The Embassy is thrilled to present Magnificent Melodies with Ken Double on the Grande Page pipe organ on Saturday, September 25, 2021.
Embassy Showcases the Splendor of the Grande Page at Magnificent Melodies with Ken Double
Concert FREE to youth, seniors and Embassy membersFort Wayne, Indiana (August 5, 2021) – The Embassy is thrilled to present Magnificent Melodies with Ken Double on Saturday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. This is one of several Grange Page pipe organ events to be highlighted over the 2021-2022 season. Another organ concert will be hosted in the spring (Buddy Nolan Memorial Concert with Mark Herman) as well as a black and white silent film series accompanied by the Page that will highlight iconic movies that are celebrating their 100-year anniversaries. Details for those events will be revealed in the future.
Magnificent Melodies with Ken Double will feature Ken Double‘s masterful talent featuring songs ranging from pops to standards to Broadway. You’ll hear classics such as “All I Ask of You” from Phantom, “Serenade” from The Student Prince, “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” and many more.
Important note: This concert is FREE to youth 12 and under and to seniors 65+. Embassy members can also claim two FREE tickets per membership. FREE tickets must be obtained directly through the STAR Bank box office at the Embassy.
Tickets are ONLY $10 general admission for those aged 13-64 (plus applicable fees) and can be purchased at fwembassytheatre.org, ticketmaster.com and the STAR Bank box office at the Embassy (260.424.5665) at 125 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne.
Magnificent Melodies with Ken Double ticketing link
The presenting sponsors for this organ concert are Thomas and Penelope Mathiesen.
Activities at the Embassy are made possible in part by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.
About Ken Double
Ken loves to boast that he has been “paid to have fun twice in life!” The native of Chicago spent 33 years broadcasting sports, including many events in Indiana and especially in Fort Wayne. But there was that interesting secondary career that is now front and center. Ken started organ lessons at age eight, and about the time he was growing bored with it, a high school teacher introduced Ken to the magic of the theater pipe organ. In that world, they call it the ‘WOW’ moment. Ken was hooked. He steered his lessons to the theater organ, including a final year under the great Al Melgard, famous organist at the old Chicago Stadium.Ken’s concert credits include seven tours of Australia and New Zealand; two trips to the UK; countless concerts in Canada; and hundreds across the US. He was instrumental in the installation of the Wurlitzer organ at the Long Center in Lafayette where Ken will play his 40th annual concert in 2022. There are highlights at the Embassy Theatre, too. Ken was invited to play the very first Buddy Nolan Concert in tribute to the Embassy Page, and he teamed with Dyne Pfeffenberger for several memorable duet concerts.
For 10 years, Ken was the national president of the American Theatre Organ Society. He has more than 20 recordings to his credit, including the new Magnificent Melodies on Mighty Mo, recorded on the massive 4/42 Möller pipe organ at the Atlanta Fox Theatre.
About the Grande Page
The Embassy would not have its rich history without the Grande Page pipe organ. Its significance is instrumental. In the 1920s, movie and vaudeville palaces like the Embassy were opening throughout the United States. One thing theaters could not do without was the theater pipe organ, which, along with orchestras, accompanied the silent films of the day.Installed in 1928 and built by the Page Organ Company of Lima, Ohio, the Embassy’s Grande Page pipe organ is one of three of its size built, and one of two still in its original home.
Over 1,100 pipes fill the main pipe chamber and solo pipe chamber in the Embassy Theatre on either side of the stage, ranging in size from 16 feet to only seven inches. Instruments include the marimba, harp, piano, glockenspiel, xylophone and the “toy counter,” containing snare and bass drums, cymbals, Chinese gong, castanets, tambourines, tom-toms, triangle, wood block, steamboat and train whistles, sirens, fire gong, telephone, claxon, sleigh bells and chirping birds. The complete range of instruments and sound effects helped organists convey the emotions, characters and story lines of each silent film to flicker across the screen back in its heyday.
When the Embassy was faced with the wrecking ball in 1972, community leaders and volunteers, led by Robert Goldstine, banded together to form the Embassy Theatre Foundation. Their goal was to protect the building for the good of the community and preserve the home of the Grande Page pipe organ. Through the efforts of these volunteers and the support of the community, the successful “Save the Embassy” campaign raised the $250,000 necessary to rescue the building from demolition with just two days to spare.
About the Embassy Theatre
Built in 1928, the Embassy Theatre is Indiana’s largest self-sustaining historic theater. Originally known as the Emboyd, with the adjoining seven-story Indiana Hotel, the majestic movie palace and vaudeville theater introduced Indiana to the biggest stars of stage and screen. Today, the Embassy is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Combining the beauty of a bygone era with the energy and diversity of today’s performers, the Embassy is the showplace of Northern Indiana. Many choose to host events and weddings at the Embassy, as it offers flexibility and a unique event experience in an iconic piece of Fort Wayne history. Visit fwembassytheatre.org for more information
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