Keith Chapman

• Name — Keith Chapman • Born — July 16, 1945 • Birthplace — San Mateo, California • Died — 29 June 1989 • Place of death — The Colorado Rockies • Known for — Wanamaker Organist, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chapman was born on July 16, 1945 in San Bruno, California and grew up in San Bruno, California. An organ prodigy, he began formal study at age 5 with S. Leslie Grow, a student of Marcel Dupré. Chapman was the accompanist to the Capuchino High School Concert Choir while it was directed by Otto Mielenz. Having studied with Richard Purvis, the organist at the time of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, Chapman eventually took up post there as Assistant Organist. Chapman came to Philadelphia where he attended the Curtis Institute of Music from 1964 to 1968, studying organ under Alexander McCurdy who had also been Purvis's teacher. Chapman received a master's degree from Temple University in 1971 and an honorary doctor of musical arts degree from Combs College of Music in Philadelphia in 1978. He also had several original compositions and arrangements published for organ solo. In addition to his appointment at Wanamaker's, Chapman performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and served as organist and choirmaster at Philadelphia's First Presbyterian Church, Wayne United Methodist Church in suburban Philadelphia, and Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel.

Chapman was appointed principal organist at Wanamaker's in 1966 at age 20 while he was still a student at Curtis. He would preside over the largest fully playable organ in the world, and would remain at that position for the next 23 years until his untimely death in 1989. At the time of Chapman's appointment, the Wanamaker Organ had been underused. As one of his first projects, Chapman arranged for the broadcast of Wanamaker concerts which were heard over Philadelphia radio station WUHY (now WHYY-FM) and included his own commentaries about the performances and the organ. Chapman regularly welcomed visitors into the loft containing the organ console and permitted them to sit during performances. He also allowed visitors to be photographed with him on the organ bench. In addition to several known instances of Chapman playing practical jokes on customers at the store, he was also known for multitasking while performing by playing chess, reading newspaper stories aloud, or bantering with listeners in the loft.

In 1986, Chapman was featured artist for the landmark concert at the Wanamaker Grand Court that celebrated his 20th anniversary as Wanamaker Organist and the Organ's 75th anniversary. Sponsored by the Wayne Concert Series, this was the first after-hours public organ concert at Wanamaker's in some 50 years. The tradition has been continued into the present day, largely under the auspices of the non-profit organization, The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ. The 1986 concert was recorded, and has been released on DVD by the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ. Also included is a 2009 update on the restoration of the instrument.

Chapman and his wife, Sally, were killed when their twin-engine Cessna 310 crashed into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Colorado Rockies while they were returning from a performance in California. The Chapmans were reportedly en route to visit Sally's daughter (from a previous marriage) and new grandchild in Omaha, Nebraska at the time of the crash. Chapman was succeeded at Wanamaker's later that year by Peter Richard Conte.