Prime Attraction: Spreckels Organ Festival

What it is: The Spreckels Organ Society’s Summer International Organ Festival stars the world’s largest outdoor concert organ, which also happens to be one of Balboa Park’s cultural treasures. Attendance and parking are free - a definite plus in this cost-conscious era. Festival concerts are slated for 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, from June 22 through August 31.

In addition to San Diego civic organist Carol Williams, this year’s lineup features an array of local and visiting performers including the La Jolla Symphony Chorus, former civic organist Jared Jacobsen and silent movie master Dennis James, who’ll accompany Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman” (1928) on Aug. 24.

Why it’s special: If you’ve ever been to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion on a lovely evening, when the lights are twinkling and the sound of the organ reverberates through the park, you know how lucky we are.

The facility, flanked by colonnades and rich in Italian Renaissance-style embellishment, is so elegant that it looks European. And the instrument, which has four keyboards and more than 4,500 pipes, is so massive that it must be heard to be believed.

The largest pipes are 32 feet long and can produce either a gentle rumble or powerful sonic force. The smallest pipe is the size of a pencil and creates a sound akin to a high-pitched whistle. What’s more, the Spreckels Organ is versatile enough to play everything from Bach to Beatles music.

History: The Spreckels Organ Pavilion was built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Dedicated on December 31, 1914, the instrument has become a beloved local icon, used for year-round concerts as well as the summer festival.

Quotable: “It’s truly an international festival - I like to bring in people from all over the world,” says Carol Williams, the native of Wokingham, England, who became San Diego’s civic organist in 2001. “Each artist has to stand up and introduce the music. Basically, they have to sell it by making it accessible to the audience. Audience members let us know if they don’t like someone. They write me letters!”

Know and go: The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is located at the corner of President’s Way and Pan American Road East, in the heart of Balboa Park. Information: (619) 702-8138; http://www.sosorgan.com/

To see the map, click here.

There’s parking adjacent to the Pavilion. Concerts attract as many as 4,000 people, some of whom bring their own blankets and lawn chairs. The setting is casual but the musical quality is high.

Here’s the lineup for the festival’s 22nd year:

June 22: Former San Diego civic organist Jared Jacobsen and the La Jolla Symphony Chorus. A “Bach Supper” fundraiser for the nonprofit Spreckels Organ Society will be held before the performance. Information/reservations: (619) 702-8138.

June 29: Hector Olivera, a celebrated virtuoso from Argentina.

July 6: David Wickerham, an Encino native who has toured internationally and will features Fourth of July favorites in his program.

July 13: Germany’s Felix Hell. Though only 23, he has already performed all of Bach’s organ works three times in the U.S.

July 20: Kevin Bowyer, the distinguished organist at Scotland’s University of Glasgow, performs for the first time at the festival.

July 27: Tom Trenney, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, N.Y., has performed everywhere from UCLA’s Royce Hall to Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall.

August 3: John Weaver, the revered performer/teacher who was on the faculties of Juilliard and Curtis, and has concertized widely.

August 10: Ray Cornils, the municipal organist for Portland, Maine, who last appeared in San Diego three years ago.

August 17: Catherine Ennis, versatile British concert organist who founded the “London Organ Concerts Guide” to alert fans about performances. This is her debut at the festival.

August 24: The ever-popular Dennis James returns with his latest silent movie program, this time featuring Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman” (1928). Try to get there early to find a good seat.

August 31: The festival ends on a lively historic note as as Carol Williams presents a “Mainly Medieval” concert with the House of Scotland Pipe Band and the combined choirs of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Multimedia: Watch civic organist Carol Williams’ fancy foot work as she plays an unusual “pedal solo” at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Related: Prime Attraction: North Park’s Ray at Night

Valerie Scher is the SDNN Arts & Entertainment editor. You can reach her at valerie.scher(at)sdnn.com

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