Worcester City Manager’s Office is planning a 9/11/11 outdoor memorial concert, mostly choral

Local choruses of all ages are being invited to participate to honor the memory of 9/11

BOSTON AGO – 2014 NATIONAL CONVENTION HOST

As alluded in our convention report from DC, Salt Lake City had to pull out of the running for the 2014 convention, and Boston has now officially signed up to host the convention. They just hosted last year’s regional, and have a dual POE in the summer of 2011 – our neighbors are busy!

Summary of AGO-logistics-related topics mentioned at various points during the 2010 DC convention…

• Last winter, national conducted an online survey of members to understand better everyone’s wishes and hotbuttons for the guild. James Thomashower presented a great futures "workshop" session and conveyed just a few of the some 1000 comment items that were sent in. It’s heartening to know that the national folks are listening and trying!
  Here’s a copy of the links from national web site, interesting skim-reading:

  

• National will likely be taking over dues collections and provide "paper" as well as online registration/renewals and then send the chapters’ portions to each chapter, perhaps direct deposit! Altho most welcomed this, there were a few diehard chapters that still wanted control over collections.
• There are two "contest"-like initiatives that national membership folks are conducting, we (Worcester) are signed up for both!
  • Those chapters who have 90% (or more) renewals posted to national by Sept 1 will be entered into a contest (three $500 prizes, each chapter is entered into one of three contest categories depending on chapter size, we’ll be competing in the largest-chapter-size category). Altho verbal answers to my questions were answered, there are still detailed quesitons that are seemingly not set about the contest, in particular,
    • for the "Sept 1" deadline, it seems to be that the chapter must postmark the envelope containing the renewals and check by midnight;
    • it seems that "renewals" really means the total number of full (regular, etc.) members on the books (renewals+new members as compared with last year’s total national members on the books).
    • How do duals count? What if a previous member has died or moved away how does that count in the 90% calculation?
  • For a $1500 lottery contest, chapters (all in one contest, regardless of chapter size) will be entered if they complete the process of contacting all members who did not renew in one of the two previous membership years. By signing up for this contest, we automatically got a $25 credit coupon for our national dues, and we already have lists (as generated by us) for the last three renewal periods that we’ve already emailed – so hopefully some of those will respond to our emails and save us a phone call.
• There’s continued "talk" about combining Regions I and II into one Region. There are many savings (financially as well as personnel) to be had, altho some feel we’ll lose our "identity". Note that throughout the years, we have often combined efforts in terms of Regional conventions, etc. There are 4000 members in Regions I (19 chapters) & II (30 chapters) (out of 20,000 total AGO members everywhere)
• There was quite a bit of excitement and marketing for both Morristown 2011, and Nashville 2012. We’re hoping this blog can give you a taste of some of what happens at a convention to get you motivated to get off the bench and sign up!
• Boston is sponsoring a dual Advanced POE – Performance Students (quota: approx 20) as well as OrganBuilding Students ("technical") (quota: approx 12) for the third week of July, 2011. They are seeking volunteers to help with various venue/concert logistics.
  Christian Lane is the chair, and is already busily arranging housing and instructors (Higgs, Jacobs, Chris Young, etc.), as well as the application/audition process for students. For instance, Fisk will be a major home for the organbuilding track as well as Spencer and Nelson Barden. A major attraction will be students being able to help at some level with the installation of the new Fisk at Harvard Memorial Chapel.
  Since the inception of the concept in 1999 (by our own Peggy Kelley Reinburg), there have been 228 students attending 70 POEs (thru 2009) (there are another 10 this summer!). To support these, AGO chapters have raised over 50K in scholarships and 260K in grants. Typically instructors do not get paid except for expenses, so our hats off to the many teachers who’ve donated their vacation time to help our next generations!
• Salt Lake City had to pull out of the running for the 2014 convention, and two chapters (one is Boston) were contacted to determine interest. It’s short notice, but Boston especially has had recent experience (2009 regional) and hopefully energies are not drained!
• The ALBERT SCHWEITZER ORGAN FESTIVAL will be held
  September 10-12, 2010 at the
  First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, CT – including a kickoff celebration concert Fri 9/10 7:30pm with performers Charles Callahan, Fredereick Hohman, and Joyce Jones on their Austin IV/62; and on Saturday a National Competition for Young Organists, and Sunday a masterclass. See ASOF info.

The “CHORAL MUSIC LIBRARY ALMOST-GIVEAWAY – $1 FUNDRAISER” was low in attendance but high in enthusiasm for the opportunity to expand one’s church music library with sets of choral scores for $1 each. We raised a little over $200 for the Worcester AGO scholarship fund (supports students studying with local Worcester members). Sadly we learned the news that United Congregational is transitioning to a lay-led small group of parishioners.  Our best wishes are with Lucia as she looks for a new church position.  Their acclaimed music library, the culmination of 100 years of fine choral music in the city (Chestnut Street, Central, and some music from the early days of the Worcester County Music Association ), is being disbursed, and WorcAGO has been selected as the recipient of the scores to use as a fundraiser.  The repertoire is what we would call “standard SATB & unison adult choir protestant & classical genres” (ranging in difficulty from easy unison to a few difficult 8-part titles).

