Ed Alstrom at Rahway Seniors
Author: Bernie Anderson
Juan Cardona, Jr at Rahway Seniors – Thursday August 2nd, 2025 at 2pm
Rahway Senior Center
First Thursday Concert with Juan Cardona, Jr.
Date/Time August 7th, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Place Rahway Senior Center, 1306 Esterbrook Avenue, Rahway, NJ
Instrument 3/10 Rainbow Room Organ
This is a free concert provided by GSTOS featuring Juan Cardona.
Biography
Juan Cardona, Jr. hails from Newtown, Connecticut. He began studying piano and organ at the age of seven and has continued his musical training through college, majoring in classical organ. He studied classical organ with Angela Salcedo at the University of Connecticut. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, majoring in classical organ. In addition to his studies, he trained and refined his Theatre Organ skills with Jelani Eddington.
Juan has been the House Organist for the Thomaston Opera House and for the Bardavon Opera House for over twenty plus years. Along with his duties as the Organist for two theatres, Juan is also invited by chapters of the American Theatre Organ Society to perform concerts around the country on some of the greatest theatre pipe organs playing today.
Juan has had the distinct honor in December of 2017 to open for the Boston Pops and in 2019 opened for the Russian National Ballet’s tour at the Hanover Theatre in Worchester, MA.
He has also had disticnt honor of performing at Woolsey Hall as guest organist with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Skitch Henderson with vocalists, Laurie Gayle Stephenson and Keith Buterbaugh from Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera”. Juan has also had the honor of opening for 50’s and 60’s pop star Neil Sedaka. He opened and played with Tito Puente at one of his last performances. Other guests artists have been Coloratura Soprano Nina Cathey and Broadway actress and former Miss Vermont Michelle Dawson.
Juan began doing silent film work, by accompanying silent cartoons, at a stage production of “School House Rock” at the Thomaston Opera House. He accompanied the Academy Award winning film “Wings” as his first full length feature film. Juan has been the featured artist for five years for the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society in their “Silents in the House” Film series. The list of films he has accompanied has grown to over thirty silents, short comedies and full length features. Juan has recently become a regular at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, RI for their Halloween Silent Film series and recently collaborated with Silent Film organist Christian Elliot on his score for the film “Nosferatu”. Juan’s latest silent film project with the Bardavon Opera House was performing the 1970’s Mel Brooks “Silent Movie” giving the 1920’s Theatre Pipe Organ an updated silent movie to accompany.
Some of his other hobbies include building and flying radio control model airplanes and cooking. He is currently working as Wireless Network Engineer and Wireless Architect in the Information Technology field.
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.
Candi Carly-Roth at Rahway Senior Center – Rainbow Room Wurlitzer – Oct 2nd, 2024
GSTOS is proud to present once again, Candi Carly-Roth at the Rainbow Room console on Oct 2nd at 2pm.
A native of the West Coast and blind since birth, Candi Carley-Roth began picking out melodies on the piano at the age of five. She would listen for hours as her brother practiced his piano lessons and then work on duplicating the music. At age seven she began experimenting at a neighbor’s Hammond spinet organ. A circle of friends developed into a home organ club which raised the money for her first organ. As a youngster Candi studied piano with Sylvia Green and Alice Cormier. At age 15 she was a classical piano student of Nella Betinger. She won a scholarship for classical piano from the Braille Institute’s Women’s Auxiliary, and by age 17 was studying classical organ with Richard Purvis, the staff organist at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. In 1973 she appeared on the “Stars of Tomorrow” program at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, and in 1975 began her first job as house organist at Theatre Organ Pizza. For the next seven years she was organist at the Great American Wind Machine Pizza in Receda, California where she made her first recording “Candi”. Subsequent recordings followed: “Just for you”, “Sweet City Woman”, and “Joy”. In 1985 she performed at the national convention of the Theatre Organ Society of Australia, in Sydney. Following her marriage to Mark Roth in 1986, Candi branched out to playing keyboards, and sang for the White Horse Band, a Country and Western group.
Since moving to Pennsylvania in 1990, Candi has concertized at the Magnificent Möller at the Trenton War Memorial and performed at the 1992 ATOS Convention in York Pa. Along with her concert work, she is an accomplished church organist. With the above background, it is no wonder that Candi describes her concerts as being “different”. Her vast repertoire includes Dixieland, Gospel,
Pop, Rock, Hymns, Country & Western, Classical, Broadway Hits, and Old Standards. A natural performer, she is sure to bring the house down.
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.
Concert is free to the public and starts at 2pm.
