Pipe Organs

Charlotte Atkinson was an organist extraordinaire! Showing an aptitude for music early on, Charlotte continued with formal education earning Bachelor and Masters degrees in music. At San Diego State University, she first met her husband, William, in Howard Brubeck's theory class. In her junior year at SDSU, she and William (Bill) were married and spent the next several decades touring as the Atkinson Duo with Charlotte on piano, organ and harpsichord and Bill on flute and choir directing. They were organist and music directors of several churches and were actively involved in many

Pat Bovenizer, the current Vice President of Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc., gives credit to some “Irish Luck” as he discusses his growth with the company. Beginning part-time work at age 16 while continuing his high school education. Pat soon became submersed in sales and trade shows; working the Peterson booth at NAMM and creating sales programs at 20 years old. Over the years Pat helped the company expand and venture into new marketing opportunities especially in the early days of the Internet and all based on the simple idea taught to him by Mr. Peterson, build relati

Fred Buch has always been interested in combining electronic technology with pipe organs.  When he entered the pipe organ business in the 1957, electronic organs were not sufficiently advanced to provide a high quality pipe sound.  Fred added pianos and home organs in 1960 resulting in a three store operation. Hearing that the Rodgers Instrument Corp. was interested in combining electronics and pipes, Fred became a representative of Rodgers in 1972.   At that juncture, his company name was changed to Buch Church Organ Company to focus on pipe & electronic organ custom installa

Christoph Bull is the organ professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His deep passion for music stems from his grandmother’s piano and his early days playing organ in his church. As he grew up he witnessed the incredible development of electronic musical instruments and synthesizers, his first being the Korg MS 2000. After coming to the United States from Germany and attending Berklee College of Music,

Norman Cantrell attended the University of Oklahoma City where he earned his degree in music education. He soon realized his passion was not in teaching but rather in piano repair and tuning. As a teenager, he studied the craft for several years with a local technician, which included installing pipe organs, and after college realized it really was what he loved to do. Norman opened his own shop in 1984 and worked closely with area piano stores, including Sharp & Nickels, tuning their floor models. When a piano was sold, the store would recommend Norman go to the customer's ho

Dick Christian has spent his entire career in the piano and organ business and has made many friends along the way. His support for the industry led him to the role as president of the National Piano Travelers Association. Having worked retail before joining the teams of Thomas, Baldwin, Wurlitzer and Samick, Dick has a great understanding of the role a salesman can fill for both supplier and dealer and works to help both from his position.  

Dan Dugan is a pro lighting and pro audio engineer who invented an automixer that he first presented at AES in 1974. With a rich background in theater, both in lighting and sound, Dan created several automations that improved the quality and efficiency of production processes. His innovations were used in many products including Yamaha’s Dugan MY-16 card, and he was awarded an Emmy for technology in 2020. While working for theaters in San Francisco in 1968, the now commonly known title of sound designer was first used to describe the work Dan was doing.

Ken Edgington had many friends in the music industry, several of whom suggested he be included in the NAMM Oral History program, but when approached Ken was rather humble about his role in the music business, “are you sure you have the right guy?” Ken worked for the Baldwin Piano Company in Ohio during the home organ boom and into the final days of the company. He was later active as the manager of Viscount Church Organs in Montana. His interview provided a meaningful account of the changes in the piano and organ business as well as the development of newer markets. Ken passed awa

David Estey is related to the Estey's who established the Vermont-based Estey Organ Company in 1846 as well as the Estey Piano factory in New York. Pianos must be in his blood as David became a piano technician before opening his own store in New Jersey. Along the way he decided to create a line of Estey pianos, made in China, and tuned and voiced by hand in America. The success led to his expansion on the Internet where "esteypiano.com" has gained customers unaffected by the location of the store.

Maurice Fox loves selling organs to area churches. In fact, even after a retirement from the presidency of Fox’s Music in Charleston, South Carolina, (his son now holds that position), he still travels the state selling Allen Organs. Maurice served on the NAMM board as well as was president of NAYMM and the AMC boards. It’s clear he loves the business. His NAMM Oral History interview was completed on September 8, 2005. 

