Keith S. Tóth, Dean

From the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

July 1 is the beginning of a new year for the AGO. Some new faces have joined the NYC Chapter Board. Concurrently, some well known and beloved faces will be retiring from the board. On behalf of the board and the entire chapter membership, I would like to heartily express our thanks and appreciation to those members who are retiring from the board or are assuming new roles: Our beloved and longtime Treasurer Dr. F. Anthony Thurman, Registrar Christopher Jennings, Auditor Renée Anne Louprette, and from the Class of 2012 Dr. Neal Campbell, John Cantrell, Christopher Creaghan, Dr. John King, and Daniel Kirk-Foster. Thank you all for your tireless work on behalf of the chapter!

As a result of the recent elections, those newly elected or reelected to the board are: Dean Keith S. Tóth, Sub-Dean David Enlow, Secretary Sebastian M. Glück, Treasurer Christopher Babcock, Registrar Larry Long, Auditors Dr. Neal Campbell and Steve Lawson, and members of the Class of 2016, Kyler Brown, Christopher Jennings, Douglas Keilitz, Daniel Kirk-Foster, Dr. James Litton, and Andrew Yeargin. The Board has appointed David Shuler to fill the unexpired term in the Class of 2014 left vacant by Christopher Babcock who is now our Treasurer. Congratulations to all of our new board members! I look forward to working with you to the further the goals of our chapter.

The Chapter had another successful end-of-the-season dinner cruise on May 21. It was wonderful to see so many of you at this wonderful annual event. Many thanks to Sub-Dean David Enlow and his Program Committee for presenting this event. Congratulations also to them for an extremely successful 2011-12 program year! We look forward to what they are planning for us for the 2012-13 season.

I hope to see many of you at the National AGO convention in Nashville during July 1-7. If we don’t see each other then, please accept my very best wishes to you for a wonderful and restorative summer. See you in the Fall!

Respectfully yours,

Keith S. Tóth
Dean 

Thomas Trotter: 2012 International Performer of the Year Award

	Thomas Trotter

The International Performer of the Year Award committee wishes to thank members of the New York City Chapter AGO who recently participated in the voting process.

The committee is pleased to announce Thomas Trotter as the winner of the award. Mr. Trotter will be engaged to present a recital for the chapter in 2013 at which occasion he will be presented a monetary award and plaque in recognition of this honor and achievement.

Sincerely,

International Performer of the Year Award Committee

Renée Anne Louprette, Chair, James Kennerley, Jared Lamenzo

Are You Still a Member of the AGO?

Renew Now for 2012-2013

The AGO membership year runs July 1 to June 30, so if you have not yet renewed for 2012- 2013, you are technically no longer an AGO member! We already miss you. However, the AGO is a friendly organization, so there is a grace period – no need to fret. Please send your renewal in as soon as you can. You can do so by mail or online by following instructions on the chapter website. 

Members from the Past

	Edward Linzel

In the last issue Alan Barthel and Fred Swann each correctly identified Edward Linzel. Kyle Babin, a former member of our chapter who is the organist of Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Md., and who wrote his doctoral dissertation at Manhattan School of Music on the history and music of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, writes the following:

Edward Linzel was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 14, 1925. From an early age, he showed a vested interest in music, especially the organ. While a student at Westminster Choir College in 1945, he first met Ernest White at a recital played by White at Princeton University Chapel. He subsequently moved to New York City to study privately with White while he was Director of Music at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. Linzel also studied with White later at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Through his connection with Ernest White, Linzel immersed himself in the vibrant music scene at St. Mary's. In this milieu, he was among several other talented students of White, including Albert Fuller, Marie Schumacher, and Edgar Hilliar. These students, including Linzel, performed in frequent recitals in White's Studio in the St. Mary's Parish House.

Linzel also performed as a recitalist in venues across the country, and as a true disciple of Ernest White, he relished in presenting modern organ works, many of which were by Olivier Messiaen. Linzel also substituted for White as an organ teacher at Union Theological Seminary. In October of 1958, Linzel succeeded White as Director of Music at St. Mary's, and he moved into the Parish House apartment where White had previously resided. One of his notable achievements in this time was his continuation of music publishing under the auspices of "St. Mary's Press." Linzel also adapted the chant propers of the Mass into English versions that were far superior to the rather antiquated ones found in the English Gradual. In 1962, Linzel left St. Mary's and continued to hold a number of church jobs in other cities. At the end of his life, he lived in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, and in his last days, he lived with his son in the Dallas area, where he died of a heart-related illness on January 19, 2010. 

Can You Identify This Member From the Past?

. . . now deceased?