Dennis Wolkowicz harnessed the sound of a complete symphony orchestra when he sat at a theater organ to accompany silent movies.
“It’s a particular organ, a completely completely different animal than a church organ,” stated his spouse, Linda Stagner. “A theater organ was developed to exchange a 24-piece symphony, with one man on one instrument that might create every thing from the sound of a violin to a xylophone or the percussion sounds of ‘crash, growth, bang!’ if somebody within the movie fell to the bottom.”
Mr. Wolkowicz renovated the Gateway Theatre contained in the Copernicus Heart, starting within the Eighties, added a theater organ that he retrofitted for silent movies, and usually carried out in the course of the 18 years he ran programming there.
In 1998 he co-found the Silent Movie Society of Chicago.
In 2006, he opened the Portage Theater after a two-year renovation. Mr. Wolkowicz, who leased the house, operated the theater till 2013, when a brand new proprietor purchased out him and his companions.
His love affair with the organ by no means dimmed. He continued to play varied pipe organs at theaters round Chicago.
“We had been purists till at some point a good friend of his known as him stated, ‘Dennis, an electrical organ has lastly come out that basically feels like a pipe organ. You’ve acquired to come back attempt it.’ And Dennis stated, ‘I don’t need something to do with it.’ His good friend then stated, ‘Should you come over we’ll have steaks for dinner.’ and Dennis stated, ‘What time?’ and he performed 4 chords and stated, ‘Oh my God!,’ ” his spouse recalled.
Mr. Wolkowicz discovered he may simply journey in his automotive with a few digital keyboards and a pedal board that, together with audio system, replicated the sound of a theater organ.
Below the banner of the Silent Movie Society of Chicago, he started to carry out at silent movie screenings at film theaters, live performance halls, libraries and cafes. He used the stage title “Jay Warren” as a result of it was simpler to pronounce.
Mr. Wolkowicz was getting ready for one such gig on the Metropolis Information Cafe in Portage Park on Feb. 24, when he suffered a coronary heart assault and died. He was 74.
“Even at reveals the place there have been 30 or 40 individuals, he took it actual severe and gave it 100%, after which he’d keep after and discuss to individuals,” stated Metropolis Information Cafe proprietor Joe Angelastri. “He would simply smile and smile and all the time had tales concerning the historical past of the town’s previous theaters.”
Mr. Wolkowicz had been slated to play a silent movie on the Logan Theatre two days later.
“He was imagined to play ‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ and the oldsters from the theater requested if it could be OK in the event that they nonetheless [screened] the film, however simply in silence, as a tribute to Dennis, and I in fact instantly began crying on the considered such a pleasant tribute,” his spouse stated. “They stated just a few phrases about Dennis earlier than enjoying the film.”
Mr. Wolkowicz was born Jan. 5, 1951. His father, Walter, owned and operated a butcher store. His mom, Irene, was an officer employee.
A house close to Portage Park that was bought by his grandfather in 1920 is the place he grew up and lived as an grownup. Mr. Wolkowicz attended Gordon Tech Excessive Faculty and was a Cubs fan and a Northwestern College soccer fan.
When his father died in 1973, he was coaching to be a army police officer within the Military however was granted a compassionate discharge to return and assist his mom run the household enterprise. When his mom died in 1985, he closed the butcher store and targeted on his love for music and theater.
Mr. Wolkowicz performed accordion rising up however was largely a self-taught organist. Within the ’70s he acquired concerned with a gaggle known as the Chicago Space Theatre Organ Fans, which highlighted the work of silent movie organists from the Nineteen Twenties and invited those that had been in a position to carry out.
Mr. Wolkowicz was additionally very concerned with the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce on the Northwest Facet. His spouse serves as govt director of the group and he served on its board.
“He simply wished the most effective for this neighborhood,” she stated. “There might be a tense assembly with completely different factions who wished various things, and he may carry individuals collectively. Simply his calm demeanor, his presence, may change the tone of a gathering and convey individuals again to the upper goal at hand,” stated Angelastri, who’s on the group’s board.
He first tried his hand as a silent movie organist after listening to one other organist accompany a silent movie on the Gateway Theatre and considering to himself, “I may do it higher than that,” his spouse stated.
