The Organ Forum

Cameron Carpenter...

Evidently. (I found out shortly after submitting my reply). Some people just do NOT look good in a dress. And I'll bet that photo shoot was a real drag.

 

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James H. H. Lampert
Professional Dilettante

Well, I'm sure that for Mr. Carpenter, the photo shoot really was a drag. (pun very much intended)

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Once you can tie your arms into a pretzel and your legs into a knot, you've got it under control

If wearing the clothes of a woman in public cannot be considered effeminacy, then could someone else furnish a better example?

The vestments worn by Priests in the Episcopal Church consist, for the most part, of what a well dressed citizen of Rome might have worn in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.

Choir robes and chasubles are pretty much the same thing.

They have nothing to do with the modern day concept of feminine attire.

 

wear a pants suit or slacks and a sweater or blouse.

I attended a student recital at the Univ of Florida earlier this year.  Evidently there were no guidelines issued to the students regarding attire, which ranged from one young man wearing suit and tie all the way down to very very casual.

One of the rather talented young ladies was wearing slacks and a blouse.  She came on stage and squatted down with her back to the audience while she cranked the bench up or down to a desired height for her comfort.  When she squatted down, her blouse rode up, and her slacks rode down - very far down.  Think of the sterotype of what happens when a workman wearing a heavily loaded tool belt bends down.............

Did she play the Moonlight Sonata or Claire de Lune?

Menschenstimme:

Did she play the Moonlight Sonata or Claire de Lune?

 

LOL.  I don't remember, but just dug out the program.  She was the last one to perform.  Played the Toccata from the Suite Mondale, Opus 43, by Flor Peeters.   Played it very well, as I recall.

Etienne:

If wearing the clothes of a woman in public cannot be considered effeminacy, then could someone else furnish a better example?

The vestments worn by Priests in the Episcopal Church consist, for the most part, of what a well dressed citizen of Rome might have worn in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.

Choir robes and chasubles are pretty much the same thing.

They have nothing to do with the modern day concept of feminine attire.

 

I couldn't agree more, Etienne.

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Philip Fillion
HOME: 1985 Allen ADC 420 with custom audio
CHURCH: 1977 Allen MOS-301b + 2 HC10s
AT LESSONS: Almost everything! Flentrop, Aeolian-Skinner, Fritts, Holtkamp, Dobson, Andover.

Regarding Carpenter in drag, all I can say is that Jamie Farr definitely looked better in drag. So did Milton Berle and Flip Wilson. In fact, there was an episode of "Barney Miller," in which Fish pulled mugging decoy duty; even Abe Vigoda looked better in drag!

 

When my organ teacher saw the picture, he said it would probably give him nightmares.

 

Anybody else get the impression that he was lampooning Cherry Rhodes' "Everyone Dance" album cover? 

 

On a more serious note, I've found that most of my favorite organists are women.

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James H. H. Lampert
Professional Dilettante

More specifically, my favorite would still be (as anybody who knows me from PIPORG-L already knows) Pamela Decker. Other women on my "favorites" list would be (in no particular order) Diane Belcher, Chelsea Chen, Claudia Dumschat, Carole Terry, Mary Preston, Alison Luedecke, and Barbara Dennerlein (but only on real pipes).

 Other female organists for whom I have great respect include Cherry Rhodes (almost, almost made the "favorites" list), Gwen Adams (who would probably have made the list if she'd done more than one recording), Melissa Ambrose (who did one of the few theatre organ recordings I can stomach), and Carol Williams (of all world-class organists, I would regard her as the most "omnivorous," having recorded on trackers, tibias, tonewheels, and even a home-model digital; that characteristic makes her ideally suited to her post as San Diego Civic Organist).

 
Living male organists on my "favorites" list include Felix Hell, Peter Sykes, David York (my teacher), and maybe one or two others.
 

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James H. H. Lampert
Professional Dilettante

Off topic:  Hey, James; I just noticed your "Professional Dilettante."  This is very amusing and quite clever - partly for its delightfully oxymoronic overtones.  And, I suppose it is more honest and realistic than "renaissance man."  LOL! 

To become a professional dilettante, one must be certified by someone with a Ph.D. in General Studies.

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James H. H. Lampert
Professional Dilettante

I've enjoyed listening to Diane Bish.

Has anyone ever heard of Lois Miller? If so, do you know where I could find a recording of her? For four decades, she was the organist of the 7-manual Midmer-Losh in the Atlantic City Convention Hall.  I'd imagine she was pretty good, but I can't find any information on her other than the little bit available from acchos.org.

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HOME: Wurlitzer D-170 Concert w/ Leslie 710; Yamaha Upright Grand Piano
CHURCH: 61/61/32 Baldwin w/ 25 stops.

Donna Parker is one of the best. She is successful in the theatre organ field which has few women organists.

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Style D Wurlitzer Pipe Organ
http://www.bluemoonwalkinghorses.com/Style_D_Description5_rev2.html

Mary E Vogt was well known. She was the organist at Wanamakers for 49 years.