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V o l . 6 1 , N o . 9 |
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J u l y – A u g u s t 2 0 1 1
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From the Sub-Dean
Dear Chapter Members and Friends,
May I please offer my thanks for all your support in my first year as Sub-Dean. All the members who attended events made the experience richer, and I know that many of you enjoyed the program year, judging by your many positive and encouraging comments.
The program committee, board, and I have been hard at work preparing a season of Chapter programs we hope you will all find stimulating, interesting, and refreshing. The program year begins with a cocktail party with an illustrated lecture on the NYC Organ Project by our own Steve Lawson on Monday, September 19, in the Library of the House of the Redeemer, (formerly the Fabbri Mansion) at 7 East 95th Street. Cocktails at 6:00, lecture at 7:00. There is also a Liszt and Guilmant Anniversary Members' Recital on October 24 at 7:00 at First Presbyterian Church — it's not too soon to submit your repertoire ideas for those two composers; send them to david@davidenlow.com and they will be added into the mix.
The chapter will also be hosting a Pedals, Pipes & Pizza outreach event for young people, an Improvisation Festival with teaching sessions by Bruce Neswick and McNeil Robinson, and an improvisation concert with Neswick, Robinson, Justin Bischof, and Stephen Tharp.
As always, the jewel in the crown of the Chapter program year is the Presidents' Day Conference, this year taking place at the Church of the Ascension, and titled Les Autres: Special Topics in French 19th and 20th Century Music. The conference includes a feature recital by International Performer of the Year Stephen Tharp, a choral concert with the Clarion Music Society, Steven Fox, conductor, and sessions with Dennis Keene, Matthew Lewis, Diego Innocenzi, Rémy Campos, Andrew Henderson, Renée Louprette, and a chamber music performance featuring Daniel Kirk-Foster and Bernadette Hoke as pianists playing sonatas of Vierne and Widor with stringed instruments. It's not to be missed!
We are also planning an Organ-building Knowledge Base, with chapter members and noted organ builders Sebastian Glück and John Bishop. We will close the year with the relaxing Dinner Cruise, a great hit with all who attended this year. The food and drink were equal to the scenery, which is a nice way to close the season!
We are all looking forward to welcoming you to our Chapter events this year. Take some time to 'recharge' at an educational event, a social event, or a performance, and use your membership to the fullest! As chapter members, you're not just welcome, you're expected.
Yours truly,
David Enlow
Sub-Dean
Program Committee: Keith S. Tóth, James Kennerley, Nigel Potts, John T. King, John Cantrell.
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From the Registrar
Membership Renewal 2011-2012 – Don’t Forget to Renew!
All individuals or organizations interested in the organ and choral music fields are invited to join the American Guild of Organists. The Membership Year is from July 1 through June 30. Category descriptions and dues rates are listed in the table below.
There are two easy ways to join or renew:
1. Pay By Mail. For those who prefer or need to pay by check or money order, simply click here to download the NYC AGO Membership Form. Print and complete the form, then mail it with your payment to the Registrar.
2. Pay Online. The NYC Chapter has implemented a new online system that accepts payment by credit & debit cards. Simply click on the appropriate "Pay online" link in the table below.
Please note that we use PayPal for online dues payments. PayPal is a secure and trusted site for online banking and commerce; all credit card information is completely confidential and unknown to us. Please be also aware that there is an added fee for all online payments.
Update Your Member Profile Online. The NYC Chapter maintains its membership database in Groupspaces.com. Chapter members will receive an email message inviting them to update their personal directory information online. Alternatively, chapter members may create a Groupspaces account at https://secure.groupspaces.com/auth/login to update their profile at any time. Once a member's Groupspaces account is created, they will automatically be recognized as a member of www.groupspaces.com/nycago. Please note that one does not need to create an account at groupspaces.com to be a member in good standing of the NYC Chapter; it is completely optional.
For further questions or assistance please contact the Registrar at registrar@nycago.org.
Voting Membership CATEGORIES and DUES
Regular: Organists, choral conductors, and other individuals who support the purposes of the Guild. Voting membership includes participation in all chapter and national activities, elections, eligibility for certification examinations, insurance plans, and a one-year subscription to THE AMERICAN ORGANIST magazine.
$92 Pay online
Special: Same as Regular, but with a reduced membership rate for those who are over 65, under 21, or disabled.
$67 Pay online
Partner: A second member at the same address as another member; does not receive THE AMERICAN ORGANIST magazine
$67 Pay online
Dual: For those who wish to be involved with more than one local chapter.
