Savannah Georgia Chapter

Last updated: June 16, 2005

Message from the Dean

Thanks to Roger Byrd for hosting the final AGO meeting of the season with the enjoyable and varied concert by Dan Miller. The membership ratified by acclamation the proposed slate of officers for the following year:
Brian J. Taylor, Dean
Pam McCaslin, Sub-dean
The Rev. Ernest O. King, Jr, Secretary
Norman Owens, Treasurer
Ken Sanders, Webmaster

You will be receiving a dues notice in the mail this month. Part of your dues helps underwrite the cost of programming for the coming year. The programs for next season include a concert by our district convenor, Dr. Andre Lash, a program of choral and organ music of Healey Willan commemorating the 125th anniversary of his birth, a concert of organ and piano music by Roger Byrd and Richard Myers, and an event at First Presbyterian Church where we will hear their new Schlueter Organ.

We will be forming a committee to put in place new by-laws and operating procedures, there being none in existence at the present time.

Please note that if you are an AGO member, you are invited and encouraged to send in announcements of special events at your church or other institution where you serve for publication in the newsletter and to be posted on the website.

Brian

A SPECIAL WORD FROM THE DEAN

Over Easter week I was in touch with the family of our student member, Charles "Bud" Relyea, who was struck by a car in October. Bud remains in the Scottish Rite facility in Atlanta for rehabilitation. I am pleased to report that there has been some progress in Bud's condition. Bud has recovered some of his memory, recognizes his father and step-mother and recalls some individuals from his life. His memory is incomplete and intermitent, and there is virtually no short-term memory. He can recall little about anything since the accident, but the long-term memory is there and is improving in small increments. He is now sitting up in a wheel chair, occasionally working on a computer and even attempting to play an electronic keyboard. This progress is far greater than heretofore expected.

On a personal note of my own, I would like to thank all of you who have inquired about Bud. I would urge your continued prayers for Bud and his family. BJT

Local Events

Events from INDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Bull St. at Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah -- All concerts free of charge

Friday, June 24, 7 p.m. Jeff Davis Organ Concert

Saturday, July 16, 7 p.m. Felix Hell Organ Concert

Saturday, August 20, 7 p.m. Organ Concert by Savannah Organists: Former IPC organists Rich Mays and Ted Klemm, also Brian Taylor, Edie Hockspeier, Tim Hall, James Richardson, Emily Kehler

Events from MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1 Westridge Road, Skidaway Island, next to "the Village"

MESSIAH ARTS SUMMER CONCERTS 2005
All concerts are held on the 2nd Friday of the month, May through September, at 7:30 p.m. Free of charge.
SCHEDULE

July 8 Vocal concert by soprano ESTHER WILLIAMS of Charleston, SC, with operatic and sacred favorites

August 12 PAUL & NANCY TERYL, husband/wife duo in a concert of works for 1 piano, 4 hands

Events from ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Madison Square, Bull St. one block south of Liberty St., Savannah

June 20-24 Choir School for rising 1st -- 6th grade students. A week-long all day event giving children the opportunity to learn and sing sacred music. Worship, arts and crafts and a daily trip will round out the day's activities, concluding with a Choral Evensong and potluck supper on Friday night. $75 registration fee with limited scholarships available. For more information, call Brian J. Taylor, choirmaster, at 232-1251 or e-mail him at btaylor@stjohnssav.org.

Sunday, July 24, 2004 3:00 PM Lutheran Church of the Ascension; 120 Bull Street at Wright Square
BACH VI A special concert commemorating the life and work of Johann Sebastian Church featuring Karen Busler, Flute, Anne Beetem-Acker, Harpsichord, Edie Hockspeier, Organ, William E. Gardner, Tenor, and Gene L. Jarvis, Harpsichord. The concert is free and the public is cordially invited. A free-will offering will be received to defray expenses.

