Lance Luce - Dickinson Theatre Organ Society,
Dickinson High School, Wilmington, Delaware
Dickinson High School, Wilmington, Delaware
January 2012 was my second
time playing the Kimball at
Dickinson High School in
Wilmington, Delaware. Since
my last concert there have
been some changes on the
organ. It has a new console
with more controls and
capabilities, and they have
added more pipe ranks. The
organ now has 66 ranks
(rows) of pipes in two side
chambers as well as an "on
stage" section including some
of the longest pipes. One
thing has not changed, and
that is that the organ is
fantastic and is one of the best
anywhere.
I was fortunate that Mother
Nature cooperated and there
was no snow at all for this late
January date. That may have
helped create the large turnout
of 800 people. The audience
was very responsive, which
always makes a person feel
good.
Bob Dilworth along with Carl,
Paul and the rest of his crew
made sure the organ sounded
its best. They sure know how
to make a person feel
welcome and appreciated.
The hospitality was
outstanding.
This organ has a nice selection
of string ranks, and the
combination of sounds coming
from all 3 "chambers" makes
for a luscious slushy sound
when called upon. There is
lots of shimmer. I think I
counted 14 ranks of strings.
There are also some rare reed
pipes in the specification.
They have an Egyptian Horn
modeled after a rank in the
Atlantic City organ, and those
are the only two of its kind in
existence. The variety of
color reeds makes for a very
nice palette to play with.
As you can see by the
pictures, I did have fun
climbing around in the
chambers, getting a chance to
see the inner workings first
hand. Yes, there are three
blowers on the organ, one for
each side chamber, and one
for the stage chamber.
The additional stops panel
(that's what I'm gonna call it)
is brought out so you can set
your pistons. There are so
many stops that they can't all
fit on the stop rail. After you
set your pistons, this panel is
put away in it's custom
designed niche in the side of
the organ. It's really quite
ingenuous . The organ has a
multi level combination action,
so you really have unlimited
amounts of pistons, so setting
your combinations is a breeze.
There is also a vast array of
"toys" on this organ. Kimball
was famous for a row of push
buttons just above the top
keyboard activating whistles,
and sirens and a myriad of
other special effects that
would come in handy in the
days of accompanying a silent
movie. I managed to push a
few here and there at what I
deemed an appropriate spot in
the program. The siren came
in handy a couple of times, as
did the train whistle in "Night
Train."
The concert was fun to play
because the organ really can
do just about anything you ask
of it, and also because of the
lively crowd.
I am looking forward to
returning again someday in the
future. Their website is
http://www.dtoskimball.org/
Thanks again to Bob and
Mary Ann Dilworth, Carl
Black and Stephen Ross for
their Camaraderie.
time playing the Kimball at
Dickinson High School in
Wilmington, Delaware. Since
my last concert there have
been some changes on the
organ. It has a new console
with more controls and
capabilities, and they have
added more pipe ranks. The
organ now has 66 ranks
(rows) of pipes in two side
chambers as well as an "on
stage" section including some
of the longest pipes. One
thing has not changed, and
that is that the organ is
fantastic and is one of the best
anywhere.
I was fortunate that Mother
Nature cooperated and there
was no snow at all for this late
January date. That may have
helped create the large turnout
of 800 people. The audience
was very responsive, which
always makes a person feel
good.
Bob Dilworth along with Carl,
Paul and the rest of his crew
made sure the organ sounded
its best. They sure know how
to make a person feel
welcome and appreciated.
The hospitality was
outstanding.
This organ has a nice selection
of string ranks, and the
combination of sounds coming
from all 3 "chambers" makes
for a luscious slushy sound
when called upon. There is
lots of shimmer. I think I
counted 14 ranks of strings.
There are also some rare reed
pipes in the specification.
They have an Egyptian Horn
modeled after a rank in the
Atlantic City organ, and those
are the only two of its kind in
existence. The variety of
color reeds makes for a very
nice palette to play with.
As you can see by the
pictures, I did have fun
climbing around in the
chambers, getting a chance to
see the inner workings first
hand. Yes, there are three
blowers on the organ, one for
each side chamber, and one
for the stage chamber.
The additional stops panel
(that's what I'm gonna call it)
is brought out so you can set
your pistons. There are so
many stops that they can't all
fit on the stop rail. After you
set your pistons, this panel is
put away in it's custom
designed niche in the side of
the organ. It's really quite
ingenuous . The organ has a
multi level combination action,
so you really have unlimited
amounts of pistons, so setting
your combinations is a breeze.
There is also a vast array of
"toys" on this organ. Kimball
was famous for a row of push
buttons just above the top
keyboard activating whistles,
and sirens and a myriad of
other special effects that
would come in handy in the
days of accompanying a silent
movie. I managed to push a
few here and there at what I
deemed an appropriate spot in
the program. The siren came
in handy a couple of times, as
did the train whistle in "Night
Train."
The concert was fun to play
because the organ really can
do just about anything you ask
of it, and also because of the
lively crowd.
I am looking forward to
returning again someday in the
future. Their website is
http://www.dtoskimball.org/
Thanks again to Bob and
Mary Ann Dilworth, Carl
Black and Stephen Ross for
their Camaraderie.