The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present Conversations with Contemporary Artists with filmmaker Dennis Lanson and C.B. Fisk Project Manager Greg Bover on Saturday, October 29 at 3:00 p.m. This program marks the third year of the series which highlights the current work of Cape Ann artists within a variety of media. Mr. Lanson and Mr. Bover will be giving an inside look into the upcoming film ‘Opus 139: To Hear the Music Better’ which spotlights the C.B. Fisk organ created for Harvard’s Memorial Church. This program is free with Museum admission. To make a reservation or for more information, please call Jeanette Smith at 978-283-0455, x11 or email jeanettesmith@capeannmuseum.org.

‘Opus 139’ is a documentary in progress celebrating the first 50 years of the C. B. Fisk Pipe Organ Company of Gloucester. The film will tell the interwoven stories of founder Charles Brenton Fisk, his unique workshop and the collaborative enterprise of creating, installing and voicing a new pipe organ for the magnificent memorial church at Harvard University. It will be a rare opportunity for viewers to see the intricate design process, attention to detail and stunning craftsmanship involved in the construction of this largest of musical instruments. In the last act, the soaring glory of the new instrument at Harvard will be heard at its inaugural concert on Easter 2012. On Saturday, October 29 at the Cape Ann Museum, Dennis Lanson, director and producer, will show clips of the documentary and will discuss the process of putting the film together, what they’ve done and where they’re going with it in 2012. Greg Bover, the project manager of Opus 139 at C.B. Fisk, will talk about his process in designing, building, installing and now on-site voicing the organ at Harvard.

Dennis Lanson has been writing producing and directing film and video since the 1980’s. His credits include: Phans of Jersey City a documentary about a Vietnamese refugee family, which appeared in New Directors/New Films and on PBS stations; Booming, a film about uranium mining in Wyoming in winter, which was screened at Edinburgh, Denver, and other international festivals; Pitstop, an independent feature, a dark comedy about nine people stuck in the same motel beside an interstate, which also toured the festival circuit, was broadcast on WGBH, and premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Recent video projects in mini DV include Seeking the 36, a half-hour documentary about the Lamed Vov, the mythical ‘just souls’ that in Jewish lore are said to balance the evil in the world; and Expats (in post production) about the impact of gringo settlers on a small city in Mexico.

Mr. Lanson is also a former member of the Writers Guild of America West, has authored numerous screenplays, written and produced movie trailers and promos, and has worked on crew and as an editor on a range of documentary films. Among his editorial credits are documentaries for A&E, Discovery, the History Channel, and PBS. For his non-fiction work, which has focused on issues of community, work, and culture, Lanson has received grants from the AFI, and state Humanities and Arts Councils in Wyoming, New Jersey and NY. For his screenwriting, he has won artist fellowships to the MacDowell Colony, VCCA, and the Djerassi Foundation. Currently a full professor at Endicott College, Dennis Lanson has also taught filmmaking at Cal Arts, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Brooks Institute, Boston University, The Museum School, and Emerson College. He is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of the Arts and was a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute, Los Angeles.

Gregory Bover was named Vice President for Operations at C.B. Fisk in 1996, taking responsibility for the oversight of scheduling, personnel, and financial concerns. In his additional role as Project Manager, he develops structural and mechanical design and participates in the visual and architectural aspects of the instruments. Early stages include site visits to measure and document the location for the organ, and the construction of a three-dimensional model. After the organ is built and tested in the shop he returns to supervise the installation.

Educated at Pinkerton Academy and the University of New Hampshire, Greg began building musical instruments in 1975 with harpsichord maker William Dowd, first in Cambridge and later in Paris. In 1978 he returned to the United States to begin his career with Charles Fisk, working on Opus 78 for House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. He has worked on every Fisk organ built since then. During a leave of absence in 1983 Greg worked at F’hrer Orgelbau in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, restoring the 18th century organs at Bockhorn and Loxstedt. On his return to C.B. Fisk he was named Project Manager and has supervised the design and construction of more than thirty Fisk instruments, including Opus 100 at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, two organs in Japan – Opus 110 in Yokohama and Opus 132 in Kobe, and Opus 120 at the Cathedral in Lausanne, the company’s magnum opus.

Funding for this program was made possible through a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences, in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and to contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.

The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Museum is closed during the month of February, on Mondays, and on major holidays. Admission is $8.00 adults, $6.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Children under 12 and Museum members are free. The Museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information please call: (978) 283-0455. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org