Bernie Anderson Jr. is a silent film music composer, organist and
orchestrator. He has presented live accompaniments for silent films,
with theatre organ and piano since 1995. He is also active in the
preservation and restoration of Movie Palaces, Theatre organs and
Classic Film.A native of New Jersey, Bernie started playing keyboard
at the age of five. He earned his Bachelor of Music summa cum laude
from Montclair State University in Music Composition and a Master of
Fine Arts at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts Graduate
Musical Theatre Writing Program. Bernie became interested in silent
films after meeting legendary silent movie organist Lee Erwin. Lee
became a major influence on Bernie's composition.Bernie began
composing and performing his silent film scores for organ and piano in
1995 with a screening of Chaplin's "Gold Rush". From 1990 to 2004,
Anderson was house organist for the Union County Arts Center (formerly
known as the Rahway Theatre) in Rahway, New Jersey and staff organist
at the Lafayette Theatre (Suffern), NY from 1992-2005. On April 21,
2002, The New York Times reported that Bernie would accompany the
silent film Go West (1925 film) starring Buster Keaton at the restored
Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York, a restored 1921 movie theatre
that had installed a restored Wurlitzer pipe organ. A student of
legendary silent movie organist Lee Erwin and former Radio City Music
Hall house organist Ashley Miller, he has performed extensively in the
New York City area in such venues as Radio City Music Hall, the
Paramount Theatre (Brooklyn, New York)(now LIU Gym) in Brooklyn, NY,
The Donnell Library (New York Public Library) and the Dickinson
Theatre Organ Society,. In 2003, he was the organist for the Library
of Congress American Movie Classics Film Preservation tour. He made
his Capitol Theatre debut at the 2005 Capitolfest film festival and
has performed at each of the successive Capitolfests. Bernie has
recorded new scores for 4 DVDs over the past 5 years, including
American Slapstick, Vol.1 for Image Distribution. Mr. Anderson,
recently, played for the grand opening of the Bound Brook Theatre in
Bound Brook, New Jersey with the film "the Winning of Barbara Worth".
In July 2003, Bernie had the pleasure of being the premiere organist
for AGO's Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) which was held at Radio City
Music Hall on the Music Hall's 4/58 Wurlitzer. The event's purpose was
to expose Classical Organ Students to the world of theatre organ. In
Feb 2005, in a concert with Dave Kopp, Bernie played the first public
NYTOS concert at Radio City Music Hall since 1979.In 2005, he wrote
the orchestrations for a new musical, The Girl in the Frame, presented
at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and published by Theatrical
Rights Worldwide in 2007. Anderson recently finished orchestrations
for another new musical entitled I See London, I See France . . .,
which premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September
2007 In 1997, Anderson wrote the orchestrations for "Triplets: The
Diva Musical", starring Ruth Brown and Carol Woods (performer) at
Theatrefest in Montclair, NJ. From 1996 to 2000, Bernie worked as an
Orchestration Assistant to Doug Bersterman and studied orchestration
with of Danny Troob
orchestrator. He has presented live accompaniments for silent films,
with theatre organ and piano since 1995. He is also active in the
preservation and restoration of Movie Palaces, Theatre organs and
Classic Film.A native of New Jersey, Bernie started playing keyboard
at the age of five. He earned his Bachelor of Music summa cum laude
from Montclair State University in Music Composition and a Master of
Fine Arts at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts Graduate
Musical Theatre Writing Program. Bernie became interested in silent
films after meeting legendary silent movie organist Lee Erwin. Lee
became a major influence on Bernie's composition.Bernie began
composing and performing his silent film scores for organ and piano in
1995 with a screening of Chaplin's "Gold Rush". From 1990 to 2004,
Anderson was house organist for the Union County Arts Center (formerly
known as the Rahway Theatre) in Rahway, New Jersey and staff organist
at the Lafayette Theatre (Suffern), NY from 1992-2005. On April 21,
2002, The New York Times reported that Bernie would accompany the
silent film Go West (1925 film) starring Buster Keaton at the restored
Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York, a restored 1921 movie theatre
that had installed a restored Wurlitzer pipe organ. A student of
legendary silent movie organist Lee Erwin and former Radio City Music
Hall house organist Ashley Miller, he has performed extensively in the
New York City area in such venues as Radio City Music Hall, the
Paramount Theatre (Brooklyn, New York)(now LIU Gym) in Brooklyn, NY,
The Donnell Library (New York Public Library) and the Dickinson
Theatre Organ Society,. In 2003, he was the organist for the Library
of Congress American Movie Classics Film Preservation tour. He made
his Capitol Theatre debut at the 2005 Capitolfest film festival and
has performed at each of the successive Capitolfests. Bernie has
recorded new scores for 4 DVDs over the past 5 years, including
American Slapstick, Vol.1 for Image Distribution. Mr. Anderson,
recently, played for the grand opening of the Bound Brook Theatre in
Bound Brook, New Jersey with the film "the Winning of Barbara Worth".
In July 2003, Bernie had the pleasure of being the premiere organist
for AGO's Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) which was held at Radio City
Music Hall on the Music Hall's 4/58 Wurlitzer. The event's purpose was
to expose Classical Organ Students to the world of theatre organ. In
Feb 2005, in a concert with Dave Kopp, Bernie played the first public
NYTOS concert at Radio City Music Hall since 1979.In 2005, he wrote
the orchestrations for a new musical, The Girl in the Frame, presented
at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and published by Theatrical
Rights Worldwide in 2007. Anderson recently finished orchestrations
for another new musical entitled I See London, I See France . . .,
which premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September
2007 In 1997, Anderson wrote the orchestrations for "Triplets: The
Diva Musical", starring Ruth Brown and Carol Woods (performer) at
Theatrefest in Montclair, NJ. From 1996 to 2000, Bernie worked as an
Orchestration Assistant to Doug Bersterman and studied orchestration
with of Danny Troob
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