Winter 2014

In this issue…

Wi-Fi Expansion - Page 2

Lindbergh Field Display—Page 3

New Lights at Night —Page 3

Places, everybody! It’s time to celebrate the

holidays and prepare for the Centennial!

Details inside.

CCCENTENNIALENTENNIALENTENNIAL DDDATESATESATES———201520152015

Jan 15, 2015 UT Columnist Roger Showley: History of Balboa Park, 1867-1909 - History Center lecture 6 p.m. (admission charge)

Mar 14 & 15 Activity Center: Thursday Club Rummage Sale Mar 15 BP Marketing STEAM Family Day Mar 21 Choral Festival: San Diego Sings! Apr 11-12 Park Celebration of 1915 Apr 19 Earth Fair Apr 24-26 Art Alive - San Diego Museum of Art May 9 Brunch-Concert-Tour—Spreckels Organ May 9 Garden Party for the Century May 24 Organ Marathon for Operation Rebound June 22 Opening Concert: Centennial International

Organ Festival

The Spreckels Organ Society and San

Diego Civic Organist Dr. Carol Wil-

liams invite you to the Spreckels Cen-

tennial Concert, a glorious commemora-

tion of 100 years of the Spreckels Organ

and Balboa Park, on New Year's Eve,

December 31, 2014. The concert and

festivities are free, open to the public

and will launch Balboa Park’s Centenni-

al year.

Save your seats by 5:30 in the Pavil-

ion. Live music and an historic slide

show precede the concert, which begins

at 7:30 p.m.

City Council President Todd Gloria

will be onhand to accept the gift to the

City of three new ranks of organ pipes,

new percussion effects, and the newly-

coated facade of pipes.

Spreckels will be streaming the con-

cert live on U-Stream, if you can’t be

there in person.

The green parking lot tram will run

until 6 p.m. that day, and valet parking

will be available (in the usual spot, on

the east side of the Esplanade).

A Grand Processional March will

begin at 7 p.m. at the Bea Evenson

Fountain (between the Natural History

Museum and the RH Fleet Center). If you

are in the Procession, gather between 6 and

6:30 p.m. near the Evenson Fountain.

Souvenir Programs will be offered for a

$5 donation at the Pavilion entrances.

Emcee Sam Bass of KyXy FM 96.5

will launch the official program after the

Procession arrives, led by two bands of

bagpipes and a recreated Electriquette.

The Gift Shop will be open! Souvenirs

of the great Spreckels Organ include seat

cushions and blankets as well as sweat-

shirts, CDs, and more.

Snacks and hot drinks will be available

for purchase from the Community Christ-

mas Center at the east side of the Pavilion.

Program highlights include:

Remembering John D. Spreckels—a

reenactment of the original gift to the

people of San Diego and the world.

World premiere performances of com-

positions for the organ and its new

ranks

Harp solo by Karen Rokos, who is the

great-granddaughter of the first curator,

Anton Rokos—view his 1915 Exposi-

tion pass online at PanCalArchive.org.

150-voice choir led by John Russell

Fireworks

Around the ParkAround the Park Nov 15-Dec 27—Old Globe:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Fri-Sat, Dec 5-6—December Nights

Dec 5-Jan 4—Poinsettia Display

Dec 10-21— San Diego Civic Youth Ballet:

The Nutcracker (Casa del Prado Theatre)

Spreckels Organ PavilionSpreckels Organ Pavilion Sunday concerts begin 2 p.m.

Sat Nov 29—Community Christmas tree lighting

4:30-6:30 p.m., Jared Jacobsen on the Organ

Sun Nov 30 - Young Organists' Showcase

Fri Dec 5 - Dr. Carol Williams plays for the launch

of December Nights at 5 p.m.

Sun Dec 7 - Dr. Carol Williams

Sun Dec 14 - Dr. Carol Williams

Wed Dec 17 - Twilight in the Park presents: Navy

Band Southwest Holiday Concert from 6:15-

7:30 p.m.