Luke Staisiunis at Rahway Senior Center – First Wednesday Concert Series – September 4th, 2024
GSTOS is proud to present once again, Luke Staisiunis at the Rainbow Room console on Sept 4th at 2pm.
Luke Staisiunas currently serves as Chair of the Young Theatre Organistʼs Competition for the American Theatre Organ Society, as well as serving as Secretary to the Board. Winner of the 2018 ATOS competition, and having performed from coast to coast, he is comfortable at theatre and concert instruments alike.
He has recently returned to the East Coast, having earned his Masterʼs Degree in Organ Performance under Dr. Adam Pajan and Dr. Damin Spritzer. He also earned his Bachelorʼs 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 Foundationʼs orchestra. In addition, he is active as a transcriber of orchestral works for organ, as well as compiling scores for silent film accompaniment.
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. Most recently serving First Baptist Church of Norman OK from 2019-2021, where he played the organ with the orchestra and band, in addition to organ solos and traditional hymnody. He is also an experienced substitute, serving a variety of denominations.
The Rahway Senior Center is located at 1306 Esterbrook Ave, Rahway, NJ
Saving Radio City Music Hall – Lecture with Rosie Novellino – Mearns
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Friday, September 13, 7:30pm
Rahway Senior Citizen’s Center
Join us as we uncover the captivating David and Goliath story surrounding Radio City Music Hall in the late 1970s — a battle that pitted a small group from the Radio City Music Hall community against the Rockefeller establishment to save one of the world’s premier theaters from the wrecking ball.
In Saving Radio City Music Hall, published by TurningPointPress, Rosemary Novellino-Mearns reveals how Radio City Music Hall, Art Deco masterpiece and New York City’s premiere tourist attraction for generations, was saved from demolition. After years of struggling with intense, sometimes painful memories, “Rosie” tells the honest, fact-filled, emotionally charged, and often humorous story of how she organized the gargantuan effort to save Radio City Music Hall in the Spring of 1978. Against all odds, and in only four months, she succeeded. Readers will be shocked by the “no good deed goes unpunished” climax of the story in which Rosie reveals her reward for spearheading the movement to save “The Showplace of the Nation.”
A modest but determined young dancer from Glen Rock, New Jersey, Rosemary Novellino joined the Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company, the classical dance counterpart to the world-famous Rockettes, in 1966. After a shaky beginning, she danced with the group for twelve years, eventually becoming its Dance Captain and Assistant to the legendary choreographer Peter Gennaro. In the mid-1970s, questionable behind-the-scenes changes in Music Hall management alarmed hundreds of employees, but no one was prepared for the official announcement in early 1978, that Radio City Music Hall was slated to close that April and be demolished.
Drawing upon formerly untapped inner strengths, Rosemary refused to let this happen. She became President of “The Showpeople’s Committee to Save Radio City Music Hall” and motivated fellow workers, friends, thousands of Radio City fans around the world, New York and national media, cultural leaders and politicians to support the cause. As a result of these efforts, the Art Deco palace was declared a National Historic Landmark. saving not only the building but the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of Music Hall employees on stage and behind the scenes who have entertained millions to this day. This “heartfelt and very personal account of that effort,” says Booklist, “provides a backstage glimpse of the drama that ensued and features a cast of characters that includes performers, politicians, the media, and some very heavy hitters in the world of New York real estate that will delight readers interested in the performing arts and their history in the U.S.”
Nosferatu at The Brook Theatre – October 2024
On October 27th, 2024, GSTOS and Brook Arts are proud to present Ian Fraser accompanying the silent film “Nosferatu” (1922).
“Safety Last” with Harold Lloyd – Silent Film at the Brook Theatre, Bound Brook, NJ
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GSTOS and The Brook Theatre are proud to present Harold Lloyd in Safety Last with live organ accompaniment by Ian Fraser
Safety Last! is a 1923 American silent film starring Harold Lloyd. It includes one of the most famous images from the silent-film era: Lloyd clutching the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper above moving traffic. The film was highly successful and critically hailed, and it cemented Lloyd’s status as a major figure in early motion pictures. It is still popular at revivals, and it is viewed today as one of the great film comedies.
Ed Alstrom at Rahway Senior Center – Hits of 1964
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.
Business Meeting and Open Console – Members Only!
Sunday April 21st – 3pm
GSTOS will be holding a Business Meeting and Open Console at the Oliver’s. This is a Member’s Only event. Please refer to your newsletter or email confirmation for more information.
Paul Citti at Rahway Senior Center
Paul Citti returns to the Wurlitzer Console on May 1st, 2024 at 2pm for an hour long concert.
