Death Valley: Benefit concert at Scotty’s Castle on historic organ

Desert rats and music lovers alike should find this unusually tuneful gathering to their liking. On June 21 and 22 concert organist Ty Woodward will perform four concerts on the historic theater pipe organ at Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park.

The Welte-Mignon theater pipe organ was purchased to accompany silent films. In 1928, its owners spent an estimated $50,000 (almost $680,000 in today’s dollars) to buy the organ and have it delivered and installed -- just in time for the advent of talking films.

The upper music room in Scotty’s Castle is available only one weekend a year, after maintenance on the organ has been completed. Proceeds from the concert help to fund its upkeep and tuning.

The event is sponsored by the Death Valley Natural History Assn. in cooperation with the National Park Service.

There are only 40 seats for each concert, and performances usually sell out.

Info: There are two performances each on June 21 and June 22, at 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets cost $45 per person. To make reservations, call the Death Valley Natural History Assn. at (800) 478-8564, Ext. 10.

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