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 10 W. 31st St., is presenting Ken Cowan in concert Friday, October 7, at 7:30 PM.EACH ONE—REACH ONE

American Guild of Organists Launches
Comprehensive Campaign for Membership Growth in 2005–2006

NEW YORK CITY—The American Guild of Organists (AGO) and its Committee on Membership Development and Chapter Support have launched a comprehensive campaign for membership growth in 2005–2006. "Each One—Reach One" was enthusiastically endorsed by the AGO National Council at its spring 2005 meeting. The campaign is strategically designed to stimulate membership retention and recruitment activities at all levels of the Guild—from the local to the national level.
The Committee on Membership Development and Chapter Support, under the aegis of AGO National Council Secretary Donald Sutherland, creates programs for membership development at both chapter and national levels. It works to identify new sources for AGO membership and to establish goals and strategies for development.
Each One—Reach One is designed to be a grass-roots effort to strengthen Guild membership nationwide by inspiring and empowering local chapter members and officers to focus on membership recruitment and retention. A comprehensive list of initiatives has been developed by the AGO National Council and each of its national standing committees to motivate and inspire local efforts. In addition, all national standing committees of the Guild will focus on ways to build membership in 2005–2006, with a special emphasis on increasing the number of regular voting members. A grants and awards program, initiated in 2003 and administered by AGO National Headquarters, recognizes those chapters that excel in their membership growth efforts. Three chapters that have designed an outstanding and fully conceived membership development campaign for 2005–2006 will be awarded grants in the amount of $500 each. Three chapters that demonstrate the greatest increase in membership will receive an awa!
rd in the amount of $500 each.
The Committee on Membership Development and Chapter Support began life as a task force in 1994. In 1999, the task force became an AGO national standing committee. Chaired by former AGO National Council Secretary Shirley King, the current committee includes Vincent Alukonis (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Herb Williams (Seattle, Wash.), and Marcia Van Oyen (Ann Arbor, Mich.). Geographical diversity is intentional so that committee members have experience with AGO membership issues in various regions.
For further information about Each One—Reach One, please contact Jennifer Madden at 212-870-2311, ext. 4304, or e-mail <jem@agohq.org>.

ROBERT S. BAKER SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCED
BY THE AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS

New Permanently Restricted Scholarship Fund
Honors Founding Director of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and
Will Provide Scholarships for AGO Pipe Organ Encounters Attendees

NEW YORK CITY—The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is pleased to announce the creation of a new scholarship for AGO Pipe Organ Encounters—the ROBERT S. BAKER SCHOLARSHIP—established by Dr. Baker's family, friends, students, and Yale University colleagues. This permanently restricted fund will support scholarship awards to AGO Pipe Organ Encounters participants. Tax-deductible contributions in memory of Robert S. Baker may be sent to the AGO New Organist Fund, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1260, New York, N.Y. 10115. They may also be made online at
"Robert Baker's legacy has many aspects, but perhaps best known was his devotion to young students and to teaching. Just ask his students!" declared Martin Jean, current director of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. "I believe he would have been proud that his memory is being kept alive though support of the initiative for the New Organist."
"The AGO is very grateful for the generosity and support of the many individuals whose vision for the future of our profession is manifested by the creation of scholarships for young, aspiring musicians," notes Frederick Swann, president of the AGO. "These individuals have made an investment in the youth of America, whose enhanced knowledge of the organ and appreciation of its role in worship will contribute to a bright future for our profession."
ROBERT S. BAKER (1916–2005) is best remembered for the instrumental role he played in establishing the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University. A student of Clarence Dickinson and a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, he held posts at First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn Heights; and Temple Emanu-El, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, St. James' Episcopal Church, and First Presbyterian Church, all in Manhattan. He taught at Interlochen, Oxford, Ann Arbor, Union Seminary, and Yale. He was dean of the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary. As a concert artist under the management of the Lilian Murtagh Concert Management for several decades, he played recitals on virtually every important organ in the U.S., including those at St. John the Divine, West Point, Annapolis, and Grace Cathedral. For more information on Robert Baker, please see The American Organist Magazine: Peter Nikiforuk's An Interview with Robert Baker (August 1993, p.50), !
The Last Page (July 2004), and obituary (April 2005, p.50).
PIPE ORGAN ENCOUNTERS introduce young people to the pipe organ through instruction in organ playing, repertoire, history, design, and construction. These regional summer organ music institutes for teen-aged students provide private and group instruction in service playing and solo repertoire, opportunities to learn about the musical heritage of various religious denominations, as well as a chance for young musicians to meet others with similar interests. Basic keyboard proficiency is required, although previous organ study is not necessary. Scholarship assistance is available.
The AGO NEW ORGANIST FUND was established in 1993 to support Guild programs dedicated to developing a new generation of organists. Today, the New Organist Fund shelters both permanently endowed named scholarships and gifts restricted for the support and development of new organists. Permanently endowed scholarships have been created in memory of Seth Bingham, Clarence Dickinson, Philip Hahn, Charles N. Henderson, Alfred E. Lunsford, Ned Siebert, and Martin M. Wick, and in honor of Philip E. Baker and Morgan and Mary Simmons. Additional funds have been designated in honor of Ruth Milliken and in memory of Robert S. Baker and Virgil Fox. These scholarships will be activated once the minimum balance threshold of $10,000 is achieved.

