A Century of Song
Sunday, August 2nd at 2:00 pm
One hundred years ago, a remarkable instrument was born. In 1926, the Marr & Colton Organ Company of Warsaw, New York, crafted a three-manual, 10-rank theatre pipe organ and installed it in the Palace Theatre in Danbury, Connecticut, where it delighted audiences through the golden age of silent film. Today, that same magnificent instrument — lovingly rescued, restored, and expanded — resides at the Thomaston Opera House in Thomaston, Connecticut, and is considered one of the finest theatre pipe organs of its size in the country.
On Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM, the Connecticut Valley Theatre Organ Society (CVTOS) and Landmark Community Theatre invite the public to celebrate this extraordinary centennial milestone with A Century of Song, a special concert featuring three acclaimed theatre organists: Juan Cardona, Jr., Ken Double, and Ben Forsthoffer. The event will also include a special video presentation by Jonathan Ortloff, who recently completed a full tonal finishing and restoration of three pipe ranks of the historic organ.
Admission to this historic celebration is free, with donations gratefully accepted to benefit CVTOS, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and performance of theatre pipe organs.
About the Instrument:
The Thomaston Opera House Marr & Colton organ has led a life as dramatic as any silent film it once accompanied. Built in 1926 and installed at the Palace Theatre in Danbury, the organ was sold some years later, though its buyers could only remove the console and chimes due to restrictions on the theatre’s decorative grilles. The remaining pipe work sat silently inside the Palace’s chambers for decades.
InJune of 1967, the Palace Theatre announced plans to install air conditioning —and the only available space was the organ chambers. With the walls about to be opened that very weekend, members of the Connecticut Valley Theatre Organ Society, led by John and Kathy Angevine and Allen Straus, sprang into action. Working in a matter of days through openings cut in the outside walls of the building, the team rescued the organ for the sum of one dollar, paid to the air-conditioning contractor.
After years of meticulous restoration at John Angevine’s studio, the organ found its permanent home at the historic Thomaston Opera House (built 1884), paired with a three-manual Kimball console originally from the Warner Theatre in Philadelphia. The instrument was formally dedicated on October 15, 1971, in a concert performed by organist Rosa Rio, and dedicated to the memory of Allen Straus, a member of the original rescue crew who was killed in Vietnam.
Today the organ features 15 ranks, six tremulants, and wind pressures ranging from 6”to 12”. It is celebrated among theatre organ enthusiasts worldwide for its exceptional tonal character, particularly the extraordinary combination of its original Kinura and Tuba Horn stops. Audiences who hear it for the first time invariably ask: “How many ranks is this?” — it sounds like far more than it is.
\"John's dedication to the theater organ and the Thomaston Opera House spanned more than 50 years. As crew chief of the organ restoration project, he worked tirelessly to keep the project moving forward and on track. The countless hours contributed by John and so many dedicated volunteers have helped make this special day a reality. John would be incredibly proud to know that his legacy — and the music he loved — will continue for generations to come."
— Kathy and Lisa Angevine, Wife and Daughter of John Angevine
The Artists
Juan Cardona, Jr.— House Organist, Thomaston Opera House
Juan Cardona, Jr. hails from Newtown, Connecticut. He began studying piano and organ at the age of seven and continued his musical training through college, majoring in classical organ at the University of Connecticut. He also trained and refined his theatre organ skills with world-renowned theatre organist Jelani Eddington. Juan has served as the House Organist for the Thomaston Opera House for over thirty years and for the Bardavon Opera House for over twenty-five years. He has performed at prestigious venues across the country, opened for the Boston Pops, appeared with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at Woolsey Hall under the direction of Skitch Henderson, and been a featured organist at theAmerican Theatre Organ Society’s National Convention in San Diego in 2022. He has accompanied over thirty silent films and brings an unparalleled depth of connection to this instrument and this stage.
Ken Double —Organist, Atlanta Fox Theatre
A 34-year veteran sportscaster who began taking organ lessons at age 8 in his hometown of Chicago, Ken Double has built a second career around his love of the theatre pipe organ. He has served ten years as national President of the American Theatre Organ Society and has performed concerts on great theatre organs around the world, including eight tours of Australia. Since 2016, he has performed on Mighty Mo, the iconic Möller pipe organ at the Atlanta Fox Theatre. Ken also serves as a consultant for the Balboa Theatre in San Diego and its Monday Night Silents series. In July 2026, Ken served as Master of Ceremonies for the ATOS Annual Convention in Rochester, New York. He is also serving in that role for this centennial celebration.
Ben Forsthoffer —Rising Star of the Theatre Organ
Ben Forsthoffer’s passion for the theatre organ began at age 5 when he first heard the Wurlitzer pipe organ at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. A student of world-renowned theatre organist Jelani Eddington, Ben is also an accomplished classical and jazz pianist, qualities that inform his technically flawless and novel style. He has performed at numerous prestigious venues including the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, the Rochester Broadway League Theatre in Rochester, New York, and the Loews Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey. Currently in his freshman year of college, Ben represents the bright future of the theatre organ art form.
About the Organizations:
Connecticut Valley Theatre Organ Society (CVTOS)
- Founded as the Connecticut Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, CVTOS is a501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and performance of theatre pipe organs in Connecticut and the surrounding region. CVTOS owns and maintains the Marr & Colton organ at the Thomaston Opera House. The Society’s decades of volunteer labor have saved this instrument’s irreplaceable historical and cultural value.
Landmark Community Theatre (LCT)
- LandmarkCommunity Theatre is the principal tenant of the historic Thomaston Opera House; a National Register of Historic Places landmark built in 1884. Landmark produces a full season of theatrical productions and community programming for audiences throughout the greater Litchfield County region and beyond.
