Matthew Caulfield asked about the state of the Verbeeck organ
business in Belgium.  I'm happy to report the Verbeeck organ
business is alive and well, but of course it can't be the same
after the tragic loss of Johnny Verbeeck.

Under the capable leadership of Johnny's widow, Marijke, and son
Jeffrey, the business is catching up with various projects with
talented shop craftspeople and organ builder virtuoso Martin Conrads,
who while not a Verbeeck employee, has helped on some critical
projects.

Marijke handles the business and music part of the business as she
always did.  Jeffrey had been apprenticing Johnny for a number of
years, and has good instincts and abilities, but not the same "ears"
as Johnny, but then who could duplicate Johnny's genius!

The pause in the usual aspects of business, websites, promotion,
communication, and such is the normal process of grieving and
reorganization, but not any intent to signal an end to this very
dynamic and capable fourth-generation business.

As testament to the continued talent and ability, Johnny had barely
designed and briefly started a major extension to the last large
fairground organ to leave his shop in 2013 before he passed.
Nevertheless, this talented group, without Johnny went ahead to
complete the remarkable unit, albeit with the natural delays.  The
result:  a 125 key dance organ with 650 pipes and over 20 registers:
one of the largest and best contemporary fairground organs ever built!

This magnificent organ will be part of the collection tours for the
upcoming AMICA Convention in Princeton, New Jersey, August 3-7, 2016,
also combined with a COAA band organ rally.  You will be able to see
and hear for yourself the capability of the Verbeeck family business.

Glenn Thomas
wurlitzer165@comcast.net.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]