April 3, 2:00 p.m.  

Rahway Senior Center
‘It was 60 Years Ago Today: The Hits of 1964’ 

Ed Alstrom will saddle up the Rainbow Room ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ organ and take it for a spin through a wonderland of popular songs from the year 1964. It is a wonderfully diverse range of music, and chock full of all-time hits. To give you an example of this, the Beatles made their entrance onto the world stage that year, but they were knocked out of the Number 1 spot on the charts at one point by… Louis Armstrong singing ‘Hello Dolly’! 

Come out and hear this marvelous classic theater organ, built in 1934 for the Rainbow Room in NYC, and lovingly restored and cared for by the Garden State Theater Organ Society (GSTOS), as it renders these fabulous songs we all know and love!

Ed has done many concerts on this organ, and gave its inaugural recital in 2012. He is a church organist/music director by trade, and also the organist at Yankee Stadium.

Luke Staisiunas earned his Master’s Degree in Organ Performance under Dr. Adam Pajan and Dr. Damin Spritzer. He also earned his Bachelor’s from OU under Dr. John Schwandt and Dr. Pajan. During his time at OU, he performed with the Symphony Band, OU Chorale, OU Percussion Ensemble, as well as playing continuo for the Vitam Musica Foundation’s orchestra. In addition, he is active as a transcriber of orchestral works for organ, as well as compiling scores for silent film accompaniment.  He is active as both a classical recitalist, theatre organist, and church musician. Highlighted concert appointments include the ATOS national convention (2019), Spreckels Rising Stars concert (2019), Guthrie Oklahoma Scottish Rite Cathedral Christmas Concert (2019),  and numerous other performances both in the Midwest and East Coast since then.

As a technician, he has most recently worked for the Red River Pipe Organ Company and the former American Organ Institute shop, in Norman Oklahoma. During his time at the Red River firm, he was active as both a shop and field technician. During his time at the AOI, he oversaw the design and installation of a control system for the Schlicker studio organ as part of his Organ Technology coursework. 

He is quite versatile as a church musician, equally at home with traditional liturgy and more contemporary styles of worship as needed.  He is also an experienced substitute, serving a variety of denomination

Directions:  From the south: Take the Garden State Parkway to exit 135 (Clark and Rahway), stay right and turn onto Brandt Avenue. Follow directions below from *. From the north: Take the Garden State Parkway to exit 135 (Clark and Rahway), turn left under the Parkway, and exit at the first right onto Brant Avenue. *Continue on Brant until it ends and turn left at the traffic light onto Westfield Ave. Follow Westfield for three traffic lights. (The road changes name at St. Georges Ave. to West Grand Ave.) At the third light, turn right onto Irving Street. Go two blocks and turn right onto Central Avenue. (You will see the Union County Arts Center on the left corner as you turn.) Go two blocks on Central and turn left onto Esterbrook, The Senior Center is two blocks ahead on your right. Park in the free lot behind the center, or on the street.

@ Union County Arts Center

One of our members and staff organist for Union County Performing Arts Center, Eric Fahner, was called on recently to play the Wurlitzer for a television show. Montel Williams has a Lifetime show called “The Balancing Act.” The cable program features unique people and places. They were recording an upcoming segment at the Arts Center with Eric playing while an interview and taping took place