-
1
March 2014
Chiff Chat DEAN’S MESSAGE
Greetings,
With all the snow storms we have been having and the amount of
the snow they have left us, we can now start counting the days
until spring arrives. It will arrive on March 20th and the robins
have already started returning.
I want to thank all who came to our last event on January 12th
to watch the DVD “Pulling Out All the Stops”. After the
presentation I received a few comments about this program. People
were glad that they came to the program, as they did not realize
how much work went into building a pipe organ. I told them about
our event on March 1st, and I invited them to come and see the
inside of an organ.
I look forward to seeing you at the next event your chapter has
planned. It will be Pedals, Pipes, Pizza; introducing students of
all ages, young and old, to the Organ. It will take place on
Saturday, March 1st at the South Congregational Church in Amherst,
starting at 10:00am and going until noon. There will be pizza for
everyone including students, parents, and teachers.
CHAPTER OFFICERS Dean – Donald Hooton Sub-dean – Quentin
Faulkner Treasurer – Jim Barnes Secretary – Charles Marshall BOARD
OF DIRECTORS Scott Bailey Lori Bourret Elizabeth Dawson Joe Geehern
John Karalekas Mary Jeanne Tash
IN THIS ISSUE Calendar of Events Page 3 News from National Page
4-5 Job Postings Page 5 “The Brick Church Music Series” presents
Hans-Ola Ericsson Page 7
!
March 23rd, at 3:00pm will be our major recital of the year. It
will take place at Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield. The
recitalist for this event is Organist Christa Rakich. A Fulbright
scholar, Christa has served on the faculties of Westminster Choir
College at the University of Connecticut and as assistant
university organist at Harvard. She is currently a distinguished
artist-in-residence at First Lutheran Church in Boston, MA and she
directs the music program at St. Mark the Evangelist Church in West
Hartford, CT. Mark your calendars now and save Saturday, the 10th
of May. Organist Peter Krasinski will accompany the Silent Movie,
“It”. His appearances are always a big hit and you won’t want to
miss it. I look forward to seeing you at our next event. Don
Hooton, chapter dean
MARCH 2014
Next Chapter Board Meeting: Sunday, April 27th, 2014 – 7:00pm
United Congregational Church, Holyoke
-
2
March 2014
!
PRESENTED!BY!THE!SPRINGFIELD!CHAPTER!OF!THE!AMERICAN!GUILD!OF!ORGANISTS.!
STUDENTS—ESPECIALLY!THOSE!STUDYING!THE!PIANO—AND!THEIR!PARENTS!ARE!INVITED!TO!A!HANDS8ON!ENCOUNTER!WITH!A!PIPE!ORGAN.!!
• GET!A!CHANCE!TO!PLAY!THE!ORGAN!!!• EXPLORE!HOW!IT!WORKS!!!•
LISTEN!TO!DEMONSTRATIONS!BY!
ORGANISTS!SHOWING!OFF!THE!MANY!SOUNDS!
• SEE!ALL!OF!THE!VARIOUS!KINDS!OF!PIPES!!
•
DISCOVER!HOW!PLAYING!THE!ORGAN!IS!DIFFERENT!FROM!PLAYING!THE!PIANO!!!
!THE!EVENT!WILL!CONCLUDE!AT!NOON!WITH!PIZZA!FOR!EVERYONE!WHO!ATTENDS!(BOTH!STUDENTS!AND!THEIR!PARENTS).!!THIS!EVENT!IS!FREE!TO!ALL!STUDENTS!AND!PARENTS!WHO!ATTEND.!
SATURDAY,!MARCH!1ST,!2014,!10:00AM812:00PM!SOUTH!CONGREGATIONAL!CHURCH!
1066!S.!EAST!STREET!AMHERST,!MA!01002!
