RTOS Home Page Revised April 18, 2008.

The Rochester Theater Organ Society, Inc.

Welcomes You to Our Home on the Web.

(Updated on April 18, 2008)

Dedicated to the Preservation of Theater Organs Since 1964.

What is Theater Organ?

It's all here - the big brass sound of 'St. Louis Blues', the waltzing strings of Strauss, the snare drums and whistling of the 'Colonel Bogey March', the sweet throaty resonance of 'Mood Indigo', the ragtime piano, the sounds of the Big Band Era and the full orchestral sound of Hollywood and Broadway hits. A showcase of great melody and music with a big beat!

Imagine you are seated in Rochester's Auditorium Center. The lights grow dim. Suddenly out of the proscenium arches descends the music of 1619 pipes, trumpets, clarinet, saxophone, drums, shimmering strings or marimbas. You are enveloped in sound as the spotlight finds a single artist at the white and gold console rising from the orchestra pit to stage level. You are in for an evening of musical entertainment. On occasion, an old fashioned sing-along is part of the fun, or, perhaps a short Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd silent film comedy is included with theater organ accompaniment and sound effects. First-class musical entertainment by the top theater organists from around the U.S.A. and worldwide- - - This is Theater Organ Alive and Well in Rochester!

THEATER ORGAN SCHEDULE AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE

885 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14605

Tuesday, May 13 Jonas Nordwall 8:00 PM

Click Here For Our Latest Newsletter

Schedule Details and Driving Directions

Rochester Hotel List & Information

What is the Rochester Theater Organ Society?

The Rochester Theater Organ Society (RTOS) was formed in 1964 to preserve theater pipe organs for the residents of Rochester and the surrounding areas in upstate New York. RTOS is an independent organization incorporated by the state of New York as a not-for-profit educational institution. The 2001 RTOS membership is 840 families, which constitute approximately 1,950 persons.

RTOS currently maintains and programs two Wurlitzers in Rochester:

RTOS was originally formed to rescue a Wurlitzer 4/21 (opus 1951) from the luxurious downtown RKO Palace Theater, just before that 1928 2916-seat luxurious movie house fell to the wrecking ball of urban renewal. That instrument, now a 4/23, was moved to the 2574-seat Auditorium Theater (now Auditorium Center) where it has been used to present more than 426 concerts for more than 450,000 attendees. 142 organists from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia have provided the music for these events. Albums have been produced on this Wurlitzer by Tom Grierson, Leonard Mac Clain, Don Scott, Allen Mills, Dennis James, Hector Olivera, Billy Nalle, Rob Calcaterra, Dick Leibert, Don Thompson, David Reese, Ty Woodward, Robert Wolfe, Lance Luce, Arnold Loxam and David Peckham. Our first CD on our 4/23 featuring Lance Luce was released in late 2000. ( To learn about this CD, "Lance Luce Plays Rochester Live," click here for details and song clips.) Our second CD, "Tom Grierson Plays Palace Favorites", (Click here for details) was based on the 1963 stereo album which was recorded in Rochester's luxurious RKO Palace before the theatre fell victim to urban renewal in 1965. Two CDs have been produced by Arnold Loxam for distribution primarily in the UK based on 2 of his live concerts in the Eisenhart Auditorium and in the Auditorium Theatre. The David Peckham CD, "No Remaining Seats", was recorded in the Auditorium while all the seats were removed prior to replacement of all new seats.

RTOS installed a Wurlitzer 3/8 (opus 1492) in the 401-seat Eisenhart Auditorium located on the campus of the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC). It was dedicated and presented to the RMSC on Columbus Day (quite suitable for an opus 1492) in 1978. This instrument, which originally came from the Capitol Theater in Worcester, Massachusetts, has now been expanded to 12 ranks. The most recent addition, in December 1996, was a 61-pipe Clarinet rank. This instrument has been used for dance parties, Mardi Gras celebrations, Halloween parties, pizza parties, Talent Shows and other fun events. The RMSC and RTOS have jointly produced elementary school age education programs on this instrument. Numerous Open Consoles have taken place at the Eisenhart. This instrument was also used for regularly scheduled membership concerts for almost two years while the 4-manual Auditorium Center console was completely refurbished. In all, more than 50 RTOS-sponsored major events using more than 25 theater organists and with more than 16,000 attendees have been held using this 3/12 Wurlitzer. The Rochester Museum and Science Center has also employed this instrument for many of their programs.

About our logo (which is used in the background for this website):

The "R" represents a side view of the console, the "T" represents the artist's bench, the "O" repesents the console supporting platform and the "S" represents the console lift. The logo border represents the stage and proscenium arch of the Auditorium Center.

RTOS Membership is Your Personal Passport to Great Enjoyment!

RTOS membership is open to anyone over 18 years of age. Regular membership is $50 a year. Associate membership at only $35 a year is available to anyone who lives more than 50 miles airline from Rochester and to all students between the ages of 18 to 24. An additional $5.00 for first-class mailings is recommended for all non-local members and is required by postal regulations for Canadian members.

RTOS memberships provide the following benefits:

Free concert admissions for member, spouse and minor children living in the household, (or a single member plus a guest) to most if not all of the nine concerts usually scheduled from September through May. The rare exception to free membership concerts are occasional Special Events that provide a discounted ticket price to members.
Open Console playing privileges on both the 4/23 and 3/12 Wurlitzer theater pipe organs.
Newsletters before each concert.
Members are also eligible for RTOS bus tours and special social events.
A membership lending library with theater organ cassette tapes (including RTOS live concert tapes), LP records, CDs, sheet music, books and magazines is open at each concert.
In addition, Regular Members have voting rights and are able to hold office.