Press Release - Organ Historical Society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joe McCabe, vice president
Organ Historical Society
(216) 221-4614
jmmccabe1@netzero.com
Steve Corcoran, president
Look Strategies
(440) 655-6073
corc@lookstrategies.com
Acclaimed Organist Peter Richard Conte Headlines
Organ Historical Society Convention Kick-Off Event in Cleveland
Free organ concert slated for July 5 th at 8 p.m. at Cleveland Masonic Auditorium
Reserve free concert tickets online at www.organsociety.org/2009/masonic
CLEVELAND, OH (May 15, 2009) – The master of the world’s largest pipe organ will
temporarily leave his post at Macy’s department store in Philadelphia to perform a free organ
concert at the Cleveland Masonic and Performing Arts Center as the Organ Historical Society kicks
off its international convention on July 5 th .
Virtuoso organist Peter Richard Conte will perform a repertoire of symphonic classics on
the resurrected Austin pipe organ, the largest of seven pipe organs once housed in the Cleveland
Masonic and Performing Arts Center. The free concert will begin at 8:00 p.m. and will feature
Michael Barone as master of ceremonies. Barone is a nationally recognized organ aficionado and
host of American Public Media’s “Pipedreams,” the only nationally distributed weekly radio program
exploring the art of the pipe organ.
Peter Conte is best known for the beautiful melodies that emanate from the 28,000-pipe
organ on the second floor of Macy’s in Philadelphia. Considered the largest fully functioning
musical instrument in the world, the Macy’s Wanamaker organ has been entertaining shoppers for
nearly 100 years from a perch overlooking the store’s main entrance. Twenty of those years have
featured Conte at the keyboards, living up to his official title as “Grand Court Organist.”
Conte is highly regarded as a skillful performer and arranger of organ transcriptions. He has
been featured several times on National Public Radio and on ABC television's "Good Morning
America" and "World News Tonight." His monthly radio show, "The Wanamaker Organ Hour,"
airs on the first Sunday of each month. He also tours extensively throughout the United States and
has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, and with the
Delaware and Allentown Symphonies.

“We are extremely honored to have Peter Conte open our convention and very excited to
let the public experience the magical sounds of the pipe organ at Masonic Auditorium,” commented
Joseph McCabe, OHS vice president and chairman of the 2009 Cleveland convention.
“Opus 823,” the name given to the four-manual Austin pipe organ whose 32-foot-long pipes
hover over stage left of the Masonic Auditorium, represents the 823 rd organ built and installed by the
Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut. The organ features 52 ranks (or sets of pipes)
and is composed of five front divisions and a sixth division that speaks from the rear of the
auditorium. Built in 1918 at a cost of $18,000, the instrument now has a replacement value of $1.5
million.
Restoration of the Austin organ begins in May this year and will consist of replacing
deteriorated leather components extending throughout the organ, according to McCabe, who is
overseeing the complex project. The restoration, an effort lead by organ technician Paul
Marchesano, will cost upwards of $20,000 and will be paid for by in-kind donations to the OHS.
Alan Jones, secretary of the 32 nd Degree Masons, which owns the venerable Cleveland
Masonic Performing Arts Center at 3615 Euclid Avenue, commented that the Austin organ wasn’t
the only draw that attracted the Organ Historical Society. “The Masonic auditorium offers some of
the most spectacular acoustics anyone can ask for,” Jones said. “Between Peter Conte’s masterful
organ skills, the beautifully restored sounds of the Austin pipe organ and the symphonic acoustics in
our auditorium, the concert is shaping up to be a very special evening.”
The annual Organ Historical Society convention runs from July 5 through July 10 and
features lectures, tours and performances conducted at several venues throughout Northern Ohio.
The choice of Cleveland as host city for the 2009 convention has taken on a significant
meaning, as several venues along the tour will showcase pipe organs that reside in local churches
that are slated for closure in the coming year. In many cases the future of those pipe organs remains
uncertain.
“Northern Ohio is truly a mecca for world class pipe organs,” explained McCabe. “Some of
the most notable and beautiful organs can be found within a 100-mile radius of Cleveland, including
one of the largest organs in the United States which is located right downtown in the Cleveland
Convention Center.”
This region is home to more than 400 pipe organs which are still in use today, according to
McCabe. The 28 instruments showcased by the OHS during the convention are among the finest
pipe organs in the region.
# # #
Tickets for the free organ concert at Cleveland Masonic and Performing Arts Center
(3615 Euclid Avenue) on July 5 th at 8:00 p.m. will be available beginning May 15, 2009 and
can be ordered exclusively on a first-come basis by visiting
www.organsociety.org/2009/masonic. Additional information is available by calling the
OHS answer line at (440) 646-8720.

Complete information on the OHS 2009 Convention, including a detailed schedule of
organ performances throughout Northern Ohio, can be found at
www.organsociety.org/2009.
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS of the organs featured on the OHS convention
tour are available to the media upon request. INTERVIEWS with Joe McCabe, Peter
Richard Conte and Michael Barone can be arranged through Steve Corcoran at Look
Strategies, (440) 655-6073 or via email at corc@lookstrategies.com.
ABOUT THE ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Organ Historical Society (www.organsociety.org) is comprised of organ enthusiasts who
play, build, study or simply love to listen to the organ. The Society promotes a widespread musical
and historical interest in American organbuilding through collection, preservation and publication of
historical information, and through recordings and public concerts. Formed in 1956, the OHS has
grown steadily in membership and is now an international group of music lovers, musicians,
organbuilders, historians and scholars.