The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ-sponsored Symphonic Organ Restoration Symposium brings many of the Nation's top pipe-organ restorers to Philadelphia for intense educational courses and workshops on fine the art of historic electropneumatic pipe-organ restoration. Top practitioners share the special techniques they have devised to keep the country's great Symphonic pipe organs a vital presence on the American scene.

L. Curt Mangel, curator of the Wanamaker Organ and former curator of the famous Sanfilippo Collection of historic automated musical instruments in Barrington, Illinois, is the Symposium organizer. Evening and weekend educational field trips are occasionally included, taking participants to prominent pipe-organ and related sites in the greater Philadelphia area.

 

The Friends  wishes to extend very special thanks to all who made our Centennial Year concerts the great events that they were! The event sponsors particularly wish to thank Peter Richard Conte, Grand Court Organist, Wurlitzer organist Rudy Lucente, Maurice O'Connell and Macy's, Curt Mangel and Sam Whitcraft, Curators, Peter Batchelder, Chief Tuner, Professional Organ Technicians John Adams, Nathan Bryson, Brant Duddy, Tom Engstrom, Bob Knight, Valerie Kuehn, Steve Moore, John Mussina, Sean O'Donnell, Joe Rotella, Jim Stemke, Jim Twyne and John Werner, Friends Wyncote Grant recipients Scott Kip and Anthony Nichols, and also Don Drury, Larry Grundy, Larry Kerecman, Roger Lane, Stephen Ross, Nikola Sizgorich, Michael Smith and Claire Whiting. Special thanks is also due to Rossen Milanov and the Symphony in C. orchestra.