Four new board members served as “babysitters” to host each of the four time periods that the music office suite was open for members who had made reservations to stop by and browse and donate. We appreciate their efforts, and especially Lucie’s willingness to have her colleagues pour through what has been her resource library for some 20 years now.

Looking thru anthem boxes to find gems for their own church choirs – $1 each.
(Photos by Kevin Mathieu)

NEWEST ARRIVAL IN TOWN DEMONSTRATED PRIOR TO COMPLETION – THE HANOVER WURLITZER (The largest Theater Pipe Organ in New England)

Entering by the guarded stage door (no entrance password was needed–it was free!) from a hot and humid Sunday afternoon in downtown Worcester, one immediately saw the prep/technical area behind the extended stage area of the exquisitely renovated Hanover Theater – a view not many get to see. The monthly event of the Eastern Mass Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society (EMCATOS) was about to begin and the star performer of the day, Jonathan Ortloff, was greeting the audience sporting a dapper coat and tie informal concert attire. We wind our way through the catacombs of the backstage and are led to the theater seating, joining an eager 150 organ enthusiasts already seated with anticipation. The lights dim and as the trems power up with the sound of a rainstorm and the shutters fling open with clatter, the fanfares of The Hanover Theater March (composed by Leonard Beyersdorfer, an EMCATOS member and fine organist in his own right) heralded the rising of the four-manual Wurlitzer console from below, with audience goose-bumps thrilling every refurbished rank in its new home – what an incredible fortune for Worcester to have this instrument added to its fine array or organs in Central Mass. So now you can add Hanover to the list of four manual pipe organs in the central Worcester area, along with: Mechanics Hall, All Saints, Holy Cross, Wesley, 1st U, 1st B, AUD(altho currently sealed off, unplayable). The Hanover Wurlitzer is a gift from Don Phipps of New Bedford, who is leading the volunteer crew that has tackled the huge job of installing it.

Jonathan Ortloff,  deservedly in the spotlight at the Mighty console, once again underscored why he was chosen as the winner of ATOS’ 2008 Young Theatre Organist Competition. Well spoken verbal program notes kept the interest between pieces, and a wide variety of repertoire was artistically and stylistically performed, supercharged with his intense technique, and covered all the bases and basses: including the Hanover premier of the low octave of the Bombarde 16′ just installed and one of 20 sets that Wurlitzer ever made – a welcomed low blow!  The program included several delightful surprises: two Ortloff arrangements of themes adapted from Fox network’s Family Guy; "Puffin’ Billy" (the name of an Australian locomotive; the theme song from the 1950s-80s CBS TV show Captain Kangaroo) complete with ABABA structure; and the piece de résistance an encore which was a prepared improvisation on A-L-A-I-N (used in Durufle’s Prelude and Fugue) in the style of a – are you sitting down?! – bossa nova, complete with the Durufle flourish at the end of the Fugue. Wow! Fun for all indeed!

Far from depressing, this array of tongue-depressor stop tabs underscored the Mighty-ness of the (new to us) Hanover Wurlitzer, to be premiered at the National ATOS convention in the summer of 2011.
(Photos by Will Sherwood)

STUDENTS PROVE TO BE ACCOMPLISHED PERFORMERS

WorcAGO’s long-standing support for education and training showcased its effectiveness by the five 2009-2010 scholarship recipients at their end of the year concert at First Baptist Worcester. This concert, the last of the guild’s year-long series of monthly program events, featured a wide variety of repertoire.

Each Year, the Worcester AGO auditions and sponsors (via a stipend for organ instruction) our own local Scholarship Students – those who are currently taking lessons from Worcester AGO member teachers and who show promise for the future.  At the end of each scholarship year, the students are featured in a recital to honor their progress.

Many of the resources of the 4-manual Gilbert/Russell organ in 1st B’s sanctuary were aptly utilized by these wonderful performers who have emerged from varying backgrounds of music degrees to younger players with piano preparation.  All of these performers have more than one year’s study behind them and all show good promise in their future music careers.  Andrew Hagberg will matriculate at the University of Michigan as an Organ and Engineering major in the fall of 2010.  All of these organists are active church musicians and perform regularly as a substitutes or hold a position. Two are studying piano tuning and one is actively doing organ repair/tuning.  The reperoire included Bach, Buxtehude, Vierne, Schroeder, Jones, Pachelbel, Langlais, Young, etc. performed by (left to right, below) David Rose, Andrew Hagberg, Marcia Kidder Desilets, Dominic Richards, and Kevin Mathieu. 

Congratulations on a musical and well played concert!

2009-2010 Worcester AGO Scholarship recipients at their May 2010 concert at 1st B.
(Photos by Will Sherwood)

Reminder to renew your AGO chapter membership!