Theatre Organist: Paul Jacyk

Paul Jacyk ATOS Award

While growing up in Toledo, Ohio, Paul was constantly around the fuel for his lifelong interest in music. He has been playing organ and piano since the age of four. Interest in piano and organ grew quickly with access at home to a Wurlitzer (electronic) and later a Gulbransen Series 600 electronic organ and regular long summer visits with his grandmother who had a piano and many huge boxes of challenging sheet music.

At age eight Paul started 4.5 years of "on and off" organ lessons (pops music) with a local church organist. A family vacation through Arizona and when Paul heard his first theatre organ. It was the massive Organ Stop Pizza Wurlitzer in Arizona played by Walt Strony. A fond memory was sitting at a table with large 8' wooden pipes next to it. Tassels over the pipe mouth moved each time a note was played. What a "hoot" that was !! :)

Through junior high and high school Paul's musical interests grew. He started playing clarinet in symphonic band, saxophone and piano/synthesizer in jazz band. He also played clarinet with a concert band in Toledo called the Polish National Alliance band. This music was his first exposure to clarinet as a "violin". These orchestral finger busters arranged for band were tunes such as "Zampa",and "Bohemian Girl". With great musical directors in all the bands and orchestras, this turned out to be valuable training and a source of ideas which could be applied to theatre organ playing.

2003 - 2006 Polish American Concert Band, Toledo, OH
1996 - 1998 Hanover Wind Symphony, East Hanover, NJ
1994 - 1995 Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra, Los Alamos, NM
1994 - 1995 Santa Fe Concert Band, Santa Fe, NM 
1994 - 1995 Los Alamos Community Winds (Los Alamos Concert Band), Los Alamos, NM 
1990 - 1992 Ohio State University Concert Band, Columbus, OH
1988           All-State Symphonic Band, OH
1982 - 1993 Polish American Concert Band, Toledo, OH

During this time of band music a dual musical life was being led on piano and organ. Other music training included music theory and appreciation courses in high school and college, electronic music composition courses and harpsichord ornamentation and performance courses as side interests.

Towards the end of completing a Master of Science thesis while working in New Mexico, Paul met Kay McAbee who was then at the console of the Roxy Kimball in Albuquerque. Kay gave a sonic tour of the organ with many of his famous concert arrangements and after that a full tour of the inside of the organ. (Wow !!!!!!!) Paul has been deeply interested in theatre organs ever since this eye and ear opening meeting with Kay in 1994. One of the most important things is to have fun with theatre organs and introduce them to people who don't even know of their existence.

Kay McAbee
Mr. Kay McAbee at the Roxy Pipe Organ
Click picture for a larger version.

Paul is the original creator and maintainer of the Garden State Theatre Organ Society (GSTOS) website www.gstos.org between 1997 and 2009, was on three theatre pipe organ crews in Northern New Jersey, and was GSTOS Vice President and Program Chairman from 1998 - 2002. In addition to the artistic performance side of theatre organs, Paul is interested in quality workmanship in theatre pipe organ restorations and technical aspects of theatre organs.

Musical "Accomplishments"

Paul received a B.S. and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Currently, during the day, he is a Senior Software Systems Engineer with a world respected nonprofit corporation.

When not involved with theatre organs or music, at work, or sleeping (oh and maybe eating once in a while too), Paul spends his time with a collection of strange looking cacti and succulent plants.

Paul Plants

Paul at Shanklin Organ
Shanklin Music Hall 4/34 Wurlitzer
Groton, MA

Trivia Contest: What is happening in the picture above ?

a) A failed attempt at a Virgil Fox moment... Cape forgotten at home.
b) Hey wait a minute... This isn't a mechanical bull ???
c) I have a question, Where is the key to start this thing ?
d) Who wants a turkey sandwich ? Me me me !!
e) Lets get a hand count of everyone on the very last bus out.
f) The "ejection-seat feature" of the organ bench just started to activate at the very instant open console time ran out.
g) You didn't know ? Theatre organ music causes hands to grow out of people's heads. Tabs on the console called mutations speed this process up.
h) Ouch ! This Wurlitzer Theatre Organ is too hot to touch !!!!

Answer: d, e, & h