Dear Chapter Members,

I hope this letter finds you enjoying a much-deserved summer vacation. My hope is to see many of you during the next few days in Boston at the combined Region I and Region II Convention. It’s hard to believe that the last Region II convention was right here in New York City and we were the hosts!

Although it is probably not possible for all of us to attend an AGO convention every summer, I hope that each of us will be able take some time this summer to further our growth as musicians and as human beings.

A gentle reminder that the new AGO year begins July 1st. If you have not renewed your membership yet, please take the time to do so. If you misplaced the membership materials that were mailed to you, forms are available online at our chapter website www.nycago.org.

The New York City Chapter has been selected by the Committee on the New Organist (CONO) to host a POEA next summer (2010). This is an advanced Pipe Organ Encounter for high school students who have already attended one or more of the regular POE’s. As with most educational endeavors, tuition covers only a fraction of the cost, so the chapter will be seeking to raise additional monies through charitable gifts, grants, and contributions. In these tough economic times, it is probably more prudent to look for many smaller gifts and one or two larger ones. Anything that each of you can do to help will be greatly appreciated.

As many of you already know, Michael Barone’s wonderful radio program – Pipedreams is being broadcast in our area on WQXR on Sunday evenings from 11:00 pm to midnight. Please listen in, and write or email the station to let them know that you value this type of programming.