This weekend, the OU School of Music will celebrate pipe organ studies at OU by teaming up with the American Organ Institute to bring audiences Old Wine, New Bottles: A Gala Weekend Celebration.

The celebration will take place in the Catlett Music Center Friday through Sunday, and includes a number of events such as a dedication reception on the stage of Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, followed by a performance by guest artist Peter Richard Conte, a Philadelphia Wanamaker Grand Court organist.

It will also feature a Saturday morning concert by Jelani Eddington as well as an afternoon concert by current OU students.

The performances will take place using OU’s 1931 M.P. Möller Opus 5819 theater organ, which the university acquired in 2006 and restored in spring 2009, said John Riester, shop manager for the American Organ Institute.

“We are pleased that several top professional organists will showcase the variety of the Möller Opus 5819 municipal organ, which can perform a myriad of solo and ensemble musical styles,” stated Steve Curtis, director of the OU School of Music, in an e-mail. “We have guests who will accompany classical selections, sacred and secular choral masterworks, orchestral transcriptions, popular tunes and a classic silent film.”

Donald Dumler, an OU alumnus and organist at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, will present an evening performance commemorating the 10th anniversary of the installation of the Mildred Andrews Boggess Memorial Organ, and honor his former professor, Mildred Andrew Boggess, who died in 1987, Curtis said.

“Boggess was a professor of organ at the University of Oklahoma from 1938 to 1976 and taught generations of organists the highest standards of their art,” Curtis said.

The School of Music will also offer a special screening of the science fiction and classic silent film “Metropolis” along with live theater organ accompaniment by organist Clark Wilson on Saturday evening, says John Schwandt, director of the American Organ Institute.

“This will be a rare opportunity to view this newly restored silent masterpiece accompanied live by Clark Wilson, one of the finest silent film players of our day,” Schwandt said. “The ‘Metropolis’ presentation is an experience not to be missed and is entertainment at its very best for sci-fi fans and music lovers alike.”

While the School of Music has screened classic silent movies in Gothic Hall in the past, resulting in standing-room-only crowds, this will be the first time OU will be able to showcase the Möller Opus organ in a larger concert hall, Schwandt said.

The American Organ Institute will open its restoration shop for tours to see the AOI students at work Sunday morning, and later that evening, the weekend celebration will conclude with a concert featuring Jelani Eddington, Clark Wilson, OU professors John Schwandt and Jeongwon Ham and a performance by the OU Jazz Ensemble.

For more information on the gala weekend and celebration, visit the Web site of the American Organ Institute at aoi.ou.edu/gala or call for more information at 325-7829.

Weekend events

Friday, Oct. 2

Opening Concert

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall

How much: adults $20, students, faculty, staff, seniors $10

Saturday, October 3rd

Organ/Choral Works

When: 2 p.m.

Where: Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall

How much: adults $8, students, faculty, staff, seniors $5

10th anniversary of Boggess Memorial Organ

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Grace B. Kerr, Gothic Hall

How much: adults $8, students, faculty, staff, seniors $5

“Metropolis,” silent film

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall

How much: adults $20, students, faculty, staff, seniors $10

Sunday, October 4th

Closing Concert

When: 3 p.m.

Where: Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall

How much: adults $20, students, faculty, staff, seniors $10

Source: OU School of Music Web site