September 2014 - Dan at the famous Royal Five organ (also known as Virgil Foxs touring organ Black Beauty). Rodgers Royal V Organ began life as the worlds second five manual electronic organ (first was Rodgers famous five manual Carnegie Hall Organ in 1974). The Royal Vs specification was designed by the internationally famous organist, Virgil Fox. Originally used by Fox as a touring organ, it later played for his 1980 funeral at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. After serving the Crystal Cathedral during the installation of their famous pipe organ, the Royal V returned to Rodgers for refurbishing. In 1985, the Royal V found a new home in the Shiga Prefecture, Japan where it was permanently installed at the Shinji Shumeikais Founders Hall as a memorial tribute to their founder, Mikotosama. The massive Founders Hall where the Royal V resides was designed by architect, Minoru Yamasaki, whose most famous work was the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Internationally acclaimed organists such as Keith Chapman, Berj Zamkochian, and McNeil Robinson where brought to Japan to perform concerts on the renowned organ. Then in 2004, the console returned again to Rodgers for refurbishing and to be updated with the latest in Rodgers Trillium technologies. The specification was revised under the direction Dr. McNeil Robinson, consultant and Dan Miller, Rodgers Product Manager and Design Manager of Custom Organs. The Royal V returned to Japan in the Summer of 2004 with the new Trillium technologies, additional stops and a totally new audio system.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:53:07 +0000