Winners Named in Organ Competition Finals | |
The first-ever Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competitionconcluded with well-deserved ovations for the six finalists and the panel of judges who had the difficult job of ranking the top three performers. An audience of students, faculty and organ music fans from several states gathered on May 10 at Kutztown University, where they were treated to selections ranging in mood from fiery to whimsical as each organist presented a 20-minute program of their own choosing. | |
Cameron Carpenter Draws Over1,500 to Rodgers Concert in N.C. | |
![]() | Cameron Carpenter's skill, noteriety or perhaps some of both created a traffic jam in Charlotte, N.C., where he arrived to play a concert on a Rodgers organ last Thursday. More than 1,500 people packed the pews or stood at the back of the sanctuary of St. Gabriel's Catholic Church to hear the 29-year-old virtuoso. R.A. Daffer Church Organs installed a four-manual combination Rodgers at St. Gabriel's earlier this year. See more photos on the church website. |
Open-Air Rodgers Concert Tour in Russia |
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A Russian organ professor has shown that you don't need a concert hall to bring organ music to an appreciative audience. In the photo above, Vladislav Murtazin plays for a crowd on the banks of the river Volga, one of a series of performances he has given across the country using his "mobile concert hall" concept. "I think it is of interest for the Rodgers organ company to know their instrument is travelling ... thousands of kilometers along the Russian roads to give pleasure to thousands of people in various Russian cities and towns, " Professsor Murtazin reported. |
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Winners Head for Final Round of Organ Competition
Six young performers will compete in May for top honors in the final round of the Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition.
Ranging in age from 21 to 34, the six got the highest marks for their performances before a panel of judges that heard performances in Los Angeles and Baltimore last week. They are Thomas Schuster of Florida (pictured at left), Andrew Peters of Missouri, Patrick Scott of Texas, and Doreen Smeck, Geert Ruelens and Ryan Murphy of Pennsylvania.
The finals, to be held on May 10 at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, are free and open to the public. Please call 503-681-0464 to reserve a seat.
Read short biographies of the six finalists.
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Rodgers Arrives at Nation's Oldest Protestant Church
In New York City, the sound of Rodgers can be heard in locations ranging from Carnegie Hall to neighborhood churches. Lately, it's been ringing through the sanctuary of historic Marble Collegiate Church, known for the long-time leadership of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.
The church installed a three-manual Masterpiece organ to support its highly regarded music program while the church's Austin pipe organ is being rebuilt. Read more
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Students, Teachers,
Choral Leaders Try
Out New Rodgers
Products
Rodgers welcomed streams of visitors at
two recent national music gatherings.
In March, choral leaders and organists
tried out the new Model 558 organ at
the ACDA National Convention in
Chicago, where Don Lewis (at right) also
demonstrated Roland's unique vocal
processing gear. A couple weeks later,
it was crowds of music teachers and their
students investigating the
Roland Classic C-330 organ and portable
organ keyboards set up as a teaching
lab for the MTNA National Conference
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Our Online Warranty Winner
Mark McClellen of Iowa Falls, Iowa is the winner of a copy
of "Wedding Processionals and Recessionals" edited by Rodney
Barbour. Mark's name was drawn at random from all those who
used the convenient online warranty registration form on the
Rodgers website during January and February. Mark plays the new
Masterpiece Signature 376 at St. Matthew's by the Bridge
Episcopal Church in Iowa Falls.
If you haven't registered your organ yet, now's the time - a new
contest is in progress! All warranty registrations will be
automatically entered for the next drawing.
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Composer Creates Soundscape With
"World's Oldest Synthesizer"
We liked this story about the innovative use of organ by a Juilliard-trained composer and club DJ who's now a Chicago Symphony composer-in-residence.
The Rodgers Chicago Touring Organ was featured 'center stage' at the Harris Theatre for the Chicago Premier of "Digital Loom" by composer Mason Bates. Digital Loom is a composition which moves in and out of a soundscape which includes a parlor organ with tremolo, distant church bells, and full organ ensembles, grounding listeners in the familiar, with the new. The idea was to combine the sound of an ancient instrument (the pipe organ) with the sounds of contemporary dance music (electronica) to see what would result. "Quite a lot, as it turned out," according to Music Critic John von Rheim from the Chicago Tribune. Read more
Just a Little Dream Come True | |
![]() | People who've played the new Rodgers500 Series say they're the most incredible organs ever in their size and price category. Both the Model 558 and 568 are AGO consoles with 32-note pedalboards, PerformanceTouch keyboards just like Masterpiece organs, full combination action, onboard recording, USB storage and much more. The American-built 500 Series makes it possible to bring home a level of quality sound you'll find hard to believe. Want to try one? Contact your Rodgers dealer today! |
Read the story of how Stan and Marlee Egbert got their new Model 568 home in the nick of time. |
The Father of the BrideMany visitors to the Rodgers factory in Hillsboro, Oregon say the highlight of their visit was Dan Miller playing "The Rejoicing for Danae," the wonderfully orchestrated organ processional he composed for his daughter's wedding. Now you can hear it played and watch the video Dan put together of his family's amazing day of celebration. |
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Kiyo and Chiemi Watanabe are not only devoted to their art as well-known organists,
they're devoted to furry friend Taro as well. All live together in Wichita Falls, Texas,
where the couple recently added a Roland Classic C-330 organ for home practice.
Musicians who made our Roland Classic Series organs a sellout success now
have the option of the same outstanding package in an AGO console built in the U.S.A.
The new Rodgers 500 Series uses the same powerful sound engine as the popular C-330 and
C-380 organs to produce music with dazzling pipe organ-like quality. It offers compact size, a
locking rolltop, handsome cabinet, matching bench and 32-note AGO radiating pedalboard.
The Model 558 comes in a dark oak finish and the Model 568 comes with a wood veneer in your
choice of two finishes, light and dark oak. The specification includes an incredible 108 pipe organ
stops plus 104 additional USER/MIDI voices including 89 additional pipe organ voices and 15
orchestral sounds. Read more
Longtime Rodgers fans caught sight of a familiar friend if they were watching Monday's episode of the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." The show's producers made arrangements with Rodgers dealer Robert Tall & Associates to bring in a Rodgers 360 theater organ for a scene set in the organ perch at Madison Square Garden. Watch the video
Forest Lake Seventh Day Adventist church in Apopka, Florida is celebrating the installation of its new custom Rodgers Signature Series four-manual orgaTThe instrument was designed by six musicians working in collaboration on the tonal specification and the console controls, resulting in a tremendous instrument perfectly tailored for the very demanding music ministry at one of the most prestigious Adventist churches in the southeastern United States. Read more
Visit the Rodgers Store to see the latest organ music CDs and classical music books we've added.
![]() | The incomparable Maestro Hector Olivera pulled in the crowds at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California last week as he demonstrated the great sound quality and versatility of the new Roland Classic In addition to the Roland Classic instruments, Rodgers showed theMasterpiece Signature 356 with a new "B version" specification and the incredible Rodgers 558 organ with an optional decorative pipe facade. Visit us on Facebook |
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Have You Registered Your Rodgers?Did you know that you can register your organ on the Rodgers website? It just takes a minute to make sure that our Technical Support team has the correct information to make sure that your warranty service needs are met. Need another reason? Complete your online warranty between now and the end of February, and you'll automatically be entered in a drawing for a Rodgers music book. |