Autumn 2019

In this issue

Letters from Leaders —Page 2

Volunteer of the Year

- Page 3

Audio Tech Work-

shop Series Set —Page 3

Jared Jacobsen plays while a tour group

explores the Spreckels Organ. The Society

will hold a tribute concert on November 23.

Remembering Jared Jacobsen

March 18, 1949 to August 27, 2019

The sudden loss of former Civic Organist Jared Jacobsen in a car accident in Ohio at

summer’s end was a heavy blow to many musical communities including the Spreckels

Organ Society. In every place where he performed or taught, Jared’s sparkling combi-

nation of scholarship, musicianship, brilliant humor — and willingness to pitch in and

help — shed light and lifted spirits.

At the time of his death, he had just concluded his 65th summer at the Chautauqua

Institution, where President Michael E. Hill called him the “heart and soul” of Chautau-

qua community life, citing “his untiring love for music and his generous willingness to

share his passions with Chautauquans across generations.”

In San Diego, we looked forward to his return to service on the Board of Trustees

and as a regular volunteer and occasional substitute at organ concerts. At the First Lu-

theran Church downtown, the congregation awaited the annual return of their Director

of Music and choir leader.

At The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, his music and performing arts students were

ready for another fun year with “Mr. J” offering the insights and stories of a lifetime

devoted to musical performance. “He was the students' biggest cheerleader,” said Bish-

ops Performing Arts Department Chair Christine Micu. “He was always available and

willing to help any student with anything musical. He worked with students of all

grades, from accompanying the sixth-grade violins, to helping students prepare and rec-

ord college auditions, to playing for professional guest artists.”

To honor Jared’s memory, the Society will hold a

Celebration Concert on Saturday, November 23 at

the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, beginning at 5 p.m.

Most of the program will consist of the music that Jared

played at his most recent concert on the Spreckels Or-

gan on January 1, 2019 – his 370th concert at the Pavil-

ion.

A listing of Jared Jacobsen’s most recent concerts

on the Spreckels Organ and a biographical sketch are

posted at this link.

Events This Autumn

The Spreckels Organ plays every Sunday, rain or shine, at 2 p.m

for a free public concert in the heart of Balboa Park.

Here’s a listing of key concerts and events of interest to Society members.

Sunday, September 29 – 10 a.m. - Memorial Service for Jared Jacobsen at First Lutheran Church,

1420 Third Avenue (at Ash) San Diego 92101. Civic Organist Emeritus Robert Plimpton

will play.

Saturday, October 5—Organist Ryoki Yamaguchi plays Americana and Theatre Organ selections

at 2:00 p.m., Trinity Church Facility (3902 Kenwood, Spring Valley CA 91977). For tick-

ets & information call 619-270-2981 or online: https://tossd1.webs.com/

Sunday, Oct. 13 – Noon to 1:30 – Audio Tech Workshop at Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Free

workshop series; registration required. Contact 619-702-8138.

Saturday, October 26 – 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Members Field Trip to Baja Wineries (see page 3)

Saturday, Oct. 26 – 6 p.m. – San Diego Theatre Organ Society presents organist Greg Breed ac-

companying “The Penalty” (1920) starring Lon Chaney. For tickets & information call 619

-270-2981 or online: https://tossd1.webs.com/

Saturday, Nov. 16 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. - SD & Arizona Railway Centennial Celebration Day at Cam-

po Railroad Park & Museum. At 1 p.m. enjoy the re-enactment of John D. Spreckels driv-

ing the “Golden Spike” to complete the “Impossible Railroad.” Plus train rides, tractor

pull, City Guard Band, and more. Go to: https://www.psrm.org/centennial-day/

for information and tickets.

Saturday, November 23 – 5 p.m. – Celebration of Life Concert: Jared Jacobsen at Organ Pavilion.