ASSOCIATED PIPE ORGAN BUILDERS OF AMERICA PROVIDES UNPRECEDENTED CORPORATE SUPPORT FOR AGO PIPE ORGAN ENCOUNTERS

A Grant of $20,000 Will Support Pipe Organ Encounters for Teenagers in Seven Locations from Coast to Coast in 2005

NEW YORK CITY—The American Guild of Organists (AGO) and the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA) are pleased to announce that increased support will be provided in 2005 for the AGO's flagship educational program for youth, Pipe Organ Encounters (POE). APOBA's generous grant of $20,000 is the largest corporate grant received to date supporting the AGO's POE program since its inception nearly two decades ago. The funding will help provide opportunities for hundreds of young people aged 13–19 to be introduced to the pipe organ, the King of Instruments. The AGO has organized seven unique Pipe Organ Encounter programs this summer. Full contact information for each POE can be found in The American Organist Magazine and online at .
"I know that I express the heartfelt appreciation of our national officers and councillors for the very generous gift from the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America for the POE program of the Guild," remarked AGO President Frederick Swann. "This continues a long standing relationship between the AGO and APOBA to further our efforts toward attracting young people to the organ. As a direct result of the POE program, we are seeing an increased enrollment in organ study at colleges and universities. Some young people are even being drawn to the building of pipe organs."
APOBA President Michael Quimby added, "I personally feel that contributions to this AGO program will have a significant impact in coming years on the building of quality new pipe organs. The Pipe Organ Encounter is the most important work the Guild is accomplishing to ensure the future of the organ world." Swann concluded, "Both players and builders are essential to the continuance of the King of Instruments. APOBA has assisted mightily in helping this to happen. Their commitment to the POE program is roundly applauded and deeply appreciated."
Pipe Organ Encounters introduce young people to the pipe organ through instruction in organ playing, repertoire, history, design, and construction. These regional summer organ music institutes for teen-aged students provide private and group instruction in service playing and solo repertoire, opportunities to learn about the musical heritage of various religious denominations, as well as a chance for young musicians to meet others with similar interests. Basic keyboard proficiency is required, although previous organ study is not necessary. Scholarship assistance is available.
The American Guild of Organists and the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America share a mutually beneficial association, a collaboration that has existed since 1975. For several decades this relationship has been strengthened by financial contributions from APOBA and its members in support of the AGO and its Pipe Organ Encounters program. The AGO has responded with generous provisions for bringing news from APOBA and its members to the organ public in The American Organist Magazine.
AGO Symposium for Seminary Musicians and Academic Deans, Denominational Music Leaders, Clergy, and Church Musicians

October 9–11, 2005, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Tex.

NEW YORK CITY—The American Guild of Organists (AGO) announces a symposium organized by its Committee on Seminary and Denominational Relations, in cooperation with the Association of Theological Schools, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, and the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Music in Worship: a Prophetic Voice—Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow will be held October 9–11, 2005 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Tex.

Symposium leaders will include the Rev. Dr. Daniel Aleshire, Association of Theological Schools; Dr. Anton Armstrong, St. Olaf College; Dr. Eileen Guenther, Wesley Theological Seminary; the Rev. Dr. John Holbert, Perkins School of Theology; the Rev. Dr. William Lawrence, Perkins; the Rev. Dr. Alyce McKenzie, Perkins; AGO President Frederick Swann; and the Rev. Dr. John Witvliet, Calvin Institute.

