To meet the developmental needs of organists under the age of 30, cultivate the future of the AGO by fostering community, support education, and promote equity and diversity.
Connect with AGOYO
Young Organists: Remember to renew your membership!
AGOYO 2022–2023 Events
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Movement and Alexander Technique Basics for Organists
Learn how to “use yourself well”! We will learn the basics of the Alexander Technique and how it can be applied to us as organists in order to move efficiently and well while we play. Our guest teacher is Jonathan Conjurske, AmSAT, certified Alexander Technique teacher.
Saturday, February 4, 2023
Ask AGOYO Anything: Grab Bag!
A networking event providing space for AGOYO members to ask questions, share ideas, and pool our collective knowledge and resources.
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
AGOYO Holiday Party
For our Young Organist members! Grab a snack and your favorite hot chocolate and spend some time with other young organists.
November 12, 2022
Mindfulness for Musicians
Passcode: 2hD=3w+i
This session covers some basics of mindfulness for musicians! We cover some core principles, try some practices together, and explore how it can be used to enhance your musicianship. Presented by Zack Clark, a PhD candidate in music education at Indiana University. He is a certified instructor of mindfulness-based wellness and pedagogy.
October 23, 2022
Technology & forScore
A webinar on technology as a tool for organists with a tutorial of forScore and its features. How can technology help you and how can you maximize the forScore app?
AGOYO 2021–2022 Events
August 15, 2021
Website design, biography writing, and general publicity with Charles Miller
August 29, 2021
A Masterclass on Resume Writing
September 19, 2021
Basic Organ Maintenance
October 10, 2021
Retirement, Healthcare, and Insurance
November 14, 2021
St. James Music Press and Church Planning Resources
November 21, 2021
Planning Resources for the Church Year
November 28, 2021
Recording Series: Video 1-The Basics of Different Microphones
November 29, 2021
Recording Series: Video 2-Discussion about Different Microphones Aelous Used in Making Their Videos
November 30, 2021
Recording Series: Video 3-Different Methods to Achieve a Proper Stereo Recording
December 1, 2021
Recording Series: Video 4-Recording for Use in Editing and Demonstration of Different Microphones
December 2, 2021
Recording Series: Video 5-Audio Editing Demonstration
December 3, 2021
Recording Series: Video 6-Audio Editing Demonstration, part 2
December 4, 2021
Recording Series: Video 7-Setting Up for Video Recordings
December 5, 2021
Recording Series: Video 8-Editing in Final Cut
February 22, 2022
What to Expect at the Seattle Convention
April 24, 2022
Choral Conducting Workshop with Anthony Blake Clark
May 29, 2022
A Webinar on Vocal Pedagogy
June 13–16, 2022
The Complete Organ Works of Johann Sebastian Bach
The Year of the Young Organists presents the complete organ works of J.S. Bach played by members of the American Guild of Organists under the age of 30.
AGOYO 2020–2021 Events
May 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2021
Young Organists Recitals
April 9, 2021
Taylor & Boody Factory Tour
March 12, 2021
Panel Discussion: Board Positions in the Guild/Serving in Leadership Roles
February 12, 2021
Wanamaker Organ Crawl
January 8, 2021
Webinar: Young Conductors/Organists Guide to Church Music
December 11, 2020
Organ Factory Tour at Austin Organ Company
November 13, 2020
Organ Crawl at Longwood Gardens
October 9, 2020
Panel Discussion: The Global Organist
September 11, 2020
Workshop: Church Musicians and Technology
September 25, 2020
Organists of Colors
August 14, 2020
Organ Crawl at the West Point Chapel
Committee for Young Organists
The Committee for Young Organists is an AGO board comprised of six young organists to benefit those across the United States and foreign chapters. Through online resources, social media, and some in-person events, a community of young organists who are members of the AGO are connecting in this mostly virtual community to establish networking opportunities and generate innovative web-based programming.
Councillor for Young Organists (AGOYO)
Emily Dawn Amos is a young organist whose passion for music has taken her across the nation and beyond. She started studying organ at the age of eight, and at nine years old was the youngest ever admitted into a Pipe Organ Encounter (POE). Since then, she has attended a total of twenty summer intensives. Emily was an assistant organist in both Alexandria, La., and Traverse City, Mich., and most recently was the organ scholar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill, Pa. Emily is also an assistant at the Wanamaker Grand Court at Macy’s. She has participated in masterclasses with professors such as James David Christie, Daniel Roth, Alan Morrison, and Johann Vexo. Emily participated in and won the 2015 and 2016 Young Artists Competition on NPR (Red River Radio). She also won third place, audience prize, and the hymn prize at the 2018 Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival and second place at the AGO Quimby Regional Competition (Grand Rapids Chapter). Emily studied with Scott Dettra as her primary organ teacher from 2015–2017, attended the Interlochen Arts Academy from 2017–2019. Emily graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2023, obtaining a Bachelor of Music, where she studied with Alan Morrison. At Curtis, Emily holds the Stephanie Yen-Mun Liem Azar Fellowship.
