A performance at the RiverCenter was cut short yesterday on August 14, 2022, when a poorly-maintained organ broke onstage leaving the audience out-of-luck.
The performance by Joseph Golden titled “A Salute to The American Songbook” was set to be performed using the RiverCenter’s theatre organ, affectionately known as “The Wave.” Unfortunately for attendees, the performing arts center was unable to keep the instrument in tip-top shape for the performance.
The organ, a GW IV made by The Allen Organ Company of Macungie, Pa., is an irreplaceable antique salvaged by The American Theatre Organ Society. The organ is a cultural artifact of 1920s entertainment akin with Vaudeville-style performances and pre-audio motion pictures.
The priceless organ was gifted to the RiverCenter just last year in June 2021 by Dr. Marie Jureit-Beamish through the Atlanta Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (ACATOS). Its new ownership has been under the charge of RiverCenter’s executive director, Norman S. Easterbrook.
Maintenance of the antiquated and priceless theatre organ was overlooked enough by the RiverCenter for the organ to break on-stage during a live performance. The organ’s untimely and costly demise accompanies a long track-record of financial failure by Easterbrook, who has cost the performing arts organization more than $1.13 million in net revenue loss since he took over as the organization’s executive director in 2014.
The performance of Joseph Golden’s “A Salute to The American Songbook” is set to be rescheduled pending a repair or replacement of the prized theatre organ.