"The symposium will deal with music in worship, and the role of music in seminary education: where we are now and the best practices for the future," declared the Rev. George E. Tutwiler, Director of the AGO Committee on Seminary and Denominational Relations. "It will also examine the historical, current, and evolving status of organ and choral music."

The AGO Seminary and Denominational Relations Committee maintains close communications with theological schools and their own professional organizations; hosts periodic consultations with representatives from various denominations; seeks ways to assist seminaries in preparation of candidates for orders; performs ongoing studies of denominational employment practices; produces and distributes syllabus suggestions for courses in church music; maintains close communications with denominations and adjunct music organizations; facilitates communication among seminary musicians through biennial Seminary Musicians Conferences and other means; publishes Church Musicians' Guide to the Denominations in Canada and the United States; and recommends candidates for appointment to the National Chaplaincy of the Guild.

For further information or to request a symposium brochure, please contact AGO National Headquarters at 212-870-2310 or e-mail <info@agohq.org>. Music in Worship symposium registration is available online at .

BUXTEHUDE ON THE FRITTS

Thirteenth AGO National Conference on Organ Pedagogy Will Celebrate the Music of Dieterich Buxtehude and the Fritts Organ at the University of Notre Dame, September 11–14, 2005, Notre Dame, Ind.

NEW YORK CITY—The American Guild of Organists (AGO) and the University of Notre Dame have partnered to produce the 13th AGO NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ORGAN PEDAGOGY at the University of Notre Dame, September 11–14. Organists, scholars, performers, students, and teachers will gather for four days of performances, lectures, materclasses, and discussions focusing on the music of Dieterich Buxtehude (1637–1707). The conference is designed to match instrument and repertoire with experts from around the world.
Conference presenters will include Kerala Snyder, distinguished author of Dieterich Buxtehude: Organist in Lübeck (Schirmer Books, 1987), who will present a keynote lecture each morning. Performers will include John Brock (University of Tennessee), James David Christie (Oberlin Conservatory), Craig Cramer (University of Notre Dame), Matthew Dirst (University of Houston), William Porter (Eastman School of Music and Yale University), Christa Rakich (New England Conservatory), David Yearsley (Cornell University), and Wolfgang Zerer (Musikhochschule, Hamburg, Germany). Lecturers will include John Brock, Leon Couch (Texas A & M University), Michael Dodds (Southern Methodist University), organbuilder Paul Fritts (Tacoma, Wash.), Ibo Ortgies (GoArt Organ Academy, Göteborg, Sweden), and Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra (Eastern Michigan University). Students will have an opportunity to participate in four masterclasses to be held during the conference.
The AGO Pedagogy Conference will be part of a year-long series of events celebrating Notre Dame's new Fritts organ (II/35) in the Reyes Organ and Choral Hall, and the opening of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Reyes Hall is noted for its superb acoustics, similar to the North German churches in which the music of Buxtehude was first heard.
"The conference will unite teaching, scholarship, and performance, and the overriding goal will be to integrate these three disciplines always with an eye toward a more enlightened performance style among students and professionals," declared Craig Cramer, professor of organ at the University of Notre Dame. "The conference lectures will concentrate on keyboard techniques, improvisation, theoretical issues, performance, practice topics, and the historical situation of music in 17th-century North Germany.
The AGO Conference on Organ Pedagogy is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame Department of Music, College of Arts and Letters, the Boehnen Fund in the Arts, the Henkels Guest Lecture Fund, the Graduate School, and the O'Malley Endowment for Performances in Sacred Music. Complete conference information will be published in the July issue of The American Organist Magazine. Conference registration is available online at . For further information, please contact Craig Cramer at 574-631-7836 or e-mail <ccramer@nd.edu>.

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For information on the AGO Regional IV Convention in Columbus, Ga. go to http://ago.colstate.edu

Any minor difficulties relating to the Columbus Regional Convention have been resolved. If you have any questions or problems please call Sarah Hawbecker at 404 874-8664, ext. 206

As summer approach so does the season for vacations. The following have submitted their names as substitutes:

Pat Peters 898-0864
Gene Jarvis 925-3628
Joyce Luettich 598-9375
*Roger E. Byrd 748-3561
*Late services only

NEWSLETTER ITEMS

All chapter members are invited to send notices of musical concerts, services or other events for publication in the newsletter and posting on our website. If you have a special service or concert that you would like listed please send it to Ken Sanders, 1022 Walthour Rd. Savannah GA 31410 or e-mail it to KSand26264@aol.com

The Executive Board consists of the Dean, Sub-dean, Secretary, Treasurer and Newsletter/Website Editor. The board meets immediately before each chapter meeting. Any member of the chapter is invited to attend the board meeting and is welcome to speak to the board about any pertinent matter. Members are also invited to e-mail dean Brian Taylor with comments about the chapter. The dean's e-mail address is btaylor@stjohnssav.org.

