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AMERICA’S ORGANISTS AND CHOIR DIRECTORS
COMFORT THOSE WHO MOURN
IN OUR NATION’S CHURCHES AND SYNAGOGUES
NEW YORK CITY — The healing sound of the pipe organ will surround worshipers nationwide as the members of the AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS (AGO) go to work this weekend. Attendance at churches and synagogues is expected to be unusually high in the aftermath of the unprecedented and horrific attack on America, and the reassuring power of music will be there to comfort all those who mourn. Organists and choir directors of all ages, races, faiths, and creeds will be ministering through music as they do every weekend, leading hymns of faith and anthems of assurance.
The thoughts and prayers of the American Guild of Organists, through its National Headquarters in New York City and 341 local chapters, go out to all of those who suffer from the recent acts of terrorism. The National Chaplain of the AGO, the Rev. Dr. Victoria Sirota, has called upon AGO members to “put on the ‘armor of light’ in this fight of evil against good,” so that through our work “God’s holy and loving embrace may be felt in this broken world.” She continues, “You are important caretakers of the spiritual life of our religious institutions.”
The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, the AGO seeks to set and maintain high musical standards and to promote understanding and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. The mission of the AGO is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members. The Guild currently serves more than 20,000 members in 343 local chapters throughout the U.S. and abroad.
This information is submitted by F. Anthony Thurman, Director of Development and Communications at the National Headquarters of the American Guild of Organists and THE AMERICAN ORGANIST Magazine. For further information, please contact Dr. Thurman by TEL (212) 870-2310, FAX (212) 870-2163 or E-MAIL fathurman@agohq.org.
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