Organist to perform unusual selections

Charlie Balogh will perform on the Wurlitzer theater pipe organ Sunday, March 11, at 2 p.m. at The Phipps Center for the Arts.

Balogh will use some pre-recorded backing tracks from his new CD, “Maestro.” This accompaniment allows him to add everything from a rock band to a full symphony to the sound of the organ. Selections will include Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Bumble Boogie,” “Hooked on Classics,” a special version of Beethoven’s “Fur Elise,” and several other non-album selections, including “Zoot Suit Riot,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and “Play That Funky Music.”

From 1973 to 1976, Balogh played at a pipe organ-equipped restaurant in Phoenix, Ariz., called Organ Stop Pizza. In 1977, he moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., to perform at a similar restaurant called Roaring 20’s Pizza, eventually purchasing the business in 1985. The restaurant was closed in the fall of 1990, and he moved back to Phoenix to return to Organ Stop, where he continues to perform today.

For over 36 years, he has played nearly every major theater organ installation in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Australia, and was honored by the American Theatre Organ Society as Organist of the Year in 2000.

Tickets are $22 for adults and $15 for students of all ages. Discounts are available by purchasing season tickets. For reservations, contact The Phipps ticket office at (715) 386-8409 or online at www.ThePhipps.org.

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