$36 Pay online
Full-time Student: Reduced membership rates for full-time students enrolled in academic institutions.
(email a copy of your student ID to registrar@nycago.org)
$37 Pay online
Full-time Student Dual
(email a copy of your student ID to registrar@nycago.org)
$15 Pay online
Non-Voting Categories
Chapter Friend: Individuals who support the NYC Chapter, receive chapter newsletters and mailings, and participate in chapter events. This category is only for those who are not organists or choral conductors and does not include voting privileges, membership benefits, or a subscription to THE AMERICAN ORGANIST magazine.
$20 Pay online
National Subscriber: Non-Voting Membership is available for individual and institutional National Subscribers to THE AMERICAN ORGANIST Magazine. No chapter affiliation, voting privileges, or other benefits are included. The one-year TAO subscription begins with the second monthly issue following receipt of payment. Payment via the AGO National web site.
$60 Pay online
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Notification of Outcome of Grievance
The National Council has determined that a position at Trinity Presbyterian Church (USA) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was made vacant by wrongful termination of a Member of the American Guild of Organists on November 23, 2010. In keeping with the AGO Code of Ethics, members shall not seek or accept employment or attempt to place a student or colleague in the position until the National Council has declared that differences between the Guild and Trinity Presbyterian Church have been resolved.
http://www.agohq.org/chapter/?handle=southwestjersey
http://www.agohq.org/profession/grievance.html
Also of interest:
The Presbyterian Association of Musicians cooperated and consulted in this process and is in agreement with the findings of the AGO National Council. No PAM member should apply for this position until the differences between the Guild and Trinity Presbyterian Church have been resolved.
http://presbymusic.org/current_listings.php |
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Members from the Past
Congratulations to David Higgs and Charles Dodsley Walker who each correctly identified our dual-member colleague Philip Baker in last month's issue.
Phil is a native Texan, and a graduate of Midwestern University, Wichita Falls, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and has done further graduate study at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His major organ instructors have been Nita Akin, David Lumsden and Leonard Raver. His choral conducting study has been with Lloyd Pfautsch and Robert Fountain.
He led the Music Ministry of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, one of the largest churches of the denomination, from 1959 until 1993. During that time the ministry grew in many ways, including the addition of two significant pipe organs and a carillon. Mr. Baker served on the Organ Faculty at SMU from 1960 until 1963, and has begun the organ studies of several young people who have gone on to achieve national and international recognition.
He is Past-President of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Worship, Music and Other Arts. He has served at the national level of the AGO as Director of the National Open Competition in Organ Playing, and as Director of the Educational Resources Committee. He has served on the Section on Worship, Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, as well as the Board of the Choristers Guild.
He is the author and composer of numerous published works and is the organist at St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin, Texas. He has held dual membership in the NYC AGO Chapter for the past four years and usually comes to the Presidents' Day Conference. Introduce yourself to him in February!
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Can you identify this Member from the Past?
. . . now deceased?
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Michael Hey Wins AGO/Quimby 2011 Region II Competition
Congratulations to Michael Hey, first place winner in the AGO/Quimby 2011 Regional Competition for Young Organists (RCYO) held July 3 at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown, N.J. The first place prize is $1000. Mr. Hey performed the winner's recital on Tuesday, July 5, at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown during the Region I and II Convention.
Michael previously won the NYC Chapter Competition that took place at The Brick Church on March 19. He will now represent Region II in the Rising Stars concert held during the 2012 National Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Hey is an organ student of Paul Jacobs at The Juilliard School, and is Assisting Organist at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
The Second place prize of $500 was awarded to Justin Maxey, a graduate student in organ at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y.
The AGO/Quimby Regional Competitions for Young Organists are made possible by a generous grant from Michael Quimby, President, Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc.
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Happy 80th Birthday to Fred Swann
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At Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, in 2009. |
Frederick Swann celebrated his 80th birthday on Saturday, July 30: former Dean of this chapter, recepient of our International Performer of the Year Award in 2002, Honorary Member of the NYC AGO Chapter. President of the AGO 2002-08, and teacher, mentor, and friend to us all. Happy birthday, Fred, and many more!
Click here to see Fred's entry in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Swann
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The next chapter newsletter is the September 2011 issue. The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2011. Material may be submitted to Neal Campbell, editor. Nine issues are published through the year on a monthly basis with combined issues for December/January, May/June, and July/August. To make changes in your email address or to subscribe to the e-newsletter, please contact Christopher Jennings, registrar. |
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