Russ Gazda recalls listening to his mother playing the Hawaiian Guitar as a child. He played the accordion and later was introduced to the Hammond B-3, thanks to recordings by his hero Booker T. Jones. Russ sought to play wherever he could and in his early days he performed in lounges in the Chicago area, provided organ lessons and worked at the Wurlitzer retail store. He soon began selling organs at the store and in 1975 was hired by Wurlitzer to provide materials for their famous sales training program. The Wurlitzer Way program is legendary within the music industry as many of

John Green began installing pipe organs when he was still in school and fell in love with not only the technical process but in the reaction of the customers. He worked in a music store in Newport Beach, California before being hired by Rodgers Musical Instrument Company in 1976. He was with the company on two different occasions, and in between owned a music store with his wife in Nebraska. Each experience brought him a better understanding of the product line, the customer and their needs.

Bill Hesterman has always been fascinated by the pipe organ. He studied piano and organ as a child, and with the good fortune that one of his teachers was an organist for the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, young Bill was exposed to extravagant organs at a young age. With his technical abilities, he became a serviceman for Rodgers Musical Instrument Company and worked for several local retailers including Daynes Music. When he freelanced as a repairmen, Bill established the Rocky Mountain Organ Company and became a dealer for the Austin Organ brand.

Robert J. Jones traveled on a tour bus with his father and sang gospel music together for many years as the Song Fellows. They recorded for Homeland Records in Nashville and performed around the country. In 1957, Robert’s father opened Valley Music Company in Bakersfield, CA, where Robert worked until attending college in the mid 1960s. The company expanded to a second location in southern California, where Robert was introduced to the Thomas Organ Company. The store sold the instruments for several years.

Glen Kersten and his wife had just been married when they rented a small house that turned out to be owned by Frank Lohnes. Mr. Lohnes also owned a music store called Dearborn Piano & Organ. Glen joined the sales team and was introduced to the Rodgers Organ, an instrument he would remain connected with for nearly 60 years. He became the top salesman for Rodgers in the 1960s and later moved into the role of Eastern Regional Sales Manager before serving as manager of the Engineering Division. He worked closely with the company’s co-founders, President Rodgers Jenkins and chief e

Dewey Kuhn grew up listening to his grandmother playing the organ, which she did in her younger days accompanying silent movies.  His passion grew as he learned to play.

John Ledwon is a theater organist with a love for the instruments he plays. Since the age of 11 John has been enamored with the sound and design of pipe organs and has become an expert on the workings of both concert and theater organs. Along the way John has also collected a number of instruments to better understand their unique innovations first hand. In recent years he has played the large Wurlitzer organ in the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood following its restoration paid for by the Disney Company.

Martha Markowitz married her knight-in-shining-armor right after World War II. She soon helped him run the small organ company he started before the war. The Allen Organ Company has been a pioneering business in church organs and in digital technology for many decades. Although Jerome has passed away in 1991, the legacy of his innovations remain. His son, Steve Markowitz, runs the business today, which is currently the top producer and seller of church organs in the United States.  

Steve Markowitz’s father invented a unique electronic organ in the 1930s and established the Allen Organ Company in Allentown, PA. Steve’s father, Jerome, built his first experimental instrument back in the Depression Era--1936. As the popularity of the instrument grew, particularly with churches and places of worship, Jerome’s wife and later his son joined in working in the company. Steve played an important role in the expansion of sales of the organs outside of the United States beginning in the late 1980s. Jerome Markowitz passed away in 1991, after which Steve became presiden

Fumio Mieda was hired by the founder of KORG, Tsutomu Katoh, back in 1967. Mieda-san began working on a number of innovations as he hoped to improve the function of electronic organs. The results of his efforts led to a number of advances for the emerging synthesizer. Just prior to this, Mr. Mieda developed the Uni-Vibe, which was used famously by Jimi Hendrix (a fact he did not discover for some ten years). While at KORG he focused on monophonic and later polyphonic synthesizers including the now historic Prototype No. 1, and later the PE series of polyphonic synthesizers includi

Dan Miller has always felt a great sense of pride by providing the music people have worshiped to in the many churches he has performed in over the years. He took piano lessons as a child and later discovered the joy playing the organ brought to him. He attended Moody Bible College and served as the organist for churches in Florida and South Carolina before joining the Rodgers Musical Instrument Company in 1999. There he provided training for countless churches and dealers on the importance of playing for a congregation while fully understanding the many features and capabilities

Donny Monk is the owner of Allen Organs of the Emerald Coast in Cantonment, Florida. His love of music and the organ began as a child where music seemed to be everywhere he went. He studied rather seriously with several top teachers, singing and playing throughout high school and college. His early aspiration was to become a music minister, however, his career as a contemporary Christian artist took off with a five-year touring gig that took him all the way to New Zealand, to name just one stop. He wrote several songs, one becoming somewhat of an anthem for the era entitled “New S

Hector Olivera was born in Argentina where he studied organ with his father, a noted church organist. In 1965 Hector studied at Julliard School of Music and soon after that began providing concerts within the music industry to demonstrate the latest electronic development for organ as well as synthesizers. Among the companies Hector worked with are Conn Organ and Rodgers Instrument Corp., which was owned by Roland at the time.

