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4 July 2010

 

Report from Lloyd Erickson about the Bill Horn Show, 2010

 

Just back from the Bill Horn show so will give you a report of the happenings. The show took place at the Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA., a beautiful place for such an event. We arrived at the Eden on Friday, two days before the show to tour around Lancaster where the Amish folk reside. The food here is excellent but putting on weight is not.

 

The OAS Wersi Group had two days of workshops with Ralph Conti, Chris Conti filling in the group with details of what to expect from Wersi in the future. Brett Wales really pleased the OAS group with his playing and warm personality.

 

Sunday evening started the 5 day show with a great buffet, a perfect way to start the event. The artists for the evening were Seth Rye and Dennis Awe who represented the Lowrey Organ Co. Seth and Dennis each played solos, then teamed up and played together. A lively show that pleased everyone.

Monday morning started classes at 9:00 AM with Bill Horn doing the first workshop. At 10:30 AM O'Lyn Callahan took over with a class that continued until 12:00 noon. A lunch break followed until 1:00 PM when the display rooms opened with mini concerts. The Organ companies have dwindled down to three here in the USA and are Wersi, Roland and Lowrey. I remember when there were 15 and 20 different companies at the shows, displaying their products with lots of artists doing concerts. Here in the USA players only use new product unlike artists in Europe. They play older organs which I think is really great. Monday Evening’s concert featured O’Lyn Callahan for Roland and Dyanne Awe for Lowrey. Again, two fine artists who did great concerts. O'Lyn Callahan used superb registrations, changing presets every couple of measures.

 

Tuesday morning classes started and ended at the same time as Mondays. I should mention here that those who attend classes at Bill’s Show are given class books with the workshop material printed out. They are bound very nicely and serve to make the classes very interesting. Bill and Dyanne Awe (Dennis Awe’s Sister) were the instructors. Afternoon mini concerts in the product rooms ran from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Tuesday evening’s concert featured Ric Iannone for Roland and Brett Wales for Wersi. Both of these performers are truly great musicians and so the music was delightful. Standing ovations were in order and Brett received two, one for his rendition of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and one for his total performance. Brett made friends with everyone there, regardless of what brand others played.

 

Wednesday’s morning workshops were done by Bill Horn and Ric Iannone. How to register presets, interpret a piece of music and timing were part of each day’s workshops. Wednesday evening was special as we had a sit down dinner with tables assigned. Meal choice was Tenderloin or Fish, both very tastefully prepared by the staff at the Eden. Lots of waiters and waitresses quickly served the group and cleaned up before the evening concert took place. The artists for the evening were Tommy Johnson and Hector Olivera. Tommy started out the concert and played a Technics Piano with a Tyros 2 sitting atop the organ. (Hey, we had one artist who played older instruments!) Tommy plays Boogie Woogie like no other, lightning fast and never misses a note. Hector Olivera of course played Roland. He is a master musician who pleases everyone. His renditions of classical and modern music are impeccable. His banter is always entertaining and humorous. Delightful evening.

 

Thursday came too quickly as the show came to a close. At 10:45 doors opened for a great Brunch. Again we had assigned tables of 8 persons per table. Nice to chat with different folks at the table. Most folks have attended Bill’s shows for years, making it like one big family of friends. Lots of pictures taken this last day. A bountiful Brunch was served, again waiters and waitresses clearing the dishes up in very little time. The final show featured Bill Horn and his Black Spector with Wersi Box attached. Bill and his humor put everyone in a party mood. He has a very excellent singing voice and treated us to some of his vocals with organ. A Special treat was in store for us as Bill’s Wife, Joan, came up on stage and sang a few numbers for us. She has a very nice voice and Bill did the accompaniments. The show was over at 2:00 PM and everyone headed for home after saying goodbyes to old friends. There were people from Calif., Florida, PA, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and others. Being from Florida, we left for the 1,050 mile jaunt back home. It was as always, a wonderful 5 days of music and friends.

 

Hey, I forgot to mention that each day Bill conducted "You are the Star", letting novice players have their shot at being in the spotlight. Each day in the afternoon, the novice players gathered in the various product rooms to play their favorite organ. To please some Technics players, Bill obtained an Technics G100 for those who favored the instrument. Technotes Organ was another brand that was brought in for some who played on them. Roland, Lowrey and Wersi had lots of players who shared their music with us. It's a nice feature and pleases many. Three Wersi OAS club members teamed together and played three instruments and featured a patriotic melody. They call themselves "The Treble Makers".

 

That's a quick review of the Bill Horn Show for 2010 and his 31st. We all are waiting to hear if Bill will do another next year. With the economy down, Bill takes a big chance when he commits to another year. God Bless him.
 

Lloyd Erickson