[Last updated February 1, 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.
In Memory of William C. McHarris (12 September, 1937 – 19 September, 2022)
Wednesday morning I received a call from Dr. Rilla McHarris telling me that her husband, Dr. William C. McHarris, passed away quite suddenly. There are members in the current AGO roster who remember Bill, a long-time AGO member and former Dean.
Bill served on the faculty at MSU as a professor of physics and chemistry whose research was in nuclear chemistry and as emeritus, remained active in the field. Bill wrote 150 scientific papers and was about to complete a book on Chaos Theory. Bill and I talked about his new book just a few weeks ago. At MSU, Bill taught an innovative course on the Science of Sound.
In addition to his illustrious career, Bill also held advanced degrees in organ and
choral conducting from Oberlin. He was an accomplished performer on the piano, harpsichord and organ and he played other non-keyboard instruments such as the theremin. He was also a recitalist at the MSU carillon. Bill was also a prolific composer with a number of works published by Schirmer and other publishers.
Christmas cards from Bill and Rilla were keepsakes because they always included one of his latest compositions. When time permitted, Bill would occasionally come to my house for an evening of organ playing, but oftentimes those evenings would usually end up in deep discussions of issues in quantum physics and the latest in astronomy and cosmology. We enjoyed sharing our travel experiences to view solar eclipses. I will treasure my memories of those special evenings.
Bill, you were always and inspiration to those who had the good fortune of knowing you. You will be missed for a long time to come. — Robert Miller
The obituary can be found here:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/east-lansing-mi/william-mcharris-10937497#
Local Events
We are now resuming our usual meetings, programs and concerts for the 2021-2022 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. AGO members performed on this new organ on
May 15, 2022 and Dr. Isabelle Demers played the inauguration recital.
Monday, September 12, 2022, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Emanuel First Lutheran Church, 1001 N. Capitol Avenue, Lansing. This initial meeting of the season will feature a welcome message by Dean John Horak, an outline of the upcoming events for the year and a time for fellowship. Light refreshments and cold drinks will be available.
Dinner on September 12 has been changed to a potluck. Details: please bring a dish to pass, any necessary serving pieces, and your own table service. If you’re a coffee drinker, please bring your own coffee. Meat (thanks to Nixon McMillan), bottled water and soft drinks will be provided. The doors
will open at 6:00, with dinner at 6:30. There is NO CHARGE for this event.
Sunday, October 2, 2022, 2:00 pm., Michigan State University Billman Music Pavilion. AGO
members will tour the new music building. Members will meet in the music building main lobby. The tour will be led by Dr. David Rayl of the MSU College of Music. Dr. Rayl will also provide information on the College as a whole and will invite the new adjunct organ instructor, our own member, Hae Won Jang, to make a presentation. Handicap access is available throughout the complex. (We will not be touring the Alumni Chapel or the Red Cedar organ.)
Sunday, October 2 at 3:00 pm, Lucy Finkel, soprano, will present “Everyone Needs a Little Opera” at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (218 W. Ottawa).
Stephanie Gewirtz will accompany her. The recital is free and will be about fifty minutes.
Free parking is available in the Roosevelt Ramp and on the street. Translations will be in the program.
Program includes:
“When I Am Laid in Earth” from Dido and Aeneas – Henry Purcell
“Connais-tu le pays?” from Mignon – Ambroise Thomas
“Va! laisse couler mes larmes” from Werther – Jules Massenet
“L’amour est us oiseau rebelle (Habenera)” from Carmen – Goerges Bizet
“Dopo l’oscuro nembo” from Adelson e Salvini – Vincenzo Bellini
“Salce, Salce” and “Ave Maria” from Otello – Giuseppe Verdi
“What a Movie!” from Trouble in Tahiti – Leonard Bernstein
“Give Me Jesus” – arr. Moses Hogan
Saturday, November 5, 2022, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Pedals, Pipes and Pizza, Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capitol, Lansing. This event is open to community members, parents and music students – especially pianists in grades 4-12, are invited to gather at Central United Methodist Church to meet the pipe organ, see, hear, and play the Jaeckel pipe organ.
Participants will meet at 10:00 am to see a video presentation Pulling Out All the Stops, and to hear introductory remarks by local organists. Mark Mitchell, organist at Central UMC, along with a narrator, will present REX, KING OF INSTRUMENTS. Pizza will be served for lunch. The program will conclude at 1:00pm.
Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza is a program designed by the American Guild of Organists to introduce youth to the pipe organ. Anyone, especially piano students, grades 4-12, who would like to take part in these activities is invited to contact Meredith Hines, Education Chair, Lansing Chapter, AGO at 517-321-1830 or meredith.hines@comcast.net by October 15th.
Sunday, November 13, 2022. Our Savior Lutheran Church, 7910 E. St. Joe Highway, Lansing. Hymns for the Church Year, featuring organist Kevin Hildebrand, Choirs, Handbells and Instruments.
December, 2022. There will be area worship services, concerts and recitals for AGO members and the community to attend.
Sunday, December 4, 2022, 3:00 p.m. AGO members are invited to Robert Miller’s home, 2247 Burcham Drive, East Lansing to play the new four-manual Allen custom organ or to play the three-manual Allen GW-319 theater organ. Bring your Christmas music and a snack. Refreshments will be provided.
Sunday, January 15, 2023. Piazzano’s Restaurant, 1825 N. Grand River, Lansing. Brunch with Members.
Saturday, February 25, 2023, 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Organ Sampler. St. Thomas Aquinas Church,
East Lansing.
Saturday, March 4, 2023, 10:00 am to Noon. Choral Workshop with Carter Smith. University
Lutheran Church, East Lansing.
Sunday, April 16, 2023: Dinner and James Kibbie Organ Recital at Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor.
Details to be announced.
Sunday, May 14, 2023, 3:00 pm. Our Savior Lutheran Church. Sam Schuler, Senior Organ Recital.
Sunday, May 21, 2023, 3:00 pm. Our Savior Lutheran Church. Timothy Nechuta Senior Organ Recital.
Monday, May 22, 2023. Scholarship Auditions. St. Paul Episcopal Church, Lansing. Please contact Meredith Hines for application and details.
Thursday, May 25, 2023. 7:00 pm. Our Savior Lutheran Church. Organist John Horak presents an Organ Recital.
Monday, June 11, 2023, 6:00 pm. End of Year Dinner and Entertainment, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 1001 N. Capitol, Lansing.
University of Michigan organist Dr. James Kibbie will present a series of all Bach
organ recitals beginning on September 11, 2022 and running through April 16, 2023.
These free concerts are open to the public and are available live-streamed beginning at 4:00pm. There will be a program introduction at 3:40. The concerts will be performed at the Blanche Moore Hall on University campus. The final program on April 16, 2023, will be held at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor.
Complete details of the concerts can be found at:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jkibbie/kibbie-bach.html
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 2021-2022 GLC-AGO Board meetings are held at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lansing at 12:00 noon. on the following dates:
- Friday, January 13, 2023
- Friday, February 10, 2023
- Friday, March 10, 2023
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 Downakowski, Email
- Meredith Hines, Email
- Susanne Hoekzema, Publicity, Email
- Robert Miller, Email