Scott Peterson is the President of Peterson Electro-Musical Products, which his father, Richard, established in the pursuit of his passion for audio electronics and pipe organs.  Among Richard’s many innovations was the Peterson Tuner in 1952 (beginning with Model 70), the world’s first transistor organ for the Gulbransen Company in 1957 and the the first hand-held electronic tuner, which was introduced in 1964.  The strobe tuner, which was developed later, became an important tool among recording studio engineers and musicians beginning in the late 1960s.  Scott’s interview inclu

Gordon Pfund spent his life in the music industry that he loved. At an early age he began working for Werlein For Music in Louisiana and became enamored with the piano and organ market. He was an honorable salesman who put family and music education as key priorities in the way he addressed his customers. Gordon later established Pfund Music Centers and for a time served on the NAMM Board of Directors. His long friendship with Bob Hazard included both men serving as each other’s vice presidents at one time and both working together at Amro Music in Memphis.  

Ned Phoenix of Townshend, Vermont, a reed organ player and restorer since 1970, is the founder of the Estey Organ Museum in Brattleboro, Vermont. Ned is fond of saying, "This may be the only museum in the world where every visitor, regardless of age or ability, is encouraged to play all the instruments."

Georg Steinmeyer was the factory supervisor at the Estey Organ Company in Brattleboro, Vermont. He joined the company in the years following World War II when he moved from Germany to the United States. He worked to streamline the product costs within the company while ensuring the orders were completed by the crew on time. After Estey closed in 1960 he remained in the industry. Georg was an early supporter of the Estey Organ Museum, which is now located in one of the original factory buildings in Brattleboro.

Robert Street grew up in the piano business. In 1914, Robert’s grandfather, Claude P. Street, opened his first music store in Nashville, Tennessee. Claude was certain that a successful business could be built by offering the finest keyboard instruments and professional service, a philosophy the company holds true nearly 100 years later. The store expanded over the years and today is the authorized Allen Organ dealer and Yamaha dealer for the area.  

Frederick Swann was one of the most famous organists of the last 50 years due to his many publications, recitals, church performances and his long run on the television program The Hour of Power. His career began when he was just 10 years old and he was asked to fill in for the organist at his father’s church (Theodore Swann was a Methodist Minister in Virginia). Fred had been taking piano lessons and seemed at ease with the organ right from the start. His career included a long association with the Riverside Church in New York City, the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA and t

Dennis Waring has created his own line of musical products made out of cardboard.  The harp and guitars are a fun way to get people playing a musical instrument, which is his main goal.  He is also a historian and ethnomusicologist for the industry with the publication of his book on the history of the Estey Organ Company, in his 2002 publication "Manufacturing the Muse: Estey Organs & Consumer Culture in Victorian America."  Dennis is also a strong supporter of the growing Estey Organ Museum, which was established in one of the original factory buildings in 2002.  His goal of

John Wessel was born in Holland and recalled with a stern face his World War II memories of running from the Nazi's. He was just one step ahead of the SS on several occasions. After the war he relocated to America where he found a sponsor in the Estey Organ Company. Before the war John had worked in several organ companies in Europe and brought a depth of knowledge to the Vermont Company. At Estey he was a pipe voicer and pipe organ finisher - when an organ was set up in the church he would revoice and regulate pipes as needed and make sure everything was correct. In 1960 he finis

Ryoki Yamaguchi was born and raised in Japan, where his mother’s piano sparked his lifelong love of music. As a child, the instrument was all the toy he needed, and he grew up eager to learn everything he could about making music. By his teenage years, he had become a skilled electronic organist, and at just 22 he was hired by the Roland Corporation to perform as one of their featured organ artists. Through this role, he connected with industry leaders such as Dennis Houlihan, Hector Olivera, and Rosemary Bailey—who later encouraged him to share his story for the NAMM Oral History