News release from the Embassy Theatre:
Muncie native Jelani Eddington headlines May 12
Buddy Nolan Tribute at the Embassy Theatre
(May 3, 2013) – With more than 1,300 pipes and a hurricane force of wind, the Grande Page organ at the Embassy Theatre can be an overwhelming instrument of sound. When played by a master, the Grande Page can shake the walls or be as soft as a whisper in your ear. If you’ve never experienced the majesty of this regional treasure, the Embassy Theatre offers an afternoon concert to honor Buddy Nolan, a man whose legendary wit and musical talent helped keep the Embassy Theatre alive. The last concert in the 2012-13 Black & White series is presented with the theme From Broadway to Hollywood. Organist and Muncie native Jelani Eddington will be at the console demonstrating his mastery of this magnificent instrument playing songs from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Andrew Lloyd Weber, John Williams and more on Sunday, May 12, at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and are available at the Embassy box office and Ticketmaster.
About Jelani Eddington
Born in Muncie, Ind., Eddington began studying the piano at the age of 4 and was introduced to the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ at the Indianapolis Paramount Music Palace restaurant at the age of 8. That experience led him to pursue classical organ lessons and study under the direction of John Ferguson, whose skills as a theater organ instructor have been highly acclaimed internationally.
Jelani Eddington won the 1988 Young Theatre Organist Competition from the American Theatre Organ Society at the age of 13. He remains the youngest competitor ever to win this title. In 2001, the American Theatre Organ Society honored Eddington’s career by naming him the Theatre Organist of the Year at the age of 27. Eddington retains the distinction of being the youngest-ever recipient of this prestigious honor.
During the course of his concert career, Eddington has been featured at numerous national and regional conventions of the American Theatre Organ Society and has toured extensively throughout the world, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales, Holland, France and Germany.
About Buddy Nolan
Following a 20-year stint as Embassy house organist, Buddy Nolan remained devoted to the theater. In 1972, when the Embassy and its treasured Grande Page theatre pipe organ faced demolition, Nolan joined the group of unfaltering organ enthusiasts who laid the plans that saved the Embassy and the organ. Nolan’s Theatre Organ at Midnight concert in May 1975, a throwback to the series of popular midnight concerts he started in 1963, served as a one-of-a-kind fundraiser for the theater, drawing a capacity crowd and helping raise the money that eventually did save the Embassy Theatre.
Media sponsor for the concert is 1250 The River.
From Broadway to Hollywood
Featuring Jelani Eddington on the Grande Page
Tickets: $8 for adults, $5 for students.
On sale now at the Embassy box office, all other Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com.
This programming is provided with support from Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional support comes from The Howard P. Arnold Foundation.
About the Embassy Theatre
Built in 1928, the historic Embassy Theatre features national productions from the Broadway stage, concerts of all musical formats, cinema, educational programming and a continued commitment to young people. For more information, visit www.fwembassytheatre.org.
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