Saturday, November 30 - Community Christmas Center Opens - Organ Pavilion

Friday-Saturday December 6-7 - December Nights, Park-wide

Sunday, December 15 – Holiday Concert at the Organ Pavilion: Navy Band Southwest, San Diego

Opera singers, and Raúl Prieto Ramírez on the Spreckels Organ. (Evening)

Sunday, October 13

Audio Tech Workshop Series

Session One

This free series presented by au-

dio expert Gordon Stanley and

his associates will acquaint you

with the technicalities of record-

ing a complex instrument like the

Spreckels Organ. No experience

required! See story inside for

details and how to RSVP.

Upcoming Sunday Concerts:

Sept 29 – Raúl Prieto Ramírez

Oct. 6 – Gabriel Arregui

Oct 13 – Martin Green

Oct 20 – Robert Plimpton

Oct 27 – Raúl Prieto Ramírez

Nov 3 through year-end: Raúl Prieto Ramírez

Dear Music Lovers,

What a wonderful summer se-

ries of concerts – we believe it was

a great service to our community,

offering public concerts with inter-

national artists of the highest cali-

ber and community-focused con-

certs including musicians from the

San Diego Symphony.

Thanks to the volunteers who made it possible –

especially the Beer and Wine Tasting event that fea-

tured excellent food to go with the beer and wine.

Special thanks to Society Trustee Ralph Hughes for

the generous donation of wines and the souvenir wine

glasses. The event’s larger-than-ever crowd was high-

ly satisfied and ready to help us with the best publicity

we can dream of: spreading the word, telling family,

friends and neighbors that Spreckels Organ Society

produces great events in addition to excellent music.

Here's another fun adventure: the Society is having

a members’ field trip! We’ll visit the popular Guada-

lupe Valley in Mexico. Everyone is talking about this

destination, so let the Spreckels Organ Society take

you there. Your only concerns will be to have your

passport and get to Balboa Park early enough on Oc-

tober 26th – we take care of everything else: bus

transport, border crossing, breakfast, sightseeing, vis-

its to the best wineries, and dinner by the sea, all for

$125, what a bargain! We need 55 people to fill the

bus, so do tell your family and friends – even if they

are not members – that everyone is welcome!

Among our many activities this fall, please take

note that we will not have a Halloween concert, since

other programming has become a priority, including

the Celebration Concert for Jared Jacobsen and a holi-

day concert that will bring the Navy Band Southwest

to our stage on December 15th in partnership with the

USO and San Diego Opera.

Finally, I want to express how deeply I feel the loss

of Jared Jacobsen. Together with Bob Plimpton, Jared

developed the musical roots that have nourished my

work to build the honorable position of Civic Organist

towards the future. Jared’s warmth, humor and kind

support from “day one” were very important for me.

His sudden loss leaves a deep hole in my heart. Please

join us on November 23rd for a concert to honor his

memory; it will include all the institutions in the re-

gion with which he worked. I look forward to cele-

brating his personality, his music, and his legacy.

Raúl Prieto Ramírez / Civic Organist & Artistic Director

Dear Friends:

We feel the loss of Jared Jacobsen,

who would normally be returning to San

Diego and the Spreckels Organ Society

after spending the summer at Chautauqua.

I think he would have been proud of the

festival that we put on this summer. There

was something for everyone: a rock con-

cert, the classic organ repertoire, symphony musicians,

theater organ, and a silent movie. Thank you for joining

us for those musical explorations!

Because we were expecting construction behind the

organ pavilion during the summer, we moved silent

movie night from Monday to Saturday. Let us know

what you think about the change to Saturday by com-

menting on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook page.

A big change this year was the addition of two video

screens showing the artists’ hands and feet. We were

only able to do this because of our wonderful team of

volunteers who came early to set everything up and

stayed late to take it down and put it away. As in years

past, volunteers ran the snack bar, gift shop, greeting

stations, and the membership table. Thank you to all!

If you love the Spreckels Organ and are able to vol-

unteer one Sunday afternoon a month and attend a board

meeting on the last Tuesday of each month, please con-

sider joining our board. We are recruiting Board candi-

dates over the next few weeks; for information, call our

office or ask at the Gift Shop at a Sunday concert - I am

usually there and would love to talk to you about it.

