Juan Cardona, Jr.

Juan Cardona, Jr. of Newtown, Conn., began studying piano and organ at age 7 and has continued his musical training through college, studying classical organ with Angela Salcedo at the University of Connecticut. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, majoring in classical organ. In addition to his studies he trained and refined his theatre organ skills with Jelani Eddington.
Juan has been the staff organist at the Thomaston Opera House for last 14 years and for the past eight years he has been the staff organist at the Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. In 1994 and 1995 Juan was awarded first place in the American Theatre Organ Society’s Hobbyist Division Competition. As a concert artist, he has performed theatre organ concerts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey Rhode Island, Alabama, Georgia and Missouri.
Juan began doing silent film work by accompanying silent cartoons at a stage production of “School House Rock” at the Thomaston Opera House and accompanying the Academy Award-winning film “Wings” as his first full-length feature film. Other films he has scored are “Phantom of the Opera,” “Robin Hood,” “The Beloved Rogue,” “Tell it to the Marines,” “Speedy,” “The General” and silent short comedies: “The Great Race,” “Big Business” and “One Week”. Juan has been the featured artist for five years for the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society in their “Silents in the House” Film series. The list of films he has accompanied has grown to more than 30 silents, short comedies and full-length features.
Juan has had the distinct honor of performing at Woolsey Hall as guest organist with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Skitch Henderson with vocalists Laurie Gayle Stephenson and Keith Buterbaugh from Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera.” Juan has had the honor of opening for '50s and '60s pop star Neil Sedaka and opened and played with Tito Puente at his last performance. In July 2003, Juan was a featured artist for the American Guild of Organists Regional Convention in Cape Cod and New Bedford, Mass, receiving a standing ovation for his original score to the Harold Lloyd film “Speedy.” Juan was a featured performer at the 2005 “Meet Me in St. Louis” theatre organ event and received rave reviews from the audience members with his three performances.
Some of his other hobbies include building and flying radio-control model airplanes, as well as N-Scale model railroading. He works for WaterWorks as a Senior Systems Engineer in the Information Technology Department.
Juan Cardona, Jr.
3 Brookwood Drive
Newtown, CT 06470
Phone: 203-426-2443
E-Mail: jcardonajr [at] charter.net
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