Organist to perform live to ‘Phantom of the Opera’

Brett Valliant was 14 years old when he first heard the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ in Century II accompany a silent film.

“It was a silent film called ‘The Eagle,’ accompanied by one of the great original theater organists,” Valliant said. “He was 96 years old at the time, and it was his final performance. He had come to Wichita to play this rather famous instrument.”

It’s no exaggeration to say the experience changed Valliant’s life. Now 33 and an internationally known organist, Valliant remains based in Wichita partly because of that keyboard.

“I heard that instrument, and that’s really a lot of what kept me here, having that instrument at my disposal,” he said.

Valliant hopes the organ evokes a similarly powerful response from the audience for Saturday’s showing of the 1925 silent film version of “The Phantom of the Opera.” Valliant will accompany the film, performing a score he wrote himself.

The film stars Lon Chaney Sr. in the story about a disfigured recluse who kidnaps a prima donna in a Parisian opera house. At the time of its release, it was a pioneering effort noted for Chaney’s gruesome, self-designed makeup. A hit at the box office, it set Universal Studios on the road to producing numerous other horror films.

With its white cabinet and gold trim, the Wichita Wurlitzer might look the Liberace of organs, but Valliant said its sonic power is no illusion. There are four rows of 61 keys each, 32 foot pedals, 38 sets of pipes and a 50 horsepower blower.

“Wurlitzer was famous for theater organs,” he said. “This was their flagship organ. It’s a very loud, very powerful instrument.”

The organ is owned by a nonprofit group called Wichita Theatre Organ, which tries to stage a silent film and one or two concerts featuring the instrument each year.

“We just decided it would be fun to do a silent film based on Halloween, something spooky to get the people out,” said Sheri Mayes, volunteer coordinator for WTO. “In the past, we’ve told people if they want to dress up (in costumes), they can.”

There’s a public relations angle to the event as well, she said. With the future of Century II being discussed, WTO wants to make sure the Wurlitzer isn’t forgotten.

“A lot of people don’t know about the organ, the younger generation. We’re trying to get the news out there that it exists. We don’t know if the organ’s going to be able to stay. We want to make sure that people like the organ, value it and love to attend our events.”

Students up through college are admitted half price, she added, “so it’s really a cheap event.”

The organ, originally a part of the Paramount Theatre in New York’s Time Square, was bought to Wichita using private donations and installed in Century II in 1972.

Mayes said Valliant “is kind of known throughout the United States for doing ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ He draws big crowds.”

Valliant is a Wichita native who studied with several private teachers before earning a music degree from Wichita State University. In addition to performing around the world, he’s the organist and music director at First United Methodist Church.

Valliant said he was “strictly a classical musician” until he heard the Wurlitzer, which led him to playing many other styles. He composed the music for “Phantom” about a decade ago and is scheduled to accompany a half-dozen screenings during this Halloween season.

“As far as my own preference, it’s one of my favorite films,” he said. “It’s easy for the audience to grasp because they already know the basic story.”

Valliant said he’s free to improvise variations on his score when not hitting the all-important cues that signal suspenseful parts of the film. That includes the famous early scene when Christine pulls the mask off the Phantom – “a moment when basically all the stops of the organ are on, full force.” When Chaney sits down at the organ in the film to play, Valliant usually provides him with a classical theme.

Valliant will also play an overture as the lights dim before the film starts Saturday. “Then hopefully I will fade into the background, and people will get lost in the film.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2014 at 7:09 AM with the headline "Organist to perform live to ‘Phantom of the Opera’."