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Lyn
Larsen
Clark Wilson
Walt Strony
Simon Gledhill
Richard Hills
Philco Radio Players |
Lyn Larsen
Lyn Larsen began classical piano lessons at age 3 and began
playing the organ at 7. After hearing George Wright play at
the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena, California, his interest
turned to the theatre pipe organ. Two years later, he made his
concert debut, in 1964 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.
Since then, he has had the opportunity to perform on virtually
every important instrument in the United States, Australia,
and England.
Among the highlights of his career are appearances at the Hollywood
Bowl, and an Organ Gala concert in London's Royal Albert Hall
with Carlo Curley and the late Pierre Cochereau of Notre Dame
Cathedral in Paris.
He also performed one of only two solo organ concerts ever given
at Radio City Music Hall, in New York. Also, also had the good
fortune to be chosen to perform the re-dedication concerts on
many restored theatre organs, including the organs in the Chicago
Theatre and Shea's Buffalo Theatre. In 1994, the American Theatre
Organ Society named him Organist of the Year and was inducted
into their Hall of Fame - the youngest person ever inducted.
As well as performing, he is a consultant in the tonal design
and layout of both new pipe organ installations and in the restoration
of historic instruments all over the United States. He oversaw
the installation and finishing of the 5-manual, 80-rank theatre
organ (the largest theatre organ in the world) in the Sanfilippo
Music Salon near Chicago, and was in charge of the restoration
and expansion of the 4-manual, 73-rank Wurlitzer in the San
Sylmar museum in Sylmar, California.
He has made more than 40 record albums; the first theatre organist
to have a compact disc released by a national recording company.
One of those has the distinction of being the only theatre organ
recording ever to make Billboard Magazine's Top Ten CD List.
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Clark Wilson
A native of Ohio, Clark Wilson
began his musical training at the age of nine. While growing
up, he accompanied numerous stage musicals and was organist
at several churches. At this time he was listed in "Who's
Who in the Midwest". He also holds Life Member status in
the international Tri-M Music Honor Society.
Following several years with the Shantz Organ Company as a reed
voicer and tonal finisher, Clark's professional theatre organ
career began with his appointment to the featured organist position
at the Pipe Organ Pizza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has since
been on the playing staff at the Paramount Music Palace in Indianapolis,
Indiana, Pipes and Pizza and Lansing, Illinois, and is currently
associated with the new Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, Arizona, where
he is on the organ staff as well as having assisted with the
planning and installation of the world's largest Wurlitzer organ.
Clark's recording credits include six albums. He has given all-transcription
recitals for the AGO, played for the 1990 Organ Historical Society
convention, and performed at numerous National and Regional
conventions of the ATOS, as well as giving a series of highly
lauded workshops for young people's Pipe Organ Encounters. He
has concertized in the United States, Canada, Australia and
England, and done extensive silent film accompaniment, including
at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. In addition, he is
featured organist for the Summer Movie Series at the famed Ohio
Theatre in Columbus, Ohio.
Along with a busy concert schedule, Wilson heads his own pipe
organ business and is heavily in demand as a tonal consultant
and finisher of both theatre and classical pipe organs; he has
been given the singular honor of being brought to England multiple
times for theatre organ tonal finishing. He has received both
the Technician of the Year and Organist of the Year awards from
the American Theatre Organ Society, the only person to have
done so, and his time is now almost equally divided between
concert and technical work.
He has been professionally involved with more than 65 other
theatre organ installations throughout North America and England
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Walt Strony
Walt Strony is one of America's
Premiere concert organists. He made his public debut in 1974
at the age of 18 and has since established himself in both theater
and classical organ circles.
Mr. Strony has performed hundreds of concerts from coast to
coast in the United States and in Japan, Australia, England
and Canada. In addition, he has performed at many conventions
of the American Theater Organ Society and the American Guild
of Organists.
In 1991 and in 1993, he was given the honored title, "Organist
of the Year" by the American Theater Organ Society, the
first and only organist ever to twice receive this award.
He has made many recordings which have received rave reviews.
As an author, he is well known in organ circles for his recent
book entitled, "The Secrets of Theater Organ Registration",
which has already become the standard reference book on this
subject. In addition, Mr. Strony is a consultant in the design
and the tonal finishing of both pipe and digital organs. Walt
spent three days regulating the Plummer Organ, that is, making
sure that the loudness of the ranks of pipes from the quietest
to the loudest are uniformly incrementally louder from quietest
to loudest. He is also a composer of organ and choral music.
