[Last updated November 27, 2023]
Dean’s Message
Dear Members and Friends of the Greater Lansing AGO Chapter,
I hope that you have had an enjoyable summer with rest, travel and some new or old activities that you enjoy. Fall brings back the start of school and the beginning of musical groups such as choir, handbells and instrumental groups. For those of us who play the organ or piano for worship, we may have played for most of the services over the summer.
This time of year also gives us a new start: a new beginning. I would encourage you to consider attending our AGO Chapter events as part of your musical life and growth. We have a great variety of events planned. Perhaps the most valuable part of attending events is the fellowship, support and encouragement of your fellow AGO members. I want to thank the members of our Board for their efforts in making these events possible.
Please join us.
Dean John Horak
Mission Statement
Our mission is to expose the Greater Lansing Area community
to the beauty and power of music as expressed through both the organ
and the choral experience.
We are dedicated to providing this experience through the following means:
- Making accessible professional training to all interested youth and adults
with the opportunity for on-going scholarships for study. - Providing performances of quality repertoire that reflects the diverse
nature of both the sacred and secular genres in our world through recitals
by Guild members and guest soloists. - Making available continuing education in both the areas of keyboard and
choral music with emphasis on varying levels of complexity that satisfy
the needs of each musician and situation. - Exposing the musician to an eclectic variety of sacred and secular compositions
that will allow for appropriate choices in their field of service. - Providing, through membership in the AGO Guild, a source of networking,
camaraderie, and edification through the sharing of our individual gifts.
Local Events
We are now resuming our usual meetings, programs and concerts for the 2023-2024 season.
Please check in frequently for postings of interesting upcoming meetings, concerts and events. One of the exciting events of the past year was the installation of the new Letourneau pipe organ at Michigan State University’s Alumni Chapel.
Sunday, September 10, 2023, 1:30 pm. Welcome Back Brunch. Tavern and Tap in Lansing, 113 E. Michigan Avenue. Free parking on Sundays!
Note: Reservation deadline, Friday, September 1. Contact Meredith Hines at 321-1830 or e-mail meredith.hines@comcast.net
Sunday, September 17, 7:00 pm. Jeremy Tarrant, Organ Recital. MSU Alumni Memorial Chapel. Guest organist Jeremy Tarrant brings his thrilling performance style to East Lansing and the Red Cedal Organ. General admission, free for students.
Saturday, September 23, 2023, 10:00 am. Master Class with renowned organist Felix Hell, Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol Avenue, Lansing. This is an outstanding opportunity to experience an educational program by one of the world’s leading organists. Attendance is free, but registration is required. For more information and registration, contact Mark Mitchell at the Church at (517) 719-2415 or via e-mail: mark@lansingcentralumc.net
Sunday, September 24, 2023, 3:00 pm. Felix Hell Organ Recital, Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol, Lansing. Felix Hell is an internationally acclaimed organist, celebrated for his extraordinary virtuosity and captivating performances. Hailed as a prodigy at a young age, Felix continues to mesmerize audiences with his deep musicality and technical prowess. For a brief description of Felix and his impressive accomplishments, please visit his official website: www.felixhell.com
Ticket Information: To secure your place at this unforgettable recital, we encourage you to purchase your tickets in advance. You can conveniently do so at felixhell.eventbrite.com. When purchasing your tickets, don’t forget to apply the code “AGO” at checkout to access the exclusive AGO ticket price.
Dinner Following the Concert: Following the recital, there will be a dinner available for attendees. You can purchase your dinner tickets alongside your concert tickets for added convenience.
Sunday, October 15, 2023, 3:00 pm. All Creation Soars, Central United Methodist Church. 215 N. Capitol, Lansing. Celebrate the Music Ministry of B. Caryn Welter. This program is a world premiere of a commissioned choral work by Dr. Jeffrey Cobb with mass choir under the direction of Dr. David Rayl. Reception to follow.
Saturday, October 28th, 2023, 7:45 am. Organ Crawl and Lunch in Ann Arbor. Meet at Park and Ride I-96 and Okemos Road.
Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 3:00 pm. Greater Lansing AGO Members’ Recital for the Scholarship Fund. Our Savior Lutheran Church, 7910 E. St. Joe Highway (St. Joe at Broadbent).
All donations at the recital will go to our organist scholarship fund. Playing in this recital will be three scholarship winners, past and present, including Timothy Bohan, Jia Liu and Samuel Shuler. Timothy Nechuta, a former winner, will be playing that afternoon at a recital in Midland. Supporting new organists is a hallmark of our chapter. I would also encourage you to be on the lookout for potential organists who now play piano and also organists who would benefit from lessons which the scholarship provides. There is such a shortage of organists and we need to do whatever we can to help fill the need in our churches.
Wednesday, November 29, 7:00 pm. Our Savior Lutheran Church, 7910 St. Joe Highway, Lansing. Faith on Display. Decorations and Explanation with Advent Hymn Sing.
Sunday, December 3, 2023, 3:00 p.m. Christmas Fellowship and Merry Music Making at Robert Miller’s home, 2247 Burcham Drive, East Lansing to play the four-manual Allen custom organ. Bring your Christmas music and a snack. Refreshments will be provided.
Wednesday, December 6, 7:00 pm. Our Savior Lutheran Church, 7910 St. Joe Highway. Hymn Festival with Robert Hobby. Program will include organ, Festival Choir, Brass, Timpani and Handbells.
Sunday, December 10, 3:00 pm. Delta Community Choir Christmas Concert, Our Savior Lutheran Church. Proceeds go to the Capital Area Diaper Bank.
Wednesday, December 20, Blue Christmas. Our Savior Lutheran Church.
Is your Christmas season not the same for some reason? Come for some encouragement and hope!
Sunday, December 24. Christmas Eve Worship. Our Savior Lutheran Church. 9:30 am: organ; 4:00 pm: Worship Band; 7:00 pm: organ music with Brass, Choir and Handbells; 10:00 pm: organ and strings.
Sunday, December 31, 9:30 am. New Year’s Eve Worship, Our Savior Lutheran Church. Give Thanks for the past year and start the new year off right.
Friday, January 5, 2024, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, East Lansing. Twelfth Night Festival with the local Renaissance Singers.
Organ Concerts on the Web
While the last year and a half of the pandemic has kept us from attending live concerts, there have been many concerts broadcast live on the Internet. Many, and perhaps most, of these concerts can be found on YouTube. Some of the most popular performances can be heard here:
- Every Wednesday, the Mormon Tabernacle choir supports the PipingUp series where one of the five Tabernacle organists, Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, Brian Mathias, Joseph Peeples and Linda Margetts, and occasional guest organists, in live-streamed concerts. These can be found at http://tabchoir.org/pipngup
- A YouTube search of Gert van Hoef will show a large number of his outstanding concerts over the last year or two. Recently, van Hoef received an honor of being one of the few outstanding musicians who has more than 100,000 subscribers to his programs. He often plays on one of many instruments throughout the Netherlands.
- A YouTube search for the Scott Brothers duo or Jonathan Scott, organist will take you to a wide variety of recent programs by Jonathan Scott and occasionally concerts with Jonathan and his brother Tom who is an outstanding pianist.
- Member and East Lansing native and internationally acclaimed concert organist and professor at Wichita State University, Lynne Davis, hosts a concert series on the Marcussen organ. You can find these videos of these programs at: tinyurl.com/wiedemann-videos.
- A quick search will reveal many other interesting live-streamed concerts from around the world.
Board Meetings
The 2023-2024 GLC-AGO Board meetings are held at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lansing at 12:00 noon. on the following dates:
- Friday, October 20, 2023
- Friday, November 10, 2023
- Friday, January 12, 2024
Newsletter
Membership
Placement
Employers and job seekers are invited to post and search listings of available positions on the Guild’s National Website.
Certification
Contact Us
Board Members:
- John Horak, Dean,Email
- Barbara Hiranpradist, Newsletter, Email
- Mary Black Junttonen, Secretary, Email
- Ed Corey, Treasurer, Email
- Conrad Donakowski, Email
- Meredith Hines, Email
- Susanne Hoekzema, Publicity, Email
- Robert Miller, Email