Jean Samuels, President

Page 2 ⧫ StopTab ⧫ Autumn 2019 Page 3 ⧫ StopTab ⧫ Autumn 2019

StopTab: A Quarterly published by the

SPRECKELS ORGAN SOCIETY 1549 El Prado, Suite 10, San Diego CA 92101-1661

(619) 702-8138 / SOSorgan@gmail.com / www.SpreckelsOrgan.org

Officers

President - Jean Samuels

Vice President - Dang Nguyen

Treasurer - Tom Warschauer

Secretary - Paul Saunders

Trustees Manuel Aguilar Jared Jacobsen

Gary Allard Robert Kilian

Charles Ballinger Alfred Lewis

Mitch Beauchamp Robert Plimpton

Andrea Card Paulette Rodgers-Leahy

Brandon Carpenter Gordon Stanley

Ron DeFields Tony Uribe

Bill Galante Tony Valencia

Dwight Gordon Antonia Villafranca

Charles Gunther Randy Ward

Ralph Hughes Arlene Way

Ex-Officio Trustees

Lyle Blackinton—Curator Emeritus

Ross Porter—Executive Director & StopTab Editor

Dale Sorenson—Curator

Raúl Prieto Ramírez—Artistic Director

Volunteer of the Year for 2019

The Spreckels Organ Society has named Manuel

Aguilar as Volunteer of the Year for 2019. Now in

his second year as a member of the Board of Trustees,

Manny serves as chair of the Society’s Sales Commit-

tee to oversee the Gift Shop – something he also does

professionally at the San Diego History Center. As a

Balboa Park insider, Manny offers insights on other

Park happenings, and his stalwart service as Assistant

House Manager at practically every organ concert cre-

ates a firm foundation for the team of volunteers who

rely on his prep work for smooth concert setups.

Thanks for all you do, Manny!

New at the office:

Laurie Klauber

Wasserman

Last September, we wel-

comed Laurie Klauber Was-

serman as the new Executive

Assistant. Laurie is a native

San Diegan, whose family has

deep roots in San Diego. Her father was Phil Klauber,

whose passion to serve as a volunteer leader in many

organizations helped ensure the sustainability of Bal-

boa Park.

Laurie grew up enjoying Spreckels Organ concerts

and many other park offerings. She has volunteered

with several organizations including the Balboa Thea-

tre Foundation, the Wangenheim Rare Books Collec-

tion, and the San Diego Chapter of the California Rare

Fruit Growers. Laurie loves growing food and is a Cer-

tified Urban Gardener.

Laurie has brought the Society its Office Dog,

Suzie the Poodle, a charming pup who is always ready

to kindly greet visitors. Laurie is grateful for the op-

portunity to assist this wonderful organization!

Audio Tech Workshop Series announced

Beginning Sunday, October 13 at noon and meeting

every month, Gordon Stanley, the audio engineer and

his associates from the Spreckels Organ Society, will be

offering workshops for members of the Society and cu-

rious people who want to learn more about the technical

side of audio and who might want to explore the idea

volunteering to help at some of our concerts. The work-

shops are free and designed so that you can attend just

one or two or all of them. Registration is required; send

an email to: gstanley75@gmail.com or call 619-702-

8138 and let us know:

- your name

- best contact phone number

- your interests pertaining to Audio Tech.

.

Click here for more information.

Wine Tour Scheduled:

Explore Baja’s Guadalupe Valley!

Members of the Spreckels Organ Society are invited

to sign up for an adventure in Baja California's Gua-

dalupe Valley on Saturday, October 26. Spreckels Or-

gan Society Trustee Tony Uribe has developed a tour

package that includes transportation to and from the

US side of the border as well as wine tastings and cui-

sine. For the Society, his “Wine Tour for a Cause”

will begin when we board the bus at 7 a.m. in Balboa

Park. You'll be returned that evening after wine tast-

ings, great cuisine, and a fun ride with fellow mem-

bers of the Society.

Click here for more information and to make reserva-

tions.

Dig out your Passport and join the fun!