The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ-sponsored Symphonic Organ Restoration Symposium brings many of the Nation's top pipe-organ restorers to Philadelphia for intense educational courses and workshops on fine the art of historic electropneumatic pipe-organ restoration. Top practitioners share the special techniques they have devised to keep the country's great Symphonic pipe organs a vital presence on the American scene.

L. Curt Mangel, curator of the Wanamaker Organ and former curator of the famous Sanfilippo Collection of historic automated musical instruments in Barrington, Illinois, is the Symposium organizer. Evening and weekend educational field trips are occasionally included, taking participants to prominent pipe-organ and related sites in the greater Philadelphia area.

 

 

SPECIAL THANKS to the many working tirelessly behind the scenes to make our June 6 Wanamaker Organ Day possible, including Grand Court Organist Peter Richard Conte, Rudy Lucente, Fred Haas, Andrew Ennis, Peter Krasinski, Macy's Mike Gansmoe, Amy Kule, Melissa Ludwig, Maurice O'Connell, Martine Reardon and Barbara Beck; Curator Curt Mangel; Bill & Kim Bragg, Diane Conte, Don and Jan Drury, Steve Emery, Tom Engstrom & Valerie Kuehn, Charles Gagnon, Colleen Hood, the Scott Herr family, Judi Audsley Kosco, Alex Thielens, Mary Anne Fry, Sam Hughes, Roger Lane, Steven Moore, Maria Newman, Rick Seifert and Jesse Arce, Holly Odell, Tour Coordinator Nik Sizgorich, Michael C. Smith, Symposium Coordinator Jim Stemke,  Volunteer Coordinator Claire Whiting; Wyncote Grant restorers Jon Buchanan, Scott Kip, Rion Mora and Matt Taft, Friends board members Ray Biswanger, Bill Eads, Dennis Elwell, Colvin Randall and Michael Stairs; and all the talented organists and musicians participating. Profound, heart-felt thanks also to Frederick R. Haas and the Wyncote Foundation, Kristin Ross, managing director; and to Martha Seifert and the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust.  Shown below is the Symposium gathering from 2013...