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Official Town Site
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NYMA Organ Concert
Ralph Ringstad, Jr. performs on the 4/33 magnificent Moller Theater-Concert Organ in the Davis Chapel at NYMA at 3 pm, sponsored by the New York Theatre Organ Society.
NYMA is home to an original 1927 magnificent 4 manual 33 rank Moller theatre-concert organ, the second largest theatrical organ in New York State, second in size only to the Radio City Music Hall Wurlitzer. The Organ Society has arranged to have organist Ralph Ringstad, Jr., who played his debut public concert at NYMA in 1980, play the "Grand Finale" concert on the Mighty Moller.
The NYMA Moller, Opus 4925, was custom built and installed in the Academy's new Davis Chapel-Auditorium by the M. P. Moller Company of Hagerstown, MD, in 1927. The organ was dedicated to "Ours Who Served" at its first formal concert played by Professor H. Leroy Baumgartner of Yale University, the organ's designer, in April 1928. He described the instrument as one "which demands all the requisites of a church organ and concert organ in tonal variety, power and dignity...but since it will also serve to accompany motion pictures and other forms of popular entertainment, must also contain all the musical requirements of the modern theatre organ." The organ, installed in four chambers, contains more than 2,000 pipes in addition to percussion instruments and special sound effects.
Organist Ralph Ringstad, Jr. is certainly no stranger to the NYMA Moller, having made his theatre organ concert debut at the Academy thirty years ago while still a music student at Ithaca College. Since then Ralph has returned to NYMA numerous times to entertain audiences with his extraordinary musical talent. Ralph's formal training includes not only theatre and classical organ, but also piano, cello, French horn and tuba, so his broad orchestral training makes him very much at home with the vast orchestral resources of the NYMA Moller. Ralph has performed in concert at many of the major theatre organ venues around the country, and he is currently house organist at the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, and also serves as Organist and Music Director at Advent Lutheran Church in Warren, NJ. The long roster of cadets who attended NYMA over the years include musical greats Les Brown, Johnny Mandel and Stephen Sondheim, and Ralph plans to include a sampling of their music in his program.
An impressive list of organists has also performed in concert on the NYMA Moller. Roxy organist Lew White played an annual concert every Mother's Day throughout the 1930's. The concert series over the past forty years, since NYTOS became involved with the organ, has included performances by: Jeff Barker, John Baratta, Dan Bellomy, Martin Boehling, Rob Calcaterra, Juan Cardona, Jr., Cameron Carpenter, Frank Cimmino, Lee Erwin, Scott Foppiano, Joe Graif, Lou Hurvitz, Dennis James, Dave Kopp, Eddie Layton, Michael X. Lundy, Bob Maidhof, David Messineo, Ashley Miller, Allen Mills, Greg Owen, Jimmy Paulin, Ralph Ringstad, Jr., Paul Roberts, Don Thompson, Kent Tritle, and Lew Williams.
This may well be your last opportunity to experience this magnificent instrument in concert, so bring along family and friends and head to the beautiful Hudson Highlands for an afternoon of great theatre organ music. Admission donation is $10.00; $8.00 for NYTOS members and seniors. Please be aware that the NYMA Chapel-Auditorium is not handicap accessible; also it is not air conditioned.
Comments:
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If you have never been to an organ concert you MUST attend. This is a concert experience like no other.
posted by Kate Benson on 06/03/10 at 11:04 PM
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