A man sits in semi-darkness. His back is to the camera, and he's playing a pipe organ.

Silent film series brings cinema and organ to life in Wenatchee

By Reneé Diaz
A man sits in semi-darkness. His back is to the camera, and he's playing a pipe organ.
Thomas Kozina plays the organ at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. (Credit: Renee Diaz / NWPB)

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A pipe organ that’s over a century old has been bringing silent cinema back to life at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.

The museum’s three-part silent film series wraps up on Friday with a screening of “Faust,” a 1926 fantasy film by director F.W. Murnau. The series has focused on Murnau’s work.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m., starting with a short lecture by Samuel Hartwell Jackson, a professor at Wenatchee Valley College. The lecture is followed by a live musical performance by Thomas Kozina on the museum’s historic Wurlitzer pipe organ, while “Faust” plays.

“‘Faust’  is 99 years old. Something that can be so from the past (is) brought to life by Thomas’ excellent accompaniment on the organ,” Johnson said.

Admission is $5 for museum members and students, and $7 for nonmembers. 

The 1919 Wurlitzer organ at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center has more than 61 keys for organists to choose from. (Credit: Renee Diaz / NWPB)

“Faust” follows the story of an alchemist who makes a pact with the demon Mephisto, leading him on a journey filled with peril, temptation and love. The film was Murnau’s last in Germany before he moved to the United States. Johnson said he’s enjoyed collaborating with the museum on the program. After the screening, he and Kozina will host a short Q&A session with the audience.

Kozina, who plays several instruments, improvises the organ score during each film.  

“Typically, you have sheet music in front of you. But here, I’m watching the film and creating music at the moment,” Kozina said. “I’m actually half in the dark while I’m playing.”

The 1919 Wurlitzer organ he plays on was originally installed in Wenatchee’s Liberty Theater, and used for silent film screenings. In 1989, it was moved to the museum’s performance hall, where it remains on display and in use.

A closeup of a marimba inside a pipe organ.
Inside the organ, there's a built-in marimba. The organ can switch to play the wooden blocks by pressing special keys. (Credit: Renee Diaz / NWPB)

“This organ has a lot of built-in sound effects,” Kozina said. “It’s actually called the ‘toy section.’ You can add in bells, a train whistle, cymbals, whatever fits the moment.”

According to Shannon Jaynes, the special events and Wells House manager for the museum, the goal of the series was to offer both an educational and immersive experience.

“People come away with more context, then they watch the film and stick around for a Q&A,” Jaynes said. “Thomas playing live really makes it feel immersive.”

A man has his back to the camera. He's looking at the inside of a pipe organ.
Thomas Kozina steps inside an organ at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. (Credit: Renee Diaz / NWPB)

For Johnson, the power of silent films lies in their ability to connect past and present.

“These films are like time capsules,” Johnson said. “They show us not just how people lived, but how they felt. And through the music, we can still feel it too.”

Reneé Diaz may be contacted at [email protected]. Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and WSU’s Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.

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