Laura Bottei completed her MM in Organ Performance at Indiana University in 2023, studying with Chris Young. A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Laura began studying piano at the age of 5, and 14 years later fell in love with the organ. Prior to graduate studies at IU, she graduated from Loyola University Chicago with degrees in music and psychology. At Loyola, she studied organ with Steven Betancourt, voice with Sarah Ponder, and piano with Anthony Molinaro. Laura had the joy of serving two years as the organ scholar at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago and spent two summers as the resident organist on Squirrel Island in Maine. She currently serves as the organist of First United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ind. Her additional professional interests include psychology, music education, mental health, and mindfulness. Outside of organ and church music, Laura enjoys fitness, gymnastics, dogs, and vegan food.
Clayton Farmer serves as the Assistant Director of Music and Organist at Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, MI, where he accompanies the choirs and assists in all playing duties. He is also an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he is working towards a dual-degree in organ performance and sacred music along with computer science. He regularly works as a professional piano accompanist, and his musical background also includes experience as a conductor and music educator. In 2021, Clayton was the second-place winner of the AGO Great Lakes Regional Competition for Young Organists. Clayton is a passionate fan of classical music of all types, and is committed to inspiring the next generation of organists, musicians, and audiences.
Lindsey Johnson is an organist from Fort Worth, Texas. She began piano studies at age 4 with Elsa Cañizares and continued with Dorla Price-Aparicio, Zuleca Savignon, Elena Bulgakova-Abel and Dr. Lerie Dellosa. While studying with Dr. Dellosa, Lindsey became interested in the organ, eventually pursuing a Bachelors’s degree in Organ Performance at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, TX, with Dr. Devon Howard. In addition to her organ studies, she was a cellist in the Southwestern Symphony Orchestra, sang in the auditioned University Singers traveling choir, and served as department student accompanist for a variety of instrumentalists, vocalists, and ensembles. She has traveled and performed with the University Singers throughout the United States and abroad, including France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Spain, and Portugal. Most recently, Lindsey has graduated from the Master’s program in Organ Performance at Arizona State University, in the studio of Dr. Kimberly Marshall.
Michelle Kardos is an organist, pianist, and music therapist. She is currently the Assistant Organist at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Alongside this, she is the Program Assistant for the Thornton Community Engagement Program and a grader for the University of Southern California. Through the involvement of her local chapter, Michelle has been a member of the American Guild of Organists since 2014. From 2018-2021, she served as the Secretary for the Seton Hill University Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. She is currently serving as a member of the AGO Task Force for Gender Equity. Michelle has received both her Service Playing and Colleague Certification from the AGO. She is also a member of SWO, AMTA, and MTNA. She obtained her Master of Music in Sacred Music at Duquesne University. While at Duquesne, she was accepted into the National Music Honor Society, Pi Kappa Lambda. At graduation, she was presented with the Jean Langlais Award, awarded to a graduating organ student with the highest academic standing in Sacred Music. She obtained her Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy along with the Sacred Music Certificate, Pastoral Ministry Certificate, and psychology minor at Seton Hill University. There she studied organ with Mr. Edgar Highberger and piano with Mr. Edward Kuhn. During her studies, Michelle was named the Presser Scholar, based upon her merit and achievement in the music program, and was accepted into the International Psychology Honor Society, Psi Chi. Michelle is currently attending the University of Southern California to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance studying under Professor Cherry Rhodes.
Connor Larsen is an organist from Alpine, Utah. He began organ and piano study at the age of 9 with the late Dr. Parley Belnap after falling in love with the organ at a Christmas Concert by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Since then, Connor has studied with Dr. Clay Christiansen and recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in organ from Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC studying with Dr. Daniel Hester. While at Campbell he also accompanied Campbell’s choir and dabbled in conducting with Dr. Phillip Morrow and composition with Dr. Ran Whitley. Connor has played in many local congregations, most recently playing at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dunn, NC and Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, NC. He’s also taught at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church’s Music Academy teaching a small army of teenagers and youth. During his time in NC Connor also served as the Sub-Dean of the Fayetteville-Sandhills Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Connor is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in organ at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Connor loves sharing his passion of the organ and music with others and hopes to continue to bring the rich history of the organ as well as helping make it more approachable to those interested. When Connor isn’t playing or teaching he enjoys spending time with friends, sipping a cold Fresca, and trying to remain as socially ‘in the loop’ as one can as an organist.
Jason Steiner is a music minister currently serving Christ Congregation in Princeton, New Jersey. He was previously the inaugural Music Resident at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio, where he apprenticed under the Reverend John Neely and worked with the church’s two-hundred participant music program. He holds a B.A. in Music from Westminster Choir College, where he studied primarily with Jim Goldsworthy and Alan Morrison; he completed part of his coursework at Princeton University, studying queer theory, Asian religions, and the intersection of those fields. He is a passionate music educator and maintains a private piano studio. In his free time, Jason loves reading, trail running, and seeking out his favorite bird, the American Coot.