Famed Wanamaker Organ will again be heard by the public in fall art series in Philadelphia

(25 Jul 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Philadelphia - 24 July 2025 1. Peter Richard Conte plays the organ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Richard Conte, Wanamaker grand court organist: ”This instrument is literally an international musical treasure. It is revered around the world as one of the greatest organs ever built. 3. Various of Conte playing the organ 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Richard Conte, Wanamaker grand court organist: “This instrument encompasses just shy of 29,000 pipes and they're connected to this control panel, this cockpit looking like thing, via cables, miles and miles of cables that connect this console to the organ which is back behind me." 5. Various of hidden organ pipes 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Richard Conte, Wanamaker grand court organist: “When Macy's first closed, we were all both shocked and saddened. I've been here through four or five different retailers.” 7. Organ pedals 8. Organ keys 9. Musical folder 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dylan David Shaw, Wanamaker organ technician: “Right now we are in the main chamber. We're directly underneath the pedal division of the organ. A good 10,000 plus pipes are in this room where we are standing currently.” 11. Tilt of atrium with Ava Maria in background 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dylan David Shaw, Wanamaker organ technician: “We've also started a few more restoration projects that have been on the list for a while — now that don't have daily concerts every day — we can focus on getting those projects done.” 13. Various of organ maintenance equipment 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dylan David Shaw, Wanamaker organ technician: “To quote the curator of the organ, ‘The Liberty Bell is the heart of Philadelphia, but the Grand Court organ is its voice.’ I feel that that statement is so true. I first heard Peter play the organ when I was very little kid. And I got hooked immediately.” 15. Various of Conte playing the organ 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Roth Costanzo, general director and president of Opera Philadelphia: “I'm thrilled to announce that we have a one million dollar gift from the Wyncote Foundation and for the next four months we're going to use that to make the space come totally alive." 17. Tilt of Costanzo walking 18. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Roth Costanzo, general director and president of Opera Philadelphia: "This building has been empty since March, and now we're going to fill it with artists, with shows, with opportunities to connect with this incredible instrument." 19. Conte and Costanzo perform Ava Maria STORYLINE: One of the most famous organs in the world, which graces one of Philadelphia's favorite public spaces, was at risk of going quiet this spring when Macy’s closed up shop in the city's storied Wanamaker Building. But countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, the avant-garde opera star hired last year to run Opera Philadelphia, is leading an effort to let the public again enjoy the Wanamaker Organ, a National Historic Landmark-designated treasure. The organ boasts more than 28,000 wood and metal pipes hidden behind a soaring wall of gold-leaf pipes that frame the building’s seven-story marble atrium. Costanzo, with $1 million in philanthropic funding, is organizing a series of public performances this fall — including opera, ballet, theater and drag — before renovations begin next year on the building’s conversion to a retail and residential hub. The Wanamaker Organ will be featured in the first event, set for Sunday, Sept. 7, but perhaps not all of them. AP Video by Mingson Lau =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...