GOINGS ON SANTA BARBARA : Sounds of Silents : An 1,800-pipe theater organ, one of five its size ever built, will be featured in concert.

Once used to provide music and sound effects for silent movies, the theater organ is now a thing of the past.

But, as always, there are a few souls out there who want to preserve history. And so it is with the Santa Barbara Theatre Organ Society, which found, restored and installed in the Arlington Theatre one of the few remaining theater organs in the country. This pipe organ is one of only five of its size ever built. The society will present the next performance of the Pipe Organ Pipe Concert series Saturday at the Arlington.

Ty Woodward of Los Angeles will perform classical and jazz as well as marches at the 2 p.m. concert. The performance will also feature young violinist Orin Hildestad.

“That man is incredible, he plays everything on the organ except for maybe rock ‘n’ roll and rap,” said John Oien, founder of the society and current concertmaster.

Built in 1928, the organ has 1,800 pipes, which can produce a full range of orchestral sounds as well as those of a marimba, glockenspiel, sleigh bells, cymbals, tom-toms, a Chinese gong and other assorted sounds. For movie effects, the organ has a doorbell, train whistle and a Model T Ford horn, and can make the sounds of horse’s hoofs, a 1928 airplane motor and surf rolling up the shore.

In addition to the special concerts, three local organists will take turns performing during the 7 p.m. intermission when the Arlington is showing movies.

Tickets for Saturday’s show are $8 and $12 available at the Arlington (963-4408) and Baldwin Piano and Organ Center (687-6605).

The next concert is a free “Christmas at the Arlington” show on Dec. 15 at 9:30 a.m.

A contemporary dancer and actor as well as a choreographer and writer, John Goode brings “The Disaster Series,” a dramatic mix of postmodern dance and experimental theater, to UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday. The show starts at 8 p.m. in Campbell Hall. Tickets are $11, $13 and $15. Goode will participate in a question-and-answer period following the performance. Call 893-3535.

Also at UCSB, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” by Bertolt Brecht opens the department of dramatic art’s 1990-91 season tonight. Brecht uses the imagery of the 1930s Hollywood gangster to illustrate the rise of German fascism. The show runs Thursday to Saturday and Tuesday to next Thursday Nov. at 8 p.m. at the Studio Theatre. Tickets are $7. Call 893-3535.

After more than two years of touring, Access Theatre’s production of “Storm Reading” will return Friday and Saturday to the Lobero Theater, where it premiered. The play depicts life from the perspective of disabled playwright Neil Marcus. Tickets for the show are $14.75. Call 963-0761.

A reception for The Contemporary Arts Forum’s new exhibit “Spirit of Our Time” will be at 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Paseo Nuevo shopping center gallery. The exhibit was organized with the intention of showing the diversity of styles and tastes of Southern California. Fifteen people active in the arts, media, business, science and politics--from Santa Barbara to San Diego--were asked to recommend two Southern California artists each: a favorite artist and an artist whose work they recently discovered.

The resulting array of painting, sculpture, photography, video and more will be on display until Dec. 29, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. No charge. 966-5373.

An afternoon of traditional Irish music, dance and poetry will be celebrated at the Victoria Street Theater on Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8.50, $7.50 in advance. Call 563-0662.