Cameron Carpenter dazzled the crowd on the Rodgers Organ at the Strathmore Concert Hall in Bethesda.  The reviews are in: Washington Post Review

Organist Felix Hell and his new Rodgers touring organ were featured with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.  Saint-Saens symphony number three was featured, as well as the first organ concerto ever performed by the Baltimore Symphony since the opening of the Meyerhoff Concert Hall.  A complete review by Tim Smith, of the Baltimore Sun, is here:  Baltimore Sun Review

More information on upcoming concerts by Felix Hell can be found at his web site:  http://www.felixhell.com/

The digital protocol known as MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) turns 30 years old this month!  A brief video history is here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9xz7r6KnTbI.

By 1987, Rodgers became the first classic organ to use MIDI as a standard feature on its organs.

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/articles/q2-live-concerts/2012/apr/02/q2-music-cameron-carpenter/?utm_source=/events/thegreenespace/2012/apr/20/q2-music-presents-cameron-carpenter/&utm_medium=treatment&utm_campaign=morelikethis

Organ sensation Cameron Carpenter was featured in a lengthy interview on WQXR's program "The Greene Space".  Mr. Carpenter chose a Rodgers four manual organ for the event. 

With the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, being sold to the Catholic Diocese, I looked up one of the first issues of our publication Organist News.  In the olden days, before the internet, we actually printed a real magazine on paper and mailed it out to every church in Washington and Baltimore.  Our Fall, 1981 issue headlined the story about the new Ruffatti/Aeolian Skinner organ that would premier in 1982.  For those that want to take a walk down memory lane, the first few pages of this issue is reproduced here:   organistnews 1981-1

Pages 5,6, and 7 of the same issue are here:   organistnews 1981-2.  We were sponsoring the late Donald Hustad in a series of workshops for church organists and yes, the Record Review on page seven refers to a 33 1/3 LP.  Ah, the good old days.

When the damage done by the recent earthquake forced the closing of the National Cathedral, worship services were moved to the Agnes Cochran Underwood Athletic Center at the corner of 35th Street and Woodley Road, N.W., Washington, D.C.  Scott Dettra, The Cathedral organist, placed a call to us asking for the use of a Rodgers Organ until services resume in the Cathedral.  The worship service on Sunday, October 9th, was also the farewell service for the Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III.  We were honored to be chosen and pleased we were able to help the National Cathedral.

October 16th worship service:  http://www.nationalcathedral.org/exec/cathedral/mediaPlayer?MediaID=MED-5DFM1-3Q000R&EventID=CAL-5CARC-BT000L

Please check the Cathedral's home page for information about the re-opening of the Cathedral:  http://www.nationalcathedral.org/

You are cordially invited to join in celebrating the grand opening of our newly renovated showroom in Jessup, Maryland.  Our special guest will be Maestro Hector Olivera, performing on the new Rodgers 578 and our Rodgers/Ruffatti combination organ.  A wine and cheese reception will follow.

Time:  October 24th, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00.

Location:  R.A. Daffer Church Organs, 10545 Guilford Road, Suite 106, Jessup, Maryland 20794

Space is very limited -please RSVP by Friday, October 21, to Suzanne SMite - 800/419-4448 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The October issue of Rodgers Voices can be found here:   rodgers_newsletter_october_2011

To receive Rodgers' newsletter directly, subscribe at:  http://www.rodgersinstruments.com/subscribeEnewsletter

We recently added our sixth used Allen organ to our inventory.  We have three manual and two manual Allen organs for sale, starting at $4,000.  Please visit our used organs web page for more information:  http://www.dafferorgans.com/pre-owned-organs/

 Church Musicians Retreat -September 23, 24 at The Bishop Claggett Center, Buckeystown, Md.
 All Denominations Welcome - Come Relax, Renew, and Reenergize your music ministry.
 Clinicians include:  Michael McCarthy, Director of Music, Washington National Cathedral;  Dale Krider, organist and choirmaster at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, College Park, MD;           Carroll Howe, Director of Music and organist at All Saints Episcopal Church, Frederick, MD

A brochure is here: church_musicians_retreat_2011_-_2 10/08/2011,14:12

On line registration is available here:  http://claggettcenter.org/programs.php

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Heads Out on Tour with Rodgers Organ.

The Ruffatti Pipe Organ at Church of the Epiphany, is featured on this week's PipeDreams broadcast,  "Miami Virtue".  The broadcast can be accessed here:  http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2011/1107/.

A complete specification of this landmark organ is here:  http://www.ruffatti.com/specs/epiphany.html

More information on the Miami Organ Competition is here:  http://www.ruffatti.com/MIOC.htm

The deadline for applying to Rodgers to participate in their young organist competition is closing.   The semifinal portion of the competition will be held at our showroom in Jessup, Maryland. 

Details can be found here:  rodgers_organ_competition

Just released! A spectacular recording on the grand Ruffatti Pipe Organ of the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Kansas City, MO.

Whether in a prestigious venue like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall,
Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, Constitution Hall,
Walt Disney Concert Hall,
or in conjunction with a celebrated event like the Olympic Games or
the Classical Newport Music Festival, the most sophisticated and
demanding organ aficionados claim that
Maestro Hector Olivera is 'one of the greatest organists in the world today.'

Copies can be ordered directly from Hector's web site:  http://www.hectorolivera.com/store/artistry.html

Paul Jacobs answers a series of questions as he is seated at the console of the Ruffatti Pipe Organ installed in Davies Symphony Hall.  http://community.sfsymphony.org/video/video/show?id=2395445%3AVideo%3A18546

Details can be found on our used organ page:  http://www.dafferorgans.com/pre-owned-organs/

Three awards were given out to the owners of R.A. Daffer Church Organs, Inc., at Rodgers' annual national meeting, held in Cincinnati.  Ken Brown received recognition for 25 years of unbroken service representing Rodgers, Bob Daffer for thirty years, and Al Murrell for 35 years.  For the 18th time in the last 20 years, they also were named Rodgers top dealer by dollar volume.

Pictured are Rick Anderson, National Sales Manager;  Ken Brown and Kent Holland, Regional Sales Manager.  Ken is receiving the award for 25 years service representing Rodgers.

Pictured are Rick Anderson, National Sales Manager;  Bob Daffer and Kent Holland, Regional Sales Manager.  Bob is receiving the award for 30 years of  representing Rodgers.

  Pictured are Rick Anderson, National Sales Manager;  Al Murrell and Kent Holland, Regional Sales Manager.  Al is receiving the award for 35 years of representing Rodgers.

The new Ruffatti Pipe Organ at the Domkyrka in Uppsala, Sweden, is now finished.  To view the specificaton of this four manual, 73 rank organ, please go here:   Uppsala specification

To hear the dedication concert on this new organ, go here:  Ruffatti Dedication