The American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) is an American

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting the theatre pipe organ and its musical art form. ATOS consists of regional member-chapters, and is led by democratically elected leaders. There are currently over 75 local chapters of ATOS, and membership is made up of musicians, technicians, hobbyists, educators, and others who enjoy the music of the theatre organ. The ATOS Board of Directors is the main governing body.

History

Theatre organs took the place of the orchestra when installed in movie theatres during the heyday of

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

. After the introduction of

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

s in the late 1920s, the production of theater organs started decreasing. However, the music and sound of the theater organ continued to remain popular with a number of enthusiasts. And in 1955, ATOS was founded to promote and preserve the heritage of theater organs. ATOS was founded as a group called the ''American Theatre Organ Enthusiasts'', by Richard Simonton. Simonton was a Hollywood businessman and entrepreneur. And as a tremendous fan of theatre organ music, he arranged a gathering at his home on February 8, 1955, where he and several other organ enthusiasts founded what would later become ATOS.

Current activities

ATOS hosts an annual convention every year, held at various locations across the country. The 2019 Convention will be held in Rochester, New York Many regional events are sponsored and organized by local chapters. ATOS has an extensive outreach to young musicians, and funds several musical scholarships for youth members. ATOS sponsors an annual ''Young Theatre Organist Competition''. ATOS sponsors ''ATOS Theatre Organ Radio'', an

internet radio station Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

dedicated to the theatre organ. It can be streamed through th
ATOS Website
24 hours per day.

Instruments

There were over 7,000 theater organs installed in American theatres from 1915 to 1933. Though there are few original instruments in their original theatres, hundreds of theatre organs have been installed in public venues throughout the world, while hundreds more (typically rescued from defunct theaters) exist in private residences. Theater organs are complex instruments that require periodic maintenance. Repair and restoration services can be costly, especially when refurbishing non-working instruments. ATOS established an

endowment fund A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

to financially assist ATOS chapters engaged in theatre organ projects and/or programs, which will have a lasting impact on the preservation of theatre organs as a historical American instrument and musical art form. Th
Atos Website
maintains a list of venues with theater organs, organized by location. Due to a limited but steady demand for theater organs, a few companies manufacture modern ''Digital Theater Organs''. Incorporating sampling, a

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...

interface, and newly designed speaker systems, they are produced in the attempt to recreate authentic-sounding pipe tones, thus providing an affordable alternative to an actual pipe organ. Despite the availability of new digital theater organs, there is still an active market of original pipe instruments and parts.

References

External links

American Theater Organ Society

Organ Historical SocietyThe Theatre Organ Home PageThe Wurlitzer Opus ListCinema Organ Society (UK)Theatre Organ Society International
{{Authority control Organs (music) Silent film music Pipe organ Music organizations based in the United States Pipe organ organizations Theatre organ organizations Organizations established in 1955 1955 establishments in California

History

Current activities

Instruments

See also

References

External links