Director 
We are approaching the end of the dark period for the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ (KO). In September, after 2 years away, and a complete renovation, our remarkable instrument will be back in Merrill Auditorium prepared to astound and uplift audiences for another 100 years. I think back to the first time I heard a great … Read more
Sept. 27 will mark the historic organ’s triumphant return to its home in Merrill Auditorium. In September, the mighty Kotzschmar Organ in Portland’s Merrill Auditorium will make its triumphant return to its home after a two-year out-of-hall renovation costing $2.5 million. It will be a historic, joyous occasion. The Kotzschmar was donated to the city … Read more
When I was 7 years old, my father took me to a Kotzschmar Organ concert at Portland City Hall for the first time. The organist was Portland’s Alistair “Sandy” Grant. I was mesmerized by the whole event. I lived away from Maine for a number of years and returned in 1981, just in time to … Read more
As part of our educational outreach, Ray Cornils presented a hands-on program for the New England Conference for Talent Development and Gifted Education in October. The session provided teachers with snippets of our school programs while they were engaged in making hypotheses and connecting their known knowledge to new information. Everyone was actively involved as … Read more
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text][dt_cell width=”1/2″]Variations de Concert, Op.1[/dt_cell][dt_cell width=”1/2″]Joseph Bonnet (1884-1944)[/dt_cell] [dt_gap height=”10″ /] [dt_cell width=”1/2″]Minuet a l’Antico[/dt_cell][dt_cell width=”1/2″]W.C.E. Seeboeck (1857-1907) arr. Alfred Brnkler[/dt_cell][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
If you missed our Show & Tell’s this summer, please follow this CTN link and view the interview with John Bishop, FOKO Board member and chair of the Organ Committee. John gave a very informative presentation about the renovation process. Foley-Baker Project Manager, Phil Carpenter, guided guests
We’ve recently heard from Mike Foley of Foley-Baker Inc down in Tolland, CT that the Kotzschmar work is on schedule and he is sorry to see so much of it leave the shop! The craftsmanship is amazing and their work is stellar! Join us for Show & Tell on August 13, 5-7 pm to hear … Read more
Douglas L. Rafter, Portland’s longest-lived Municipal Organist, died on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at the Portland Center for Assisted Living. He was 97. A native of Wilmington, Vermont, Rafter moved to Portland in 1971. He was a concert organist, and had a repertoire of about 275 pieces of organ music memorized. He also taught music … Read more
