Welcome Reception

The Welcome Reception will be held on Sunday, July 17 in the evening at the Omni William Penn Hotel. This reception is included in the conference registration fee.

Church Organ Lecture/Demo

Rebecca and Tony Rollett will give a lecture-recital demonstration of the pipe organ at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh (FPCP) on 6th Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh. For those attending ReX&GG 2016, the church is a short walk down (west) 6th Avenue.

The event will last about an hour, although individuals are welcome to stay for a short time afterwards to ask questions. It is intended to explain how a pipe organ is actually a quite complex instrument with hundreds if not thousands of pipes. Playing a note (by pressing down a key) may activate ten or more pipes, most of which emit different pitches up the harmonic series. There are two sorts of pipes, the flues and the reeds, where flue pipes are essentially whistles and reed pipes have a vibrating reed. Descriptions of various aspects of the instrument will alternate with playing musical pieces from a wide range of organ literature.

Note the popular phrase "pulling out all the stops" is drawn directly from the way in which organists control the sound made by an organ. The instrument in FPCP is a large one, built in the 1980s by the Casavant Company in Quebec and is one of the best in Pittsburgh.

Incorporated on September 29, 1787, FPCP is one of the oldest Protest entities west of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1903, the cornerstone was laid for the present building (the fourth), which was dedicated in April of that year.

In 1970, the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation designated FPCP as an "architecturally significant structure as well as a significant piece of Pittsburgh’s local heritage."

Source: First Presbyterian Church Pittsburgh

Poster Viewing and Reception

Poster viewing and a reception are planned for the evening of Tuesday, July 19 following the technical sessions. Don’t miss this great networking opportunity!

Dinner Event

A dinner event will be held the evening of Wednesday, July 20 at the Omni William Penn.

Wednesday Afternoon Tour Options:

Two tours will be offered on Wednesday, July 20: the Frick Art and Historical Society Tour or the Pittsburgh Treasures Tour. Full-conference registration includes one social tour ticket. Please indicate which tour you plan to attend on the registration form. Details for each tour are listed below.

A tour guide will meet each group in the lobby of the Omni William Penn Hotel at 1:00 p.m. Participants will board a chartered coach.

Frick Art and Historical Society Tour - click here for more details.

Discover the excitement of one of America's Most Livable Cities and the nation's First Renaissance City as your knowledgeable tour guide shows your guests the flavor of Pittsburgh. Fun stories about prominent Pittsburghers, both past and present, punctuate the narration on historical landmarks, corporate headquarters, fascinating architecture and important events while driving through the city.

To begin the tour, you will be whisked aboard a privately chartered coach and escorted to Clayton (pictured on left), the former home of Pittsburgh's steel and coal baron, Henry Clay Frick. As a Victorian time capsule displaying affluent family life, Clayton has few peers. It represents an expression of Frick's desire to build an environment for his family and friends. Despite the fact that Frick moved his family's residence to New York City in 1905, Clayton has been maintained intact. Thus, it is one of the most complete, best-preserved, and meticulously documented examples of late Victorian houses anywhere. All of the elements of childhood have been preserved, including beautiful porcelain dolls, toys, and clothing. The grounds are replete with other vestiges of the Frick’s, such as the working greenhouse and two-story brick carriage house displaying the family's 14 carriages and three automobiles all in mint condition.

Nearby is the Frick Art Museum that Miss Frick opened in 1970 in memory of her parents. This delightful museum contains an impressive collection of Italian, Flemish and French paintings from the early Renaissance through the 18th Century. Six galleries and a concert hall surround the magnificent entrance with its rotunda of teakwood columns, 15th Century millefleurs French tapestries and greenhouses. One gallery includes the courtly splendor of a French 18th Century room containing a Savonnierie rug and French furniture made for Marie Antoinette and the daughter of Louis XV. Outstanding sculpture by Jean Antoine Houdon enhances the collection.

Tour time: Approximately 4 hours

Source: The Frick Art & Historical Center Pittsburgh

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Pittsburgh Treasures Tour - click here for more details.

Pittsburgh—a dynamic place—is located at the confluence of three great rivers: the Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio. There is a certain flavor about Pittsburgh that tells visitors that it is alive and exciting!

The first stop on this tour of many treasures is a visit to Phipps Conservatory, a gift to the residents of Pittsburgh from Henry Phipps and a National Historic Landmark. The two and one-half acres of lush plantings and foliage are encased within this great glass house built in 1893. Paths meander through a Japanese Garden, a Cloister Garden, tropical settings, the Orchid Room, and an English country garden. This botanical trip around the world is the perfect conclusion to a day replete with unforgettable legacies.

Our tour concludes atop Mt. Washington where the spectacular view of the whole Pittsburgh scene unfolds, a view that prompted Frank Lloyd Wright to call this the world's most beautiful setting for a city. Your guests may descend the mountain in the Duquesne Incline, a veritable museum on wheels.

Tour time: Approximately 4 hours

Source: Phipps Conservatory and Visit Pittsburgh

For more information about this meeting, please complete the meeting inquiry form or contact:

TMS Meeting Services
184 Thorn Hill Road
Warrendale , PA 15086-7514 USA
Telephone (724) 776-9000, ext. 241
(800) 759-4TMS (4867)
Fax: (724) 776-3770
E-mail: mtgserv@tms.org