Sun Dec 21 - Christmas Sing-along / Dr. Carol

Sun Dec 28 - Dr. Carol Williams

Weds Dec 31 - Spreckels Organ Centennial Concert,

7:30-9:30 p.m. (see story inside)

Thurs Jan 1 - Spreckels Organ: Dr. Carol Williams

Concert at 2 p.m. for one hour

Spreckels Organ

Centennial Concert

Dear Musical Friends,

Here’s the story behind the

"Opening work" on New Year’s Eve:

On December 31, 1914, the very

first piece everyone heard was the

Processional March composed by Dr.

Humphrey Stewart - the first Civic

Organist of San Diego. Exactly one

hundred years later the very first piece

everyone will hear is composed by

me; it is a work that will identify the

new Centennial Tuba on the Spreckels

organ. I first heard the Centennial

Tuba in Lyle Blackinton's shop and was so impressed with the gran-

deur of this new rank. The sound is strong, silky and majestic. As I

dabbled with the sounds, melodies started forming in my head. So,

on this memorable night, I am greatly honored to be playing this

new work.

I know that the audience - whether you are here in person or

listening on line - will adore this new family member to the Spreck-

els Organ. Thank you, Lyle and Dale, for this wonderful addition.

The planning of this historic concert has taken many months and

the team for the Centennial committee have been amazing. There

will be a souvenir program book on the night with letters from

many organizations wishing us well. The event has been very excit-

ing to plan. A video will be produced by Bell Video Productions of

highlights of the concert.

So, as the year draws to an end, we wish you happy holidays and

hopefully see you on the 31 December 2014 for the "big" event.

Bye for now,

Dr. Carol

Dear Fellow Members of the

Spreckels Organ Society,

As you can see, I'm standing

on the stage at the Spreckels

Organ Pavilion, watching the

work progress as Lyle Blackin-

ton, Dale Sorenson, and their

team removes the façade pipes

in preparation for a dazzling

reintroduction to the organ on

Dec. 31, 2014. That, of course,

will be our grand Spreckels Organ Centennial Concert. The dedi-

cation of the façade pipes, newly-coated with gold mica, will be

only one part of a terrific show that you do not want to miss!

The Spreckels Organ Centennial Concert has been a labor of

love for many people in the Spreckels Organ Society. In particu-

lar, Dr. Carol Williams gets a huge "shout out" for the time, ener-

gy, creativity, and loving care she is putting in, to prepare this

great event. Not only will she be the star performer, but she is

coordinating all the other talent, working with Ross Porter and

the curatorial team on a daily basis to keep all the moving parts

moving in the right direction, and still finding time to compose

organ works that will undoubtedly be passed down to the genera-

tions that follow. When you see Carol, please tell her "thank

you."

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that our beloved curator

for the last 40 years, Lyle Blackinton, has announced his retire-

ment, effective January 1, 2015. This note to you is not the place

to give sufficient accolades to the man who has been the longest

serving curator in the history of the Spreckels Organ, and without

whose active and caring involvement, the Spreckels Organ Soci-

ety would not exist. Stay tuned for more on this subject.

In closing, I want to wish each of you a wonderful holiday

season. Rest assured that the Trustees of the Spreckels Organ

Society have worked diligently this year to fulfill the mission of

the Spreckels Organ Society, and have done so in a fiscally re-

sponsible manner. The Society is, frankly, in very good shape.

And for that, we owe each of you a huge "thank you." Remem-

ber, together we make it happen.

See you on December 31, 2014!.

George Hardy, President

Page 2 StopTab Winter 2014

LED Lights for Nighttime Awe

On December 1, Mayor Faulconer flips the switch for thousands

of new energy-saving LED lights in Balboa Park, including those

on the Organ Pavilion. Color displays will keep the park beautiful

and exciting after dark in this

project co-funded by SDG&E

and the city of San Diego. This

is a permanent addition to the

Park’s “Central Mesa” area.