!"Photo"by"Len"Levasseur"
PPPeeedddaaalllsss,,, PPPiiipppeeesss,,, aaannnddd
PPPiiizzzzzzaaa IIInnntttrrroooddduuuccciiinnnggg YYYooouuunnnggg
SSStttuuudddeeennntttsss tttooo ttthhheee OOOrrrgggaaannn
-
3
March 2014
CALENDAR OF EVENTS March Events 1 Sat. at 10:00am
Chapter Event Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza: Introducing Young
Students to the Organ, South Congregational Church, 1066 S. East
Street, Amherst, MA.
1 Sat. at 1:00pm The First Church of Deerfield, 71 Old Main
Street, Deerfield, MA, is sponsoring a masterclass with Hans-Ola
Ericsson, internationally known organist and presently Chair of
Organ Performance at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. This
event is open to the public to observe.
2 Sun. at 3:00pm "The Brick Church" Music Series of The First
Church of Deerfield, 71 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA, will
present Hans-Ola Ericsson, organist, in concert. Swedish-born
Ericsson, a pedagogue, organist, composer, and presently Chair and
Professor of Organ Performance at McGill University in Montreal,
Canada, will play music by J.S. Bach, W.F. and C.P.E. Bach, Cage
and Satie. Suggested donation is $10 at the door with a reception
following the concert in the Caswell Library at Deerfield Academy.
Information: 413-774-2657.
9 Sun. at 3:00pm Organist David Neiweem, University Organist at
the University of Vermont, will perform a recital at South
Congregational Church, 1066 S. East Street, Amherst, MA.
13 Thu. at 7:00pm The Episcopal Church of the Atonement in
Westfield, MA will host a service of Evensong featuring hymns and
canticles with music from Irish traditions. For more information,
e-mail [email protected].
15 Sat. at 7:30pm
John Nisbet and Ladislaw Pfeifer will play concertos of Soler
for two keyboards for an evening of lively chamber music from Old
Spain at 7:30 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield. The event
is free and all are welcome. For more information call 413-452-0845
or email [email protected]
22 Sat. at 7:00pm
John Nisbet and Ladislaw Pfeifer will play concertos of Soler
for two keyboards for an evening of lively chamber music from Old
Spain at 7:30 at St. Peters Church, New Britain, CT. The event is
free and all are welcome. For more information call 413-452-0845 or
email [email protected]
23 Sun. at 3:00pm
Chapter Event Christa Rakich will present a recital at Christ
Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St. Springfield, MA. Free but
donations will be accepted.
30 Sun. at 3:00pm
World renowned composer, conductor and teacher Alice Parker will
lead a hymn sing at
the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 North Pleasant Street (just
north of the UMass campus). The hymn sing, which also will include
some folk songs, is sponsored by the church as a benefit for the
homeless shelter program in Amherst known as Craig's Doors. A
reception will follow for attendees to meet Alice Parker. For
questions, please contact the church at 413-549-0322, or Bob and
Anne Weaver at 413-367-2846.
30 Sun. at 4:00pm,
Greater Westfield Choral Association spring concert, First
Congregational Church of Westfield, MA.
April Events 5 Sat. at 4:00pm,
Novi Cantori will present their Spring Concert with the theme
“From Dusk to Dawn” at the Simsbury United Methodist Church.
www.novicantori.org
12 Sat. at 7:30pm, Novi Cantori will present their Spring
Concert with the theme “From Dusk to Dawn” St. John’s Episcopal
Church in Northampton, MA. www.novicantori.org
26 Sat. at 7:30pm, Novi Cantori will present their Spring
Concert with the theme “From Dusk to Dawn” at St. Andrew’s
Episcopal Church in Longmeadow, MA. www.novicantori.org
-
4
March 2014
NEWS FROM NATIONAL: $2.5 MILLION GIFT ENABLES THE AMERICAN GUILD
OF ORGANISTS TO
ENRICH LIVES THROUGH ORGAN MUSIC
NEW YORK CITY — The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is
spearheading three major initiatives that have been made possible
by the largest bequest in Guild history. Totaling more than $2.5
million in cash and assets including a tracker pipe organ, the
bequest from the estate of Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D.
