1931 E.M. Skinner organ at Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio

Wake up and smell the coffee. The pipe organ is making a comeback in some American concert halls, as capacity audiences at Cleveland’s Severance Hall know full well. Think about it - when was the last time 2,000-plus people paid top dollar for tickets to a solo organ concert? This week’s Pipedreams program shares the Ohio celebration with selections from inaugural-series recitals by Thomas Murray, Gillian Weir, and Thomas Trotter. built in 1931 by the famous Ernest M. Skinner of Boston, had been unheard and long forgotten in an inaccessible above-stage chamber. For the past seven decades it had been akin to a “hidden treasure.” Now the Norton Memorial Organ has taken the place of pride immediately behind the orchestra, the result of an extensive auditorium renovation. In virtually every detail, the organ has been restored by the Schantz Company of Orrville, Ohio with its original voice intact. Enjoy the exquisite period colors and the impressive power of “The Severance Skinner, Saved by Schantz” this week on Pipedreams.

The charm of folk tunes and the charismatic character of an international array of instruments and soloists enlivens this program of seasonal fare. Franz Lehrndorfer improvises at Saint Boniface Church in Munich, Ann Labounsky plays the work of her famous teacher Jean Langlais, and Todd Wilson shows off the Skinner organ at Cleveland’s Severance Hall. We offer holiday music of the shepherds and angels from around the world. Listen to variations from Munich and Dieppe, hymn preludes from Cleveland and Tacoma, and fine-wrought fantasies from Methuen and Fort Lauderdale as part of A Christmas Festival.

Our own composers and performers know how to bring a unique and special flavor to the holiday season.

…we gauge the shift of seasons with a curious collection of compositions in changing harmonic colors.

…both the American Theatre Organ Society, July 1-5, and the Organ Historical Society, July 5-10, will hold their 2009 annual conventions in and around Cleveland, Ohio. After hearing these sounds, you’ll want to attend.

…home-grown performers, composers, and instruments celebrate the Festival of the Nativity.