The Barton Organ

An Emeritus Professor of Electronic Media and Film Studies in the Department of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), Henry Aldridge was a leading figure in saving the Michigan Theater and the Barton Organ from being demolished in the 80s, and was an incorporating officer of the Michigan Theater Foundation.

A native of Toledo, OH, David Hufford holds a BM and MM in Organ Performance from U of M, where he was a student of Marilyn Mason and was awarded many organ scholarships. A church organist since age 16, Hufford held organist positions at two Toledo-area churches prior to his recently-concluded tenure of 25 years as Director of Music/Organist at Angelica Lutheran Church in Allen Park, MI. He currently serves as organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor.

An internationally acclaimed theatre organist, Lance Luce has played hundreds of concerts all over the US, Canada, England and Australia; and was named the 2014 Organist of the year by the American Theatre Organ Society. Most recently, he became the head organist for the Detroit Red Wings at the new Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.

Our head organist, Andrew Rogers, travels internationally performing concerts, scoring and accompaning silent films, and lecturing on film scoring.

In addition to music, he worked for 17 years at a travel agency doing accounting and 30 years of serving Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Saginaw and Dearborn.  He is, also, a member of Japan’s Global Harmony Band.

In addition to the Michigan, Stephen Warner is the organist at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church (Detroit), where he created a fully illustrated book describing the function and design of their Skinner Organ. For this project, he received the support of the Organ Historical Society through the awarding of the Mader Memorial Research Scholarship.

Dr. William Coale, author of the critically acclaimed 3-volume biography of legendary theatre organist George Wright, has earned two degrees in music, and spent decades teaching, performing, and conducting. Elected to a local school board at age 18, he spent 37 years in various educational roles: teacher, principal, technology director, human resources director, superintendent, and university professor. His love of theatre pipe organs goes back to the first one he played as a teenager: the “Butterfield Special” Barton in Flint’s Capitol Theatre. Since then he has performed concerts across the United States as well as in the UK, Sweden, and Germany.

Justin LaVoie is one of today’s most dedicated and artistic young theatre organists. Since his introduction to the instrument at age six, he has received piano and organ instruction from numerous accomplished instructors – including Jelani Eddington. He received the American Theatre Organ Society’s Student of the Year Award in 2010, and won the organization’s annual Young Theatre Organist Competition in 2013. Since then, Justin has performed in venues across the United States, and at National Conventions of the American Theatre Organ Society and the Organ Historical Society. His music has also been featured on Pipedreams – the nationally syndicated radio program – and Steve Ashley’s Hot Pipes podcast. Aside from his musical pursuits, Justin has a full-time career in public accounting. In his free time, Justin enjoys exercising, reading about a variety of historical and artistic subjects, and collecting and restoring antique phonographs.