Of the two Glatter-Gotz church organs designed by Manuel Rosales,
certainly it would be highly problematical to include The Neighborhood Church in a
convention such as the AGO  national.
    The church was once a private home, perched on a bluff over the sea. The
"sanctuary" awkwardly combines the living room and (I believe) the master
bedroom, with limited seating and an annihilating acoustic. Getting 2,300 people
there in buses, in shifts, without stragglers, getting them settled and quiet,
in and out, and the organ played, would be a logistical nightmare.
    The Claremont organ is certainly in a venue that can accommodate a crowd;
it is also a truly magnificent pipe organ in every respect, from its buoyant
playing action to its arresting sound. Its tonal design is superb, in that it
very intelligently looks directly to the organ literature to determine what
stops should be placed where, and at what pitches. No two-rank Quintanonas, no
4' manual Rohrschalmeis, nothing without compositional or historical precedent
displacing a necessary or properly located voice.
    As far as the big organs are concerned (First Congregational, Crystal
Cathedral. Pillars of Fire Reorganized Tabernacle of the Kingdom of the Lord Our
God at Hand), that seems to be what Americans want and crave, and if that
draws their attendance, it gets scheduled. Certainly, there is more to be learned
from smaller instruments, situations in which an organbuilder is forced to
make focused artistic decisions.
    Conventions are either wonderfully planned or horrible (both in terms of
content and management), and I've been to both. If planning is entrusted to
somebody with no experience, they can screw up a two-car motorcade. If they are
very focused on one type of instrument, that's all you'll see. It's also a
problem when TOO many people are planning, and the purpose gets diluted. To my
recent dismay, I was shut out of a convention for which they ran out of hotel
rooms, even after DECADES of knowing, on an annual basis, how many room-nights
to book. So instead of getting made, I try to convince myself that I just found
two thousand dollars and an extra week of time.
    If there are things you'd really like to attend in Los Angeles, try to
make a few telephone calls. Like government offices, health insurance providers,
stock brokers, and "customer satisfaction associates," you just MAY
eventually find somebody who knows what's going on, and can end your frustration.

Sebastian M. Gluck
New York City

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