Walt Strony was born in Chicago and began music lessons at the
age of seven. His theater organ teacher was the famous Chicago
organist, Al Melgart, who, for many years, was the staff organist
at the Chicago Stadium. His classical studies were with Herbert
L. White and Karel Paukert. This well-rounded musician brings
a wealth of experience to any organ console which has brought
to him the reputation of being one of America's most original
and interesting sounding concert organists.
One reviewer noted that "While looking respectfully backwards
to the masters of the theater organ tradition, he manages to
look forward with a refreshing approach in all of his musical
arrangements. It is a style that is inventive, harmonically
interesting and, above all, right
for today." |
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Simon Gledhill
Simon was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, in 1965.
He demonstrated a keen interest in music from an early age.
He began learning to play the piano accordion shortly before
his sixth birthday and continued with that instrument for eleven
years, winning several competitions along the way. When he was
ten, his parents purchased a small electronic organ. After initially
teaching himself to play it, he commenced formal studies with
a gifted local teacher, Michael Woodhead, who gave him extensive
tutoring in classical organ and piano.
Simon's first experience of the theater pipe organ was by hearing
the late Ernest Broadbent play the Mighty Wurlitzer at Blackpool's
Tower Ballroom. He subsequently discovered that a local, privately-owned
instrument could be hired out by the hour, and began making
weekly practice visits. In 1983 he entered and won the Northern
Young Theatre Organist of the Year competition. Nigel Ogden,
presenter of BBC Radio 2's The Organist Entertains, was on the
audience, and invited him to
make some recordings for the program on the (then)
BBC theatre organ at the Playhouse Studio in Manchester.
These broadcasts resulted in a flurry of concert offers,
and Simon has performed at all the major theatre organ venues
in Britain, as well as touring in Germany, Holland, Australia
and the USA. In America, he has played at such prestigious venues
as the Oakland Paramount Theatre, Century II Center in Wichita
(home of the ex-New York Paramount Wurlitzer) and the Pasadena
Civic Auditorium (where ex-Reginald Foort/BBC five-manual Möller
theater organ now resides). There have been eight appearances
at National and Regional Conventions of the American Theatre
Organ Society.
Simon was honored to accept the ATOS Organis of the Year award
at the Society's 1997 National Convention in Indianapolis.
He combines his concert activities with a full-time career in
corporate banking, based in London. |
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Richard Hills
Richard
Hills was introduced to the ATOS at the 1995 Detroit convention.
He performed on the magnificent 4/36 Fox Wurlitzer as if he
had been playing it all his life. During this year he won the
Junior Division and went on
to become the overall winner of the Young Organist Competition.
This young performer, who was only 14 at the time, created quite
buzz at the convention and post convention commentaries. The
overall consensus was how could this young man, barely a teenage
achieve such a mature musical style equal to that of veteran
performers! Amazing!
Richard was awarded a music scholarship at King's
School in Rochester, England. Just recently, he has been appointed
staff organist to London's famed Westminster Abbey. |
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Philco Radio Players |
In
the days before television, families gathered around the Philco
listening to stirring tales of space travel, western adventures
and unexplained mysteries. Now, you can experience those same
thrills and laughter with the
Philco Radio Players.
As Atlanta's only professional classic
radio theatre repertory company, our audiences enjoy recreations
of America's all-time favorite radio shows, including:
Flash Gordon
Fibber McGee & Molly
Doc Savage
War of the Worlds
The Shadow
Suspense
Innersanctum
Lights Out
The Bickersons
Life of Riley
and many more
About The Philco Radio Players
Founded in 2002 by Creative Director
Scott Lindquist, The Philco Radio Players (once known as The
Potluck Players) is a professional repertory company with
20 actors, as well as a staff of technicians, musicians and
sound-effects masters.
The group has performed at various Atlanta
locations, including the Callanwolde Fine Arts Dorothy C.
Benson Senior Center, Kudzu Playhouse and various churches.
Each production features
Seasoned actors with professional experience
in creating a
multitude of distinctive characters.
Classic sound effects created just like the old days, with
ordinary household items simulating everything from
creaky doorstop to ray guns - as fun as show itself!
Performances of memorable songs from the 30s and 40s
Lots of Walla Walla, an old radio term for "background
sounds"
that lets the audience be part of the show by
screaming like zombie slaves or growling like animals
Family-friendly production values:
fun for kids and adults of all ages
Scott Lindquist
c/o Philco Radio Players
678-923-4898
Fax: 770-579-0009
Email: philcoradioplayers@eudoramail.com
Old website: www.potluckplayers.com
New website coming soon... www.philcoradioplayers.com
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