The "Days of the Street and Fairground Organ" will take place for the eighth time in March 2024. This event for friends of the large and small barrel organ, its music and history goes back to an initiative of the Dutch collector and organ enthusiast Jan L.M. van Dinteren (1930-2011).
In 2024, the "Days of the Street and Fairground Organ" will extend over three places, special collections, exhibitions and museums with exceptional instruments, right in the heart of Europe.
Freitag, 22.3.2024 – Waldkirch (D): Elztalmuseum, Werkstatt Schneider, Orgelbauersaal, «Waldkircher Orgelbau Jäger & Brommer»
Samstag, 23.3.2024 – Dürnten ZH (CH): Museum KMM, Klänge-Menschen-Maschinen
Sonntag, 24.3.2024 – Seewen SO (CH): Museum für Musikautomaten, SO «Unterwegs»
Bookable as a package deal with 3 nights and bus journey from / to Waldkirch, or as a day package (individual journey).
In 2024, in addition to a traditional request concert in the Elztalmuseum Waldkirch, the schedule includes a visit to the new workshop of organ builder Achim Schneider in the former building of the organ factory "Ignaz Bruder Söhne", as well as a visit to the organ builder's hall of the Waldkirch Organ Foundation. Here, the new special exhibition "225 Years of Organ Building in Waldkirch" will certainly attract special attention. Further, a visit to the organ- workshop of Jäger & Brommer is planned.
In order to make the days of the Street and Fairground organ even more attractive for organ enthusiasts travelling further afield, the 2024 event will be extended for the first time to the KMM-Culture center, Klänge-Menschen-Maschinen, a museum in Dürnten ZH (Switzerland). This relatively young museum displays a wide range of mechanical musical instruments. A newly designed "fairground" exhibition area with rare instruments and the large organ hall with two impressive Mortier dance organs offer a special experience to hear and see. Nothing is more pleasant for enthusiasts in mechanical musical instruments than to be pampered with culinary delights in the midst of these instruments and to spend a pleasant evening...
The Museum of Music Automatons in Seewen SO (near Basel, Switzerland) already took part in the event in 2021.
This National Museum, founded in 1979 is currently showing a large special exhibition, "ON THE ROAD - History and Stories around Street and Fairground Organs” which fits the context of this event just perfectly. A whole range of restored and beautifully playing instruments can currently be admired there. Reason enough to plan another visit to the redesigned museum, between the backyard and the charm of a fairground, in Seewen. Especially for the days of the street and fairground organs, a look behind the scenes and a lecture with sound examples on the restored fairground organs is also planned in the foyer of the museum. The festive finissage of the special exhibition "ON THE ROAD" on the evening of 24 March with a performance by the 3-Penny-Opera-Ensemble will also mark the end of the Days of the Street and Fairground Organs.
Registration for the Days of the Street and Fairground Organ 2024 is mandatory in any case, as we have to book bus, accommodation and food in advance!
