Newsletter
November 2024

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Thoughts From Your Board about Election Day

We have decided to quote from some of our emails, and from other sources, in the hope that our openness will help strengthen our chapter’s unity. We would greatly appreciate any feedback that you might care to give. You can always reach us at CHVAGOboard@gmail.com.

Laura Russell wrote: I … feel that everyone, no matter who they voted for, is super aware of how divided our nation is right now. … I think we need to speak to the moment we are in currently in some kind of hopeful, uniting way.

Kari Maschhoff wrote: I am a military chaplain and though I speak openly with my vote, I must guard my public words to ensure I remain politically neutral and approachable to all. … My thoughts and prayers this morning have certainly been focused on finding unity and hope through music. I shared with our Soldiers during a Spiritual Resiliency event last week how, as a musician, I see that my purpose in life includes bringing peace and healing to our broken world through music, giving glory to God who gave us this precious gift that nurtures, comforts, and unites our souls.

Susan Guse shared a prayer from St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Lubbock, TX, which reads in part as follows:
When others hate, may you love.
When others curse, may you bless.
When others hurt, may you heal.
When others divide, may you unite.
When others rage, may you calm.
When others deny, may you affirm.
You are a servant of the light.
You need not be afraid of darkness.
God strengthen you to carry on with your work and
faithfully live who you are in Christ:
Love for stranger, love for enemy, love for neighbor
- Amen
(Based on a prayer by Steven Charleston, Native American Theologian and former Episcopal Bishop of Alaska)

John Corrie wrote: I will continue to provide music that is as uplifting as I can make it for anyone who will listen.

Each of us feels the way we feel about it, and we should not presume to tell anyone else how they should feel. We each have to move on in our own way.

May all of us continue to offer beautiful music to our congregations and to each other, and may we never let political differences come between us.

Veterans Event Tonight!

A Visit with Gregory Citarella

The occasion for our visit was to present Gregory with the certificate inducting him into the League of Distinguished Service. This award was announced at the Bach to Broadway concert, but since he could not attend the concert, we wanted to present the physical certificate to him in person. Gregory received the honor with grateful humility, recalling that it was during his term as Dean that the first certificates of appreciation were awarded.

There followed about 45 minutes of reminiscences on all sides about our chapter and its members, past and present. We left with confidence that Gregory’s current treatment is having good effect and that he will soon be able to return to the instrument that we all love.

As of today, Gregory is still in rehab. You can reach him by US mail at: Fishkill Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, 22 Robert R Kasin Way, Beacon, NY 12508, or you can call or text him at 845-559-4013.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
October 2024

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Letter from the Sub-Dean

This morning in church, I took a moment to look back at other positions I’ve held and realized how different church life is today compared to almost fifty years ago when I was in graduate school. Life has changed. There are many sociologists and religious scholars who point to the decline in attendance and membership at faith-based institutions and say that church as we know it will not exist in another, say, 50 years. I feel that religion will always be an active part of many people’s lives. There will be differences – change is a part of life, and worship life will change and adapt.

I did not plan for this column to be a theological discussion about church in our society today; hence, the remarks above are brief. What I would like to say is that the Board members of CHVAGO are always trying to come up with innovative program ideas for membership to help us all as we plan for music in all the different churches and faiths we serve. If you have an idea for a program, or would like to have a topic covered, contact a board member – e-mail addresses and phone numbers are listed on our website. Or better yet, talk to any of us at an upcoming board meeting. Please see upcoming programs below:

7:30 PM Saturday, October 12, 2024
Christ Church, Poughkeepsie NY
Bach to Broadway: The Other Bachs and PDQ Bach “Time and Clocks”
New officers will be installed and distinguished service awards presented.
Admission - $20.00

7:30 PM Friday, November 8, 2024 Bardavon Performing Arts Center
The Big Parade (1925 silent movie classic accompanied by John Baratta)
Veterans’ Event sponsored by CHVAGO & NYTOS.

Stay tuned for our always popular “Spuds ‘n’ Sundaes” in January and a presentation by Joe Bertolozzi in February. More to come in the spring!

Susan Guse
Sub-Dean

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
September 2024

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Chapter Receives Bequest

Her bequest, in the amount of $36,000, came to us as a surprise. It was Alice’s wish that the funds be used for educational purposes. During the past two years, our chapter has funded organ lessons for three high school students and this new amount of money will allow us to expand our educational activities. The Board will be exploring additional use of the monies, perhaps offering scholarship for organ study at the college level by qualified students in our area, and perhaps at the National level.

The Board is also considering honoring Alice by commissioning an original piece of music based on her poem titled Pea Soup, which she intended to be formatted to visually suggest the swirling of soup being stirred in a pot. The poem, which we believe to be unpublished, was copyrighted in 1988. We are not sure yet whether the piece of music we want to commission should be purely instrumental or choral, which would actually incorporate some of Alice’s words. Once we obtain permission from her family to use her poem, either in quotation or for inspiration, we will provide more details about the commissioning process.

In the meantime, let us remember Alice Cann for her musicianship, her creativity, her wit, and her generosity.

CHVAGO Regains Tax Exempt Status

Our new 501c(3) status means that any donations or contributions that you make to the chapter can now be claimed as tax exemptions.

Craig Williams Concert at the Stissing Center
A Review by Susan Guse

In the auditorium on Saturday evening, August 24, 2024, Craig Williams performed an exceptional concert on the Allen Quantum T321Q. This is a digital instrument which contains theatre organ capabilities as well as classical organ sounds. Craig, who plays the largest church all-pipe organ in the world in his role as Organist and Choirmaster of the Cadet Chapel, USMA West Point, utilized the classical part of the Stissing Center instrument.

Shorter, but nonetheless substantial works made up the first half of the program, which began with a transcription of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, followed by Thayer’s Fugue on My Country ‘Tis of Thee from Sonata No. 2 and the Theme from “Largo” (Dvorak’s New World Symphony). The highlight of the first part was a harpsichord selection by John Bull, played