Newsletter - May 2002

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Letter from the Dean

Another month gone by. I don't know about you, but I've had very little problem finding things to do. I missed the April event, Cynthia Powell's recital, because I was singing in a production of "Madama Butterfly." And no, John Sullivan, I did NOT have the lead role. I was elevated from Dean to Prince, though… The following weekend I played "Mr. Bumble" in Sacred Heart School's (Highland Falls) production of "Oliver." It was great – I got to be mean to young children AND found out that a high D^b REALLY rings in a gymnasium. Yes, I mean 4^th line treble clef D^b. I finished off the weekend by playing my first solo organ recital at my church in Monroe. Attendance was sparse, but those in attendance were warm and enthusiastic.

Soon you will be receiving this year's ballot for the election of officers, as well as the membership application for 2002-2003. Please note that dues have increased this year. Both the ballot and your dues must be received by May 31st – please do send them in as soon as you receive them.

We have this season's remaining chapter events planned out and ready to roll. The next one is a choral reading session on Saturday, May 11^th at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie, John Sullivan, host. It will be presented by Oxford University Press. The more the merrier, so feel free to bring as many of your choir members as you wish. (See directions to Christ Church on page 3.)

June 9^th is the annual members' recital – please contact Susan Guse if you want to play. My wish is that SO many members will want to share their talents that we will have to have a special board meeting to decide who will play… Speaking of annual events, we are looking to have the July picnic at Greg Citarella's home this year.

I'm sorry to say that I'll have to miss the members' recital unless we move it to Wisconsin, where I'll be going for two weeks to continue work on my Master's degree. But before that, I'm singing in a production of "The Tales of Hoffman." Hopefully my pronunciation of the French language will improve before opening night…

Keep an eye on the coming events, and please consider supporting our members' efforts with your participation or attendance. If we don't care, who will? See you at the choral reading! GO PHILLIES!

Editor's Corner

This newsletter is published by the Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The editor is:

Susan LaGrande
12 Montrose Lane
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Phone: 845-226-6496 (home)
Fax: 845-226-3248
e-mail: SUSANEL2@HOTMAIL.COM

All material in this newsletter (except for lists of members' addresses and phone numbers) is available on our web site at www.chvago.org

Newsletter Items Wanted

Contributions to this newsletter are always welcome. We have been very pleased to offer a member profile in previous issues. If you would like to be profiled, you may write your own biography (up to 500 words) or contact the editor to arrange an interview.

We also solicit news of upcoming events for our Calendar page, as well as reviews, particularly of recent chapter events. Articles and news items may be submitted to the editor by mail or by e-mail at the address above. Articles may be edited for length or clarity.

About Our Web Site

We are certainly pleased with the response to our new web site, and we encourage everyone to visit it frequently to keep up with periodic updates and improvements. Once again this newsletter (as well as previous issues) is available on the web site. However, please be aware that while the entire text of the newsletter is reproduced on the web site, some sections have been split off into separate web pages. For example, the List of Substitutes is accessible from the Home Page by clicking on the "Sub List" button. This not only avoids duplication of this information across multiple issues of the newsletter, but also makes it easier for a visitor to find it.

Be sure to spread the word about our web site among fellow organists, other musicians, students, and members of the clergy, so that our web site can serve as wide an audience as possible.

Membership Updates

Gregory Citarella reports that, although he has not moved, his house has a new number, courtesy of the US Postal Service. His new address is:
Gregory Citarella
784 Old Route 9N
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
His phone number and e-mail address remain the same.

Pulitzer Prize Awarded to Organ Composition

Among the 2002 Pulitzer Prizes, which were awarded on April 8, 2002, was a composition for organ and orchestra. The prize of $7,500, "for distinguished musical composition of significant dimension by an American that has had its first performance in the United States during the year", was awarded to "Ice Field" by Henry Brant. This work premiered on December 12, 2001 at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA. A review in the New York Times had this to say about this performance:

Eighty-eight years old, exceedingly small but very much on his feet, his white tie and tails accessorized by a poker dealer's visor, Mr. Brant banged away at the organ as Michael Tilson Thomas and the orchestra brought a stunned and happy audience "Ice Field," written for San Francisco and scored for just about everything you could think of. … Things happen regularly but never in quite the same way at every performance. Mr. Brant's organ chords and manic passagework seem to cue each new onslaught.