Kilgen Theatre Organ Performance: Celebrating 90 years

Name: Kilgen Theatre Organ Performance: Celebrating 90 years
Start: 2026-04-27T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-04-27T20:30:00-05:00
Location: 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, United States, Oklahoma 73105

Schedule

Mon Apr 27 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, United States, Oklahoma 73105 | Oklahoma City, OK

The Oklahoma History Center Museum is proud to announce the celebration of the Kilgen Theatre Organ’s 90th birthday on Monday, April 27. Returning artist Ken Double will share his talent at this historical event. As a special addition to this birthday gala, the Carpenter Square Theatre (CST) group will present a mock WKY radio program reminiscent of the first days of Kilgen’s public performances. CST is a local organization founded in 1984 that serves Oklahoma City theatergoing audiences.
The Kilgen Theatre Organ differs from other organs in several ways. While they share the same roots, the theatre organ is quite different from a church or a classical organ. Instead of hymns, a theatre organ was used to accompany silent movies with effects for comedy and drama. Theatre organs are generally louder and their pipes sound like musical instruments, such as trumpets and saxophones, with special effects like drums, bells, and whistles. Despite the introduction of motion pictures with sound in the late 1920s, theatre organs enjoyed great popularity into the late 1930s.
This is a free performance, but advanced registrations will be required. Call 405-522-0765 to register for this free performance.