Syracuse Wurlitzer Music Concert Featuring Candi Carley-Roth
Schedule
Sun, 19 Apr, 2026 at 02:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
581 State Fair Blvd, Syracuse, NY, United States, New York 13209 | Syracuse, NY
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Back for the first time in nearly 30 years, The Empire State Theatre & Musical Instrument Museum is proud to announce a special program of music entertainment featuring Candi Carley-Roth as she performs on the Mighty Syracuse Wurlitzer Unit Orchestra.A native of the West Coast and blind since birth, Candi Carley-Roth began picking out melodies on the piano at the age of five. She would listen for hours as her brother practiced his piano lessons and then work on duplicating the music. At age seven she began experimenting at a neighbor’s Hammond spinet organ. A circle of friends developed into a home organ club which raised the money for her first organ. As a youngster Candi studied piano with Sylvia Green and Alice Cormier. At age 15 she was a classical piano student of Nella Betinger. She won a scholarship for classical piano from the Braille Institute’s Women’s Auxiliary, and by age 17 was studying classical organ with Richard Purvis, the staff organist at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. In 1973 she appeared on the “Stars of Tomorrow” program at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, and in 1975 began her first job as house organist at Theatre Organ Pizza. For the next seven years she was organist at the Great American Wind Machine Pizza in Receda, California where she made her first recording “Candi”. Subsequent recordings followed: “Just for you”, “Sweet City Woman”, and “Joy”. In 1985 she performed at the national convention of the Theatre Organ Society of Australia, in Sydney. Following her marriage to Mark Roth in 1986, Candi branched out to playing keyboards, and sang for the White Horse Band, a Country and Western group.
Since moving to Pennsylvania in 1990, Candi has concertized at the Magnificent Möller at the Trenton War Memorial and performed at the 1992 ATOS Convention in York Pa. Along with her concert work, she is an accomplished church organist. With the above background, it is no wonder that Candi describes her concerts as being “different”. Her vast repertoire includes Dixieland, Gospel, Pop, Rock, Hymns, Country & Western, Classical, Broadway Hits, and Old Standards. A natural performer, she is certain to entertain a full afternoon of toe-tapping music on the mightiest of all musical instruments!
This program commemorates the centennial of Wurlitzer Opus 1143 – built in August 1925 in North Tonawanda, New York and shipped to the RKO Keith’s Theatre in Syracuse New York. In 1966 this instrument was saved from demolition by dedicated volunteers and relocated to the New York State Fairgrounds where it was completely restored to original factory specifications and has since entertained countless audiences for nearly 60 years. This celebration marks 100 years of one of New York State’s preeminent and historically significant pipe organs used principally for entertainment and the accompaniment of silent films. The Syracuse Wurlitzer is preserved as an original example of the American theatre pipe organ and honored to be placed on National Registry of Historic and Significant Instruments by the American Theatre Organ Society. In 2016, Wurlitzer Opus 1143 was designated as a National Heritage Pipe Organ by the Organ Historical Society and designated as an Organ of Historical Significance, Worthy of Preservation.
Doors open at 1:30pm - General seating tickets are available at the door prior to the program….Please bring cash!
Refreshments will be served during intermission and special tours of the organ pipe chambers will be held following the program.
Founded in 1966, the non-profit Empire State Theatre & Musical Instrument Museum is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents as an Educational Organization. It is located in the Harriet May Mills Art & Home Center on the New York State Fairgrounds. The Wurlitzer organ was built in 1925 for the former RKO Keith’s Theatre in downtown Syracuse where it was used principally for silent film accompaniment and musical interludes. It was saved and reinstalled permanently in the Empire Theatre at the State Fairgrounds as the centerpiece of the theatre and musical instrument museum.
More information about the museum is available at https://www.facebook.com/SyracuseWurlitzer.
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Where is it happening?
581 State Fair Blvd, Syracuse, NY, United States, New York 13209Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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