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Southwest Suburban Chapter |
| Last updated: July 3, 2008 |
Message from the Dean |
| Welcome and thanks for stopping by. Our Guild is a warm and friendly group of musicians, who are passionate about their vocations. Our programs are always interesting, varied and complete with some great food. I hope you will take a moment to peruse our October calendar. I always learn something new as I attend these events. I am confident you will too. If you or your church is in need of a "musical tune-up", we might just be able to help you. If you are looking for some new ideas, you've come to the right place. I hope you will consider attending one of our fine programs. I know you won't regret it! If you have any questions, call me at 312/814-3916.
All the best, George Tarasuk, Dean |
Local Events |
| Our officers are currently planning our 2008-2009 season of events.
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Newsletter |
| We welcome Doris Lucas as our newest member. The officers are pleased to announce that our current membership of 28 is the highest since 1997! Thanks for your participation in the Southwest Suburban Chapter. |
Membership |
| If you are interested in joining the Southwest Suburban Chapter of the AGO, please contact either of the following:
George Tarasuk, Dean: gwtarasuk@gmail.com Richard Siegel, Treasurer: rsiegel1920@aol.com |
Placement |
| For a list of current employment opportunities, visit our official website's Placement page: http://sites.google.com/site/swsuburbanago/placement-1
Employers and job seekers are invited to post and search listings of available positions on the Guild's National Website. |
Certification |
| Congratulations to Richard Siegel, who successfully completed the Colleague Exam, in May 2007. Read Richard's amusing article, which follows below.
How NOT to take an AGO Certification Exam. By Richard Siegel Approximately one year ago I finally determined to commit to taking an AGO Certification exam. In preparation for the same, at the end of 2006 I engaged the services of a distinguished Chicago-area professional church musician as teacher and tutor, made sure I owned the correct editions of the required exam pieces, and made arrangements for the availability of a suitable pipe organ on which to take the exam. Also, because the Chapter did not own recording equipment, I purchased a new state-of-the-art portable digital recording system to be used for the exam. The next four months proceeded smoothly and quickly, with practice and study at a level I had not experienced for at least 20 years. Dr. Mark Russakoff, my teacher, patiently coaxed me out of my lethargy as a casual amateur to serious student as we explored the wonders of Couperin, Kodaly, Alain and others. Approximately three weeks prior to the May 11th CAGO exam date I discovered that the exam-site organ would literally be missing one or more of its divisions due to extended maintenance which involved physical removal of pipes for cleaning. After contacting the Chapter Dean, I arranged for the use of a replacement digital instrument with which I had some familiarity and made the appropriate arrangements for access for both preparation and the exam. The practice & prep time was scheduled for Wednesday, May 9th. On Tuesday, May 8th I was admitted to our local hospital for treatment of cellulitis, with which condition I contended until my release on Thursday afternoon May 10th. Upon my flustered discharge from the hospital I went directly to the church only to find that the digital instrument, now infrequently used, had been relocated to the side of the sanctuary and rested on a significantly angled floor, giving a person on the bench the feeling of a Stuka pilot heading in for a bombing run. Worse still, because of the off-horizontal orientation, the pedals played at their own discretion. Finally, the combination action seemed to be governed by similarly free spirits, engaging and disengaging at its own whim. After an hour of increasingly terrified experimentation I surrendered and made several panicked phone calls in an attempt to locate another instrument. At 9:00 p.m. that evening I learned that another church would be available and, after an excited recitation of a Te Deum, arranged to gain access the following morning, four hours before the scheduled start of the exam. Providence seemed to be smiling the morning of May 11th. The church was dutifully unlocked on time and the organ, a new 3-manual digital instrument, was on its best behavior. The digital recording system was set up and tested, the proctor and his assistant arrived promptly, and all boded well for the 1:00 exam. Having had my way with Couperin, Kodaly, Alain and laying rough hands upon Haydn and Howells, the proctor tendered the paperwork for the second portion of the exam. Suddenly an ecclesiastical conflagration erupted as the greatly distressed pastor charged into the church and demanded to know who had given permission for the presence of these trespassers and their equipment. After a flustered five-minute discussion, it was discovered that lines of communication had broken down, and upon profound apologies being tendered and assurances that none of those in attendance presented a threat to the safety or sanctity of the precincts, the exam continued……until….. the state-of-the-art recording system refused to accept any more music. After nearly an hour of futile attempts at cajoling the infernal apparatus, the entire ensemble relocated to another site, fortuitously having both organ and recording equipment, where there remainder of the test was completed and 2 CDs were prepared and given to the proctor for shipment to AGO headquarters. The saga does not end there. Several weeks later, the Chapter Dean was advised by the national exam committee that both of the CDs submitted contained the same half of the exam. A frantic search through digital archives was conducted which fortunately located the missing portion of the exam, a copy was made, and again sent on its way to Riverside Drive, New York City. Epilogue: The envelope arrived, was gingerly opened, and the glorious news received of a newly minted CAGO being loosed upon the congregations of Northern Illinois. Yes- it was worth it; No- I am not at all sure about a future AAGO exam experience. |
Contact Us |
| George Tarasuk, Dean: gwtarasuk@gmail.com
Anne Madden, Sub-Dean: rainworm79@hotmail.com Dick Siegel, Treasurer: rsiegel1920@aol.com Roxanne Packer, Secretary: roxanne.packer@gmail.com |
Links |
| For more information on SW Suburban AGO's 2008-2009 season, visit our official web-site: http://sites.google.com/site/swsuburbanago/home
Also, be sure to visit our SW Suburban AGO chapter on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11391029089 Organ Historical Society Catalogue - http://www.ohscatalog.org Official Web site for Pipedreams - http://pipedreams.publicradio.org Official Web site for WFMT - http://www.wfmt.com |
| Visit the AGO National website |