RAHWAY — “The Phantom of the Opera” will be shown on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC). It’s the premiere of their Sunday Film Series. The 1925 silent classic stars Lon Chaney.
Live organ accompaniment will be presented by Ian Fraser. He’ll be performing on UCPAC’s “Biggest Little Wurlitzer” – their 1928 organ that is original to their main stage theater.
Fraser, of Plainfield, became fascinated with organs as a baby. At the age of 2, he heard a band organ on a local carousel. “I remember I was fascinated by seeing the moving parts on the carousel organs,” he said. “I was instantly hooked.”
He got his first organ when he was 8. It was a Celestina, built in 1881, and he still has it. He’d take the organ to amusement parks and organ rallies. “My parents were very supportive,” he said. “They found organizations of organists and musicians.”
At 16, Fraser saw a silent film on Long Island with a real pipe organ. “That was my starting point,” he said. “From that point on, I was instantly fascinated and determined to teach myself how to play,” he said.
Fraser could play keyboard by ear and pick out melodies. He became self-taught by identifying what music he liked and figuring it out by himself. He says there’s some piano players in his family, but nothing serious or professional.
Around 2020, Fraser performed his first professional organ concert, launching his career with silent films. He auditioned for “King of Kings” at UCPAC in 2023 and is the house silent film organist there.
Since he’s been performing at UCPAC, he recalls one of the funniest moments the first time he did “The Phantom of the Opera” there. The film broke in the middle of the showing. “It went dark, but I kept playing while they put the film back together,” he said.
Fraser is the first-place winner of the American Theatre Organ Society’s 2023 Young Theatre Organist Competition.
In June 2025, he performed the world’s first-ever silent film with live organ accompaniment at a drive-in movie theater with the 100th anniversary of “The Phantom of the Opera” at The Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, using his touring organ.
Fraser realized he was living his dream during the past two years when he’s been doing more shows and more unique shows. “I stumbled into this career, and it’s taken off from there,” he said.
During his organ playing, he has developed the ability to restore pipe organs and mechanical musical instruments. He’s starting to get more into organ maintenance. “There’s not a lot of young people coming up in this business,” he said. “A lot of instruments are going to need maintenance in the next 10 or 20 years.”
In his spare time, Fraser is interested in amusement parks, trains, and other mechanical things. He also collects antique musical stuff.
To learn more about Ian Fraser, visit: https://ianfraserorganist.com/.
To purchase tickets to “The Phantom of the Opera” visit: https://ucpac.org/event/sunday-film-series-phantom-of-the-opera/.
Photos Courtesy of Ian Fraser
