Tivoli Theatre organ concert keyed up to wow in Downers Grove

Saluting the centennial of the Tivoli Theatre organ and its mercurial music magic, guest artist Walt Strony will celebrate his 50th anniversary as an organist in a November benefit concert in Downers Grove.

Chicago Area Theatre Organ Enthusiasts will present “50 Years of the Fantastic Walt Strony” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at Classic Cinemas Tivoli Theatre. The internationally recognized artist will perform live at the console of the Tivoli’s “Mighty 3/10 Wurlitzer.” He also will accompany a silent film short starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

The 1924 Wurlitzer is owned and maintained by CATOE. Proceeds will support the organization, whose volunteers are devoted to keeping the instruments and art form alive and well.

Theater organs are dubbed king of the instruments for their ability to imitate other instruments – from clarinets and tubas to strings – said CATOE board member and organist Taylor Trimby of Joliet. While a church organ has its own beautiful sound, Trimby said it doesn’t have the Tivoli instrument’s xylophones, orchestra bells, crystal [glockenspiels] and drones.

“All the fun stuff you need to do a silent movie,” Trimby said.

Strony made his debut in a CATOE concert in the Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge in 1974. He grew up in Chicago and learned the instrument from Al Melgard, who played the organ at the Chicago Stadium from the 1930s to the ’70s and had accompanied silent films back in their heyday.

“In high school, I started studying classical organ,” said Strony, who lives in northern California. “I [took] two lessons: one for classical organ, one for theater organ [with] different teachers.”

It’s a rarity for organists to excel in both musical genres.

“I love them both,” Strony said. “I enjoy the variety of going back and forth.”

The Tivoli silent short will be “Beware, Sailors!,” which Strony calls a great film in which Laurel and Hardy end up working on a ship together. It was released before they became a team, their on-screen chemistry helping birth a legendary comedy duo.

It was unusual for silent films to have their own musical score, he said.

“Basically … back then, a lot of the players just made it up,” Strony said. “There were cue sheets for some of the feature films. … They improvised. They would take a mixture of popular songs and sometimes classical music. It was always different.

“Each time I do a film, it’s going to be a little different,” he said. “I never choose music written after the film. I try to be as authentic as possible.”

The concert also features Strony playing a variety of pieces.

“The opening will be the number ‘Cabaret,’ ” said Strony, noting he’s repeating the same song he played at his first concert in 1974 at age 18. “I’m grateful to CATOE for giving me a start. I was just a kid.”

His program will include some selections from the 1970s.

“Mostly popular, some classical, a little of everything,” he said. “Nothing extremely heavy. It will be like going to the Boston Pops.”

Strony calls himself a lucky guy.

“I came around at the right time. … I’ve played virtually every major organ … in the United States, Canada, across England and Australia,” he said. “I really have had an amazing career. … It’s nice to see some younger people that are taking an interest in [theater organ].”

Among them is David Rhodes of Bolingbrook, president of CATOE and Tivoli organist, who performs before screenings by the After Hours Film Society. The organ also is played Friday nights before the evening movie feature.

“We can thank him for keeping these organs going,” Strony said. “He’s an amazingly talented person.”

It’s been an odyssey for the Tivoli’s organ nicknamed Muriel, which has operated in three venues. Strony has played it at each venue.

The organ started in the Indiana Theatre in East Chicago, Indiana. When the theater closed, CATOE bought it and moved it to Maine Township High School North in Des Plaines. When the school sold the building, the instrument came to the Tivoli.

Trimby said a second theater organ is at Downers Grove North High School and is played before performances by the school’s band, orchestra and choir. CATOE maintains it.

“We’re just a real small group of people doing our darnedest to try to keep these wonderful instruments playing and out in front of the public,” said Trimby, noting that every film venue once had a theater organ to accompany silent movies.

Today, only eight remain in the Chicago region and CATOE cares for six of them, Trimby said, adding that repairs require everything be rebuilt by hand. He encourages electricians, plumbers and woodworkers to lend their skills, with no organ experience required.

CATOE invites people to listen to organ programs at its monthly socials and welcomes new members.

Also on the board is Trimby’s sister, Jan Stack, a longtime church organist in Plainfield.

“It’s such a special concert and we want to pack the house for this double-milestone event,” Stack said in an email.

Looking back at his own start, Trimby recalls he was 10 and protested being taken to his first concert at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet.

“[When] the organ came up out of the pit, I was hooked, and after the concert, we went down to talk to [organist] Kay McAbee,” Trimby said. “[I told him] I want to play this someday, and five years later, I was on the bench.”

He hopes the spark will continue to catch fire for future generations of musicians and for fans of the theater organ.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: “50 Years of the Fantastic Walt Strony”

• WHERE: Classic Cinemas Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove

• WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10

• COST: $10, with free admission for children 12 and younger

• INFORMATION: Tickets at catoe.net or with cash at the door