• Welcome to the Pipe Organ Forum! This is a part of the open community Magle International Music Forums focused on pipe organs (also known as "church organs"), organists, organ music and related topics.

    This forum is intended to be a friendly place where technically advanced organists and beginners (or even non-organists) can feel comfortable having discussions and asking questions. We learn by reading and asking questions, and it is hoped that the beginners (or non-organists) will feel free to ask even the simplest questions, and that the more advanced organists will patiently answer these questions. On the other hand, we encourage complex, technical discussions of technique, music, organ-building, etc. The opinions and observations of a diverse group of people from around the world should prove to be interesting and stimulating to all of us.

    As pipe organ discussions can sometimes become lively, it should be pointed out that this is an open forum. Statements made here are the opinion of the poster, and not necessarily that of the forum itself, its administrator, or its moderators.

    In order to post a new topic - or reply to existing ones - you may join and become a member by clicking on Register New User. It's completely free and only requires a working email address (in order to confirm your registration - it will never be given away!). We strive to make this a friendly and informative forum for anyone interested in pipe organs and organ music.

    (Note: If you wish to link to and promote your own website please read this thread first.)

    Many kind regards
    smile.gif

    Frederik Magle
    Administrator

    Krummhorn
    Co-Administrator

Pipe organs in San Jose, CA?

dll927

New member
Just out of curiosity, is there anyone available here who is aware of what the organ situation is is San Jose? Being the third-largest city in the state (after L.A. and San Diego), there ought to be something worthwhile by now.

I raise the question because I attended S. J. State in the second half of the 1950's and was, for a while, assistant organist at Westminster Presbyterian. At that time, San Jose had very little to offer in the way of decent pipe organs. First Methodist and Trinity Episcopal had the only organs ever used for concerts, and neither of those was much to write home about. During the time I was around, First Presbyterian put in a new Hilgreen-Lane, but I'm not sure it was all that much, either.

I'm talking about 50 years ago, and some of the churches around in those days are no longer in existence, at least not in the same buildings. So does anyone have a handle on the current conditions?
 

dll927

New member
San Jose had an AGO chapter way back in the '50s, so there still must be somebody alive up there. Is nobody reading, or isn't there anything to write about?
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
Hi dll927,

I've been searching for information. So far, no major organ installations in that area. Google indicates a theater organ in a pizza place, but I know for a fact that restaurant closed up a year ago, as I went through San Jose as part of a vacation trip.

The organist who played there is a member of this forum see --> aeroscore, and could possibly be a good source of information. He hasn't been online here in almost a year, but there is some contact info on his profile page.

There is a website for the San Jose Chapter of the AGO. A newsletter for the current month (Nov 2008) is there for perusing.

ATOS (American Theatre Organ Society) has listed the Sierra Chapter as being the closest (Rocklin, CA, NE of Sacramento) point of contact to San Jose for that organization. Perhaps they may also be a resourse for information.

Hope this helps some in your search. In the meantime, I'll keep prowling the web for anything else to contribute here.
 
Top