Boomeria Organ Extravaganza

Santa Cruz Baroque Festival presents a

Boomeria Organ Extravaganza



Saturday, July 10, 2010 from 1-5pm

Chapel Royal at Boomeria, Bonny Doon

(map and directions provided to ticket holders).





The annual Boomeria Extravaganza offers a unique afternoon with hours of organ music in Boomeria's own Chapel Royal, snacks, drinks, and wine, surrounded by the Bonny Doon area forest. This event takes place on Saturday, July 10, from 1 to 5 pm with organists Bill Visscher, Bruce Sawhill, Hartzell Lemons, Ann Thiermann, Colin Whitby-Strevens and Preston Boomer performing. Finally, an “organ crawl” provides visitors with a tour of the organ’s intestines. This event is a fundraiser and proceeds benefit the continued operation of the Baroque Festival's annual concert season. Admission: $50 (includes music, food, drinks). Please note: advance ticket sales only. Directions are furnished to ticket holders.



Tickets: Santa Cruz Tickets: 831-420-5260 or 459-2159, http://www.santacruztickets.com, and walk-up sales at Civic Center Box Office and UCSC Ticket Office windows.

Information: SC Baroque Festival: 831-457-9693, http://www.scbaroque.org



About organs: The invention of the organ dates back as far as Archimedes around 300 B.C. Music’s “first synthesizer” (as Preston Boomer calls it) is a fascinating instrument from both a music and physics standpoint. During the baroque period writing for and development of organs flourished, making the organ the computer of its day.



The sound of actual pipe organs no longer abounds in most of our churches or on our stereo systems, so naturally, the “Baroque Festival” looks forward to once again engaging its guests with the instrument’s complex mechanisms and centuries-old repertoire.



About Boomeria: The grounds of Boomeria are full of surprises, including its own castle and catacombs. Created and maintained by "The Boom" – a long-time local high school chemistry and physics teacher – Boomeria is a well-kept local secret.



The Boomeria organ itself was a project begun in 1953. In that year Trinity Parish Church (now Cathedral) in San Jose replaced its organ console (vintage 1879), which had originally been donated to the church by The Boom's great grandmother. Boomer rescued the console along with two sets of pipes and started a project was completed with the assistance of students from San Lorenzo Valley High School over a period of many years.



Since then generations of Boomer's students have helped with the building of this massive instrument and its intricate mechanisms, along with assistance from organ builders Bill Reid, John West, and Bill Visscher. The Boomeria organ now features 40 ranks, 2,500 pipes, baroque voicing, and mechanical action.



Visitors to the Baroque Festival's annual Boomeria Organ Concert have the opportunity to explore the grounds and crawl into the organ itself, while enjoying live music and refreshments.



Looking ahead:

Nov. 20, 2010 ~ Fall Benefit Concert: Music for organ and choir at Holy Cross Church .. Event updates forthcoming on our website.



More information about all our events is available at

http://www.scbaroque.org



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