Expanded WiFi

Service in the Park

Now wireless device users

will find enough signal strength

almost everywhere in Balboa Park,

thanks to a grant from the James

Irvine Foundation.

The Balboa Park Online Col-

laborative is installing new facili-

ties for strong Wi-Fi signals. Al-

ready the Organ Pavilion is well-

served with Wi-Fi; now much of

Balboa Park will be, too.

At right, City Council President

Todd Gloria and Mayor Kevin

Faulconer announce the Irvine

Foundation grant, which totals one

million dollars.

Your Source for 1915 Memories

At PanCalArchive.org, you can research and browse to your

heart's content among souvenirs, mementos, maps, books, photos

and programs, all from the 1915 Exposition! It's free to use these

images, which have been gathered and scanned by the Committee

of One Hundred as a special Centennial project.

Thanks to the Thursday Club

In 2015 the Spreckels Organ Society will be producing an

amazing DVD video record of the Centennial Concert and its pro-

duction, to be offered for sale in the Gift Shop. Thanks to the

Thursday Club of San Diego for helping to finance the production

of what we expect will be a fascinating and fun look at the life of

the Spreckels organ!

Page 3 StopTab Winter 2014

StopTab: A Quarterly published by the

SPRECKELS ORGAN SOCIETY 1549 El Prado, Suite 10, San Diego CA 92101-1661

(619) 702-8138 / SOSorgan@gmail.com / SpreckelsOrgan.org

Artistic Director

Dr. Carol Williams, San Diego Civic Organist

Board of Trustees

Officers

Chair of the Board - Vivian Evenson

President - George Hardy

Vice President - Randy Ward

Treasurer - Clifford McMillan

Secretary - Donald Snowden

Trustees

Edward Barr Max Nanis

Andrea Card David Nesvig

Len Filomeo Dang Nguyen

Dennis Fox Marion Persons

Bill Galante Lynn Reaser

Richard Griswold Paulette Rodgers-Leahy

Pamela Hartwell Jean Samuels

Julie Hudson Tony Uribe

Jared Jacobsen Thomas Warschauer

Jack Lasher Peter Way

Ex-Officio Trustees

Lyle Blackinton and Dale Sorenson - Co-Curators

Airport Display of Organ Pavilion history and artifacts Thanks to the work of Spreckels Organ Society

Trustee Max Nanis, the Spreckels Organ will be

featured as one of Balboa Park’s jewels in a display

at the Lindbergh Field Commuter Terminal. Architec-

tural details, musical manuscripts, and pieces of the organ includ-

ing pipes, keyboard, and internal mechanisms will all be set out to

explain to travelers the inside story of this magnificent instrument.

Special thanks to curators Lyle Blackinton and Dale Sorenson for

making this display possible. Opening: by Christmas.

Drive to 5000 Pipes

The Drive to 5000 Pipes, expanding the voice of the Spreckels

Organ, will mark a huge milestone on December 31. Details are

in a great writeup by Jim Chute of the UT that was published

along with the photo above, showing Co-Curator Lyle Blackin-

ton. (Photo: Mike Cox, Spreckels Organ Society)

Help us get a head start:

Be a member for 2015!Be a member for 2015!

Watch for your reminder coming in the December mail

Stay current on membership to help the music flow!

Family Festival Day On Oct. 26, the SDSU

String Academy offered

pre-concert selections as

part of Family Festival

Day. Photo: Mike Cox,

Spreckels Organ Society

Out with the Old—With support from Las Patronas, the curators

have refinished the façade pipes with golden mica-based coating.

The curatorial team, from left - Lyle Blackinton, Jesse Zepeda,

Jesus Castro (on scaffold), and Dale Sorenson shown here remov-

ing the pipes. New facade to be unveiled at the concert Dec. 31!