Practice, Practice, Practice to Get to Wanamaker Bench

PHILADELPHIA - Students attending the prestigious Pipe Organ Camp during the Kimmel Teen Summer Arts program did much of their practicing on a Rodgers organ as they prepared to perform on the famous Wanamaker organ.

The camp, which is part of the education department of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, was expanded recently to add daily sessions with organist Peter Richard Conte on the Wanamaker organ at Macy's Department Store. After their early morning instruction from Mr. Conte, the students moved on to lessons with Alan Morrison, organ professor at The Curtis Institute of Music. Those sessions were held at Curtis this year as Verizon Hall, home of Kimmel's pipe organ, is in the midst of construction.

The three-manual Rodgers Masterpiece Signature 356 organ was placed in a private practice area for use by both Mr. Conte and Ken Cowan prior to their performances on Wanamaker Organ Day, held Saturday, June 26. When the Kimmel program started the next week, Pipe Organ Camp students then used it for practice, in addition to the recently restored Wurlitzer organ in Greek Hall at Macy's.

Students for the Pipe Organ Camp are selected based on audition CDs as well as letters of recommendation from their teachers. The program normally accepts pipe organ students between the ages of 14-18, although this year's group included prodigy Michael Bennett of North Carolina, who is 11 and already a regular student of Mr. Conte's. Other participants included Karen Christianson, Bryan Anderson, Griffin McMahon, Maria Markevitch and Deniz Uz.

As part of the camp, the students studied various pieces of organ repertoire along with technique and pedagogy in both one-on-one lessons with instructors and in a group setting.

Left to right: Karen Christianson, Bryan Anderson, Peter Richard Conte, Michael Bennett, Alan Morrison, Griffin McMahon, Maria Markevitch, Deniz Uz.