of the building entrance on Lothrop near Saturday, April 11 at 1:00 pm. as see firsthand the exquisite (Second & Lothrop), where 2nd. Additional parking, with A fun time for DTOS mem- design and ornamentation of plenty of metered parking and a much longer walk, is located bers and Friends of the Senate the interior arcade including paid secured parking (Tony's in the “Fisher parking lot”. to gather for an afternoon to one-of-a-kind mosaics, painted Lot — $5) is available. Entrance off of 3rd St between experience the amazing build- ceilings, Art Deco chandeliers The address is 3011 W. W Grand Blvd. and Lothrop ing where our Wurlitzer came and the finest craftsmanship Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI Rd. from. The theater is not part in stone, brass and bronze. 48202. For more information on of the tour, but the rest of the The tour will feature an exten- Please note: Many of the the tour, you can visit building is. sive history of the building as street parking meters are cur- www.puredetroit.com. Pure Detroit Fisher Building well as a trip to the nineteenth rently not working properly. tours are completely free and floor for excellent photo op- The best parking is Tony’s open to the public of all ages. portunities. The tour begins Parking Lot directly across Visit our friends at the Redford Theatre for their classic film series. March 20 & 21—Three Stooges Festival March 28—SILENT MOVIE! Pandora’s Box accompanied live by John Lauter April 3 & 4—Singin’ in the Rain April 17, 18 & 19—Gone with the Wind May 1 & 2—Harold and Maude May 29 & 30—Titanic June 7—SILENT MOVIE! Wings accompanied live by Stephen Warner Full schedule of events, including times and prices, can be found on the web site WWW.REDFORDTHEATRE.COM Volume 54, Issue 3, March 2015 Page 3 ector Olivera at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Sunday, March 22 H 4:30 p.m. Editor’s Note: The following well on “Classical” as well as Olivera began playing the pipe information on this great upcoming “Theater” instruments. What organ when he was three. At concert was submitted by DTOS struck me later in life was how age five he played for the legen- member Stephen Warner, Music unique and individualistic his dary Eva Perón; at twelve he Director and resident organist at “voice” on the theater organ entered the University of Bue- Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian really was. Most recently, he nos Aires and by eighteen had Church. performed on his touring performed for heads of state On March 22nd at 4:30pm, Rogers Organ and Roland Atel- and celebrities throughout we will have the opportunity to ier Organ at the Redford Thea- Latin America. When offered a hear a world-class artist play ter. This performance proved scholarship at the renowned Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian that he can enrapture people Juilliard School of Music in Church’s 1925 Skinner organ in who aren’t even really interested New York, he moved to the Concert! I first encountered in organ music! His biography United States. Three years later, pic games or the Classical New- Hector Olivera when I was ten gives testament to the marvelous Mr. Olivera’s outstanding profes- port Music Festival, the most years old at a pops concert at and unique career he has had in sional concert career was sophisticated and demanding Kresge Auditorium at Inter- performance: launched when he won the organ aficionados claim that lochen. He performed on his “Since entering the Buenos AGO's National Improvisation Maestro Hector Olivera is ‘one Yamaha DX-7 in the outdoor Aires Conservatory as a child Contest. of the greatest organists in the space for a crowd of several prodigy at age six, Maestro Hec- Mr. Olivera has performed world today.’” thousand, playing a huge variety tor Olivera has become one of solo concerts throughout the I hope you will come (and of music, including the 1812 the most sought after and re- USA, Europe, Asia, Australia, bring a friend) to hear this fine Overture! I also grew up listen- vered international concert or- Central and Latin America and artist render a powerful perform- ing to a tape we had made of ganists of the present time. as guest soloist with prominent ance on March 22nd. Jefferson “Pipedreams” program featuring ‘The Times Reporter’, describes symphony orchestras worldwide. Avenue is located at 8625 E. a concert he made here in De- an evening with Mr. Olivera as: Whether in a prestigious venue Jefferson Avenue, at Burns. troit at the Fox Theater. (I’m ‘An event, a happening, a joyful like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Admission is free but a free will sure there were many DTOS celebration of the sheer power and Hall, Cathedral of Notre Dame offering will be taken. Guarded members present.) He has cre- pressure that a true virtuoso like in Paris, Constitution Hall, Walt parking will be provided. ated a presence in the United Hector Olivera can unleash in a Disney Concert Hall in Los An- -Stephen Warner States as a marvelously varied concert hall.’ geles, or in conjunction with a concert artist performing equally Born in Buenos Aires, Mr. celebrated event like the Olym- Upcoming Movies at the Senate Theatre March 27—Mommie Dearest April 25—Oliver! May 30—SILENT MOVIE! Buster Keaton’s “Three Ages” accompanied live by John Lauter at the Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ June 13—Laurel and Hardy Festival—six Laurel and Hardy shorts, three “talkies” and three “silents” accompanied live by Lance Luce at the Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ Visit WWW.DTOS.ORG for our full schedule of events at the Senate Theater.