Yankee was first announced at the 2010 AGO National Convention in
Washington, D.C. With the gradual distribution of the assets over
the last three and a half years, the Guild has worked diligently
and faithfully to honor the donors’ intentions by establishing (1)
an endowment to provide college scholarships to dedicated organ
students with financial needs, (2) an endowment to provide for the
relocation and ongoing maintenance of the donors’ tracker organ,
and (3) an endowment to support an annual organ composition
competition for that instrument. Two of these endowments are now
fully funded, with the third nearing completion. “This
extraordinary bequest helps us accomplish our mission—to enrich
lives through organ and choral music—by providing the resources to
implement two new programs and establish a lasting relationship
with a new academic partner,” said AGO President Eileen Guenther.
“The AGO continues to be much more than the world’s largest
membership
association for organists. At the national level and through our
international network of more than 300 chapters, we conduct more
educational and outreach programs supporting organ and choral music
than any other professional organization.” The Ronald G.
Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee Memorial Scholarship will be
available to six students (four undergraduate, and two graduate)
beginning with the 2014–2015 academic year. Four undergraduate
scholarships in the amount $7,500 each will be offered: one each to
an incoming college freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. Each
scholarship will be renewable through completion of the student’s
undergraduate years of study. Two graduate scholarships in the
amount of $15,000 each will be offered and will be renewable for a
total of two years of graduate study. Eligibility requirements and
application details are available online at Agohq.org. The
application deadline is March 1, 2014. The Ronald G. Pogorzelski
and Lester D. Yankee Pipe Organ Endowment was established to
support the ongoing maintenance of the Pogorzelski and Yankee
Memorial Organ. The 2-manual and pedal, 24-stop, 21-rank tracker
organ, built by R.J. Brunner & Company in 1991 for
Pogorzelski and Yankee’s private residence in Bucks County, Pa.,
was inspired by the early Pennsylvania German organs of David
Tannenberg (1728–1804). The casework is gilded in 22-karat gold
leaf. It will be moved and installed at Indiana University of
Pennsylvania in May 2014 where it will be used for teaching and
performance. The AGO’s lease of the organ to IUP will be renewable
annually. “The Guild selected IUP because of its thoroughly
documented and passionate desire to have this instrument on campus
and for its commitment to use the organ regularly for teaching and
performance purposes exactly as Messrs. Pogorzelski and Yankee
desired,” declared AGO Executive Director James Thomashower. The
proposal, he said, “made it abundantly clear to us that IUP’s organ
students, faculty, and administration would treasure the
opportunity to have this elegant organ at the school and that it
would be of immediate and lasting benefit not only to the academic
community, but to the larger community around Indiana, Pa.” The
organ will be installed in the IUP Music Department’s Large
Instrumental Rehearsal Hall, a room with the size and acoustical
properties to provide an ideal setting for teaching and performance
on the organ,
(Continued on next page)
-
5
March 2014
Visit our website!!! www.springfieldago.org
Job Postings First Congregational Church of East Longmeadow is
accepting resumes for organist, pianist, choir director and bell
choir director. Salary commensurate with experience. Send
information to: Music Search Committee, First Congregational
Church, 7 Somers Rd. East Longmeadow, MA 01028
* * * * *
Mary Jeanne Tash is collecting photographs of organs played by
chapter members. These will be used for publicity in our
newsletter. E-mail your photos to [email protected].
