The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) has announced its Wonders of the Wurlitzer concert series for the 2025-2026 season. Each concert showcases the theatre’s 1927 Mighty Wurlitzer organ, brought to life by house organist Peter Edwin Krasinski. Tickets for the opening event, a screening of the 1927 classic Metropolis on Thursday, October 30th, are $13; children aged 12 and under may attend for free. $10 of each ticket sale will benefit the historic restoration of the Wurlitzer.
Metropolis will feature live musical accompaniment by Mr. Krasinski, a world-renowned silent-film accompanist. “It is an honor to accompany Metropolis on the magnificent Wurlitzer in a theatre that was a Loew’s Movie Palace nearly a hundred years ago!” said Mr. Krasinski. “I will engage all of the musical resources of this Wurlitzer to help Metropolis come to life. This masterpiece from the silent film era presents a complex viewing experience; for this reason, the musical accompaniment will be dynamic and complex as well.”
This silent German Expressionist film, released in 1927, is considered a groundbreaking work in the science fiction genre. It has influenced many science fiction films, including Blade Runner (1982), Brazil (1985), and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), among others.
PPAC’s “Mighty Wurlitzer” was built in 1927 and has five keyboards, twenty-one ranks (5/21), and percussion that can produce many orchestral sounds, as well as sound effects useful for accompanying silent films. The PPAC “Mighty Wurlitzer” is one of only three five-manual keyboard consoles built by Wurlitzer; it is a rare and significant instrument in musical history.
PPAC will present three more Wonders of the Wurlitzer concerts this season: including “The Snow Must Go On: A Seasonal Sing-Along” on December 10, “In Honor of Black History Month” on February 4, 2026, presented in collaboration with the African American Museum of RI and Juneteenth RI, and “The Pipes Are Calling: A Celebration of St. Patrick’s Day” on February 25, 2026. Additional details will be announced soon - learn more at PPACRI.org.
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