Dennis James - "A National Treasure"

42 S. Palmer Street,Foxburg PA 16036

31 July, 2022

Description

He is without doubt the greatest practitioner of the art of solo silent film accompaniment. He’s a national treasure.” Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts is proud to welcome theatre organist, pianist and multi-talented instrumentalist, Dennis James, on Sunday, July 31 at 2:00 PM as he performs a “Wurlitzer Plus” eclectic program on the McKissick Mighty Wurlitzer, Lincoln Hall Steinway and glass armonica. Take a break from the summer heat in the air conditioned comfort of Lincoln Hall for an afternoon of inspiring Americana music in the hands of a musician of “tremendous artistic scope and range”. This is a concert you do not want to miss – as Dennis performs a Pops mix of Broadway tunes, popular music, marches, and orchestral transcriptions on the Lincoln Hall Wurlitzer, demonstrates Benjamin Franklin’s early American glass armonica, and plays a grand finale on the seven Gershwin’s piano concerto, Rhapsody in Blue, to his own recorded Wurlitzer orchestral accompaniment! PLUS enjoy a short silent movie in the hands of an organist hailed as “the greatest practitioner of the art of solo silent film accompaniment”, who in his early years toured for six years in the 70s and 80s as the personal music-for-film accompanist for the one-woman show tours of Lillian Gish, the ‘First Lady of the Silent Film’. Dennis James has dedicated his professional career to the theatrical traditions of organ performance and furthering public interest in the pipe organ. From the time he began performing concerts while still in his teens, James has been at the top of the organ profession. He has played virtually everywhere and on the finest pipe organs all over the world, from the spectacular movie palaces throughout the United States and Canada to the most prestigious concert halls and theaters in Europe and the Far East. He also takes great pride in continuing the historical professional aspects of playing organ music with silent films, taking great care in preserving obscure historical musical instruments and their traditions. Dennis is also very active demonstrating rare antique instruments. In his Lincoln Hall performance Dennis will perform on one in particular – the glass armonica, a glass device that he addresses in its original form as invented by Benjamin Franklin. Highlights of James’ early professional career include his New York City recital debut at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a two-year appointment as staff organist at the largest pipe organ in the world, the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Philadelphia. His organ-with-symphony-orchestra concerto debut was in 1984 at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall performing Handel’s Concerto No. 13 in F, “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale,” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His many European concert tours have featured several return engagements at Vienna’s famed Konzerthaus to perform at the historic 5-manual Rieger concert pipe organ; a ten year appointment as Silent Film Organist for the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria: and a featured all-Europe organ convention performance shared with renowned French concert organist Marie-Claire Alain. He made his Sydney Opera House concert hall debut three sellout solo organist performances and was the premier performer for the Singapore Esplanade Concert Hall pipe organ. Tickets are Adults $25, Members $20, Students $5. Post-COVID, open theatre style seating has returned to 100% capacity. There is no mask requirement. Please refrain from attending if you are ill or if you have been exposed to anyone with COVID. ALLEGHENY RIVERSTONE CENTER FOR THE ARTS is registered as a Charitable Organization with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations under The Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act, 10 P.S. § 162.I et seq., and is authorized to solicit charitable contributions under the conditions and limitations set forth under the Act.