according to Michael Hood, dean of the College of Fine Arts at
IUP. “We are thrilled with the great honor that the American Guild
of Organists has bestowed upon the department and IUP, and I can
guarantee you that its honor and trust will be fully matched by the
care and the respect with which this marvelous instrument will be
treated,” Hood said. Christine Clewell, IUP’s assistant professor
of organ added, “IUP will embrace a policy of hospitality with the
instrument, using it as a tool for building community relations,
where we will continue to encourage the study of organ to vanquish
the ever-present problem of the ‘vanishing organist’,” addressing
the shortage of organists in the rural, western Pennsylvania region
and elsewhere throughout the U.S. She expects the new organ to
result in more frequent, higher quality organ performances, which
will increase interest in organ study. “The new acquisition will
materially raise the profile and expand the reputation of the IUP
organ program and will serve as a promotional vehicle for organ
study not only for prospective students, but also for those
presently enrolled.” The Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee
Annual Competition, a composition competition to encourage the
creation of new music specifically for the R.J. Brunner organ, is
being established by the AGO. Each year, the
winning composition will be given its world premier performance
in a gala recital at IUP by an internationally recognized organist.
The AGO National Council has approved a preliminary statement of
the competition rules as drafted by the AGO New Music Committee.
The rules will be finalized and published later this year. The
winning piece is expected to be performed at IUP in 2015. Complete
details including the application process for composers will be
posted online at Agohq.org. Speaking on behalf of Messrs.
Pogorzelski and Yankee at the 2010 AGO National Convention in
Washington, D.C., Dale J. Marsico noted, “According to my uncles,
the heart is reached easier through the use of organ music than any
other musical form. Their music collection, music room, pipe organ,
and Ron’s playing ability were testimony to their love of the
instrument. This gift is a testament to their hopes that future
generations might come to enjoy—to love and appreciate organ music
as they did. They felt that their bequest to American Guild of
Organists offered the best opportunity for that possibility.” ■
PHOTOS WANTED
-
6
March 2014
!
!
The$Springfield$Chapter$of$the$American$Guild$of$Organists$presents:$
Christa!Rakich,!organist!
SUNDAY!MARCH,!23RD,!2014!3:00!PM!
Christ$Church$Cathedral,$$35$Chestnut$Street,$Springfield,$MA$
$(This$event$is$free$but$donations$will$be$accepted$to$help$$
offset$the$cost$of$using$the$sanctuary.)$
This$concert$is$sponsored$by$the$Springfield$Chapter$of$the$American$Guild$of$Organists.$$For$more$information,$go$to$www.agospringfield.org.$
-
7
March 2014
THE FIRST CHURCH OF DEERFIELD 71 Old Main Street, Deerfield,
MA
presents
“THE BRICK CHURCH” MUSIC SERIES with
HANS-OLA ERICSSON, organ
Swedish-born Pedagogue, Organist, Composer, and new Chair
and
Professor of Organ Performance at McGill University in
Montreal.
Performs throughout Europe, as well as Japan, Korea, the
USA,
Russia, and Canada.
Playing music by: J.S. Bach,
W.F. and C.P.E. Bach, John Cage and Erik Satie.
Sunday, March 2, 2014 3:00 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.00 Reception following concert
Information: 413-774-2657
MASTER CLASS: Saturday, March 1, 2014, 1:00 p.m.
This event is free, and open to the public to observe.
-
8
March 2014
Chiff Chat Newsletter Springfield, Massachusetts Chapter of the
American Guild of Organists Celebrating 64 years as a chapter. To
submit information regarding positions, upcoming concerts,
recitals, or area events, please email Scott Bailey at
[email protected]. Submissions are due by the 20th of each
month. Also, visit our website at www.springfieldago.org
Next chapter event: Christa Rakich, recital Sunday March 23rd,
2014, 3:00pm,
Christ Church Cathedral 35 Chestnut St., Springfield, MA
The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to enrich
lives through organ and choral music. To achieve this we:
Encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral
music; Inspire, educate, and offer certification for organists and
choral conductors;
Provide networking, fellowship, and mutual support; Nurture
future generations of organists;
Promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles; and Engage
wider audiences with organ and choral music.
!
!Chiff!Chat!American!Guild!of!Organists!Springfield,!MA!Chapter!Scott!Bailey,!newsletter!editor!50!Woodbridge!Ln.!Westfield,!MA!01085!!
!
!