He's 'nerdy,' 'passionate,' and 'uniquely Warren': Meet the Calgary Flames' new organist

From his seat in the Calgary Flames organ loft, Warren Tse has a panoramic view of the Scotiabank Saddledome, and of the fans below.

He monitors the vibe of the crowd as the players skate, and when the whistle blares, he gets to work.

Fingers smacking the keyboard in front of him, an organ version of Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi rings out over the arena's speakers. Seamlessly, Tse transitions to a chorus of Let's Go Flames before the play begins again.

"One of my favourite things to do is to slip a little something into the organ program, if you will, just to see who's paying attention," he says.

"Friends who were big hockey fans would let me know if people caught the latest Cardi B song that I dropped or maybe the latest meme that was blowing up."

Tse is the new organist for the Calgary Flames. He's about a month into his new gig, and as both a musician and a Flames fan, he's pretty pumped.

But along with his adrenaline comes some bittersweet reminders of what led him to this role.

Behind his keyboard, a large sign identifies the booth as 'The Joos Box.' 

To his left hangs a framed 'Joosen' jersey with a plaque just below. It reads: "Willy Joosen, March 23, 1956 - July 1, 2022. The memory of his smiling face and his beautiful music will live forever in the C of Red."

Joosen started as the Flames' organist in the 1988-89 season — the first and only year the Flames took home a Stanley Cup — spending the next 34 years riling up audiences at the team's home games.

He died in July at the age of 66. Tse, his protege, stepped up to fill the role.

"It's super exciting of course, but it's also a little complicated," he said in an interview with The Homestretch earlier this month.

"Willy was my friend for something like 20 years, and he was the master. I was the apprentice."

'It's a tradition'

Tse first met Joosen at a Calgary Stampede event. 

As "two nerdy guys on the keyboards," they became fast friends, Tse explained. In their spare time, they'd try to musically one-up each other playing video game theme songs, whether it be Ms. Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros.

Soon enough, Joosen asked if Tse had any interest in filling in at Flames games.

"I said I've never done anything like that in my life, but OK."

For about 15 years, Tse worked as Joosen's understudy, spending most of his time playing at Calgary Hitmen games.

After losing Joosen in July, the team launched their search for a new organist, someone who could carry on his legacy and high level of musicianship. 

Manager of game presentation with Calgary Sports and Entertainment Steve Edgar says it became clear that person was Tse.

"He's a very passionate person about the job, and he's bringing new ideas to the table of ways we can incorporate that instrument and that position into our run of show, and that's really exciting for us," he said.

Edgar says organ music is a staple at a hockey game, and the organization plans to keep the position running for "a very long time."

"With a live performer, we're way more adaptable," he said. "We believe it's a tradition that still is valuable, and there is lots of nostalgia."

'Uniquely Warren'

Tse is now a few games into his new role, and he says there's nothing like it.

He plays into those nostalgic feelings, leading raucous choruses of the classic cheers and chants.

"These fans are like a living breathing instrument that I'm playing with," he said at a recent game. "The whole job is to see how much energy that you can get out of the crowd."

Between whistles, he's on his phone taking requests from the audience.

It's part of a new program the organization is running. At the start of every game, a graphic on the giant video board invites fans to Tweet their song choices to @FlamesOrganist.

He knows a lot of them by heart, but if he's unfamiliar, he just pops in his earbuds.

"I would just listen to it and kind of work it out at the same time that I'm listening to it, get the chords and everything and deploy it in the next period," he said. 

"Nothing's beyond the pale for me."

Choosing which songs, and when to play them, is a tricky task. Tse says he's constantly gauging fans' emotions, anticipating what piece of music will elicit the best reaction. 

"Nothing lights up a crowd like pucks in the net, but you have to do your best," he said.

Tse says he believes the right song — and the corresponding audience reaction — can strengthen the Flames' home team advantage. 

It's something Joosen believed too. And Tse is proud to continue in his footsteps.

"Willy was a one of a kind talent. He was a mad genius on the keyboard, and nobody will ever be able to replace him," Tse said.

"If I try to play exactly like Willy, I will fail. And that's what'll make the music that I play uniquely Warren."