COUNTDOWN TO CHICAGO!
The magnificent 2006 Chicago National Convention is just over a year away! We hope you can join us in the "Windy City" for our second AGO National Convention. We are thrilled to welcome you, as most of you were not at the first one; it was in 1925! Continue to watch your chapter's newsletter for upcoming interesting information about the 2006 ChicAGO convention!

Dennis Northway, ChM
Promotions Committee
denden1958@runbox.com

AGO National Pedagogy Conference
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Dates: September 11-14, 2005
The conference will focus on works of Dieterich Buxtehude in anticipation of the Buxtehude year in 2007.

The Pedagogy conference will be part of the year-long events to celebrate the new Fritts Organ at Notre Dame, 2-35, 2004.

You can register online at: http://marketplace.nd.edu/cce/

Scroll down until you come to it. The conference will begin Sunday evening with the opening recital at 7 PM; the program will be repeated at 8:30 PM. The conference will end at 1:00 PM on Wednesday.

Performers (subject to change):

John Brock
Buxtehude Chamber Music Conference with Matthew Dirst
James David Christie
Craig Cramer
William Porter
Christa Rakich
David Yearsley
Wolfgang Zerer

Lecturers (subject to change):

Kerala Snyder (three lectures)
John Brock (Keyboard fingering)
Leon Couch (Rhetoric in Buxtehude)
Michael Dodds (Modal theory and Buxtehude)
Ibo Ortgies (Tuning and Temperament issues)
Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra (Improvisation)

Please forward this email to colleagues who might be interested. I hope that you will plan to attend!

Craig Cramer, DMA
Professor of Organ
University of Notre Dame

Charleston, S.C. Spoleto Festival

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TWO WEEK ORGAN TOUR OF SCOTLAND (October 1-14, 2006)
Come spend two weeks in beautiful Scotland, seeing, hearing and
playing many of the outstanding instruments of the country, built by
some of the world's finest organ builders - Harrison & Harrison, J W
Walker & Sons, Hill Norman & Beard, Rushworth & Dreaper, Kenneth
Jones, Flentrop, Frobenius, Rieger, Wells-Kennedy and many more! We
will be staying in our own private castle, with amazing countryside
and comfortable accomodations. The price of $3,595 includes return
airfare (Houston, Newark, Los Angeles, Seattle or Detroit), all castle
accomodation, daily breakfast and dinner, entrance fees and donations
to churches, all ground transportation, tour guide services of a
former Cathedral Assistant Organist and historical/specification
information for each instrument. There will be opportunities to play
many of the instruments visited, and to hear a demonstration of the
organ. Places are limited to 20 organists, to allow for as much
playing time as possible at each instrument visited; non-playing
guests, partners and enthusiasts are welcome, up to a total of 6
additional people. Contact Mr. Andrew Holtan: andrew.holtan@gmail.com

Membership

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 purpose 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 United States and abroad. The American Organist Magazine, the official journal of the AGO, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, reaches an audience of more than 24,000 each month. For information on joining the Savannah Chapter, please contact Brian J. Taylor, Dean, at 912-232-1251 or e-mail him at btaylor@stjohnssav.org.

Placement

There is a small electric organ available free to any church who wants it. Interested persons should contact Rev. Steve Meguiar at 234-7234.
Employers and job seekers are invited to post and search listings of available positions on the Guild's National Website.

Certification

Contact Us

Dean: Brian J. Taylor, AAGO (btaylor@stjohnssav.org)
SubDean: Pam McCaslin
Treasurer: Norman Owens
Secretary: Rev. Ernest O. King, Jr.
Newsletter/Webmaster: Ken Sanders (Ksand26264@aol.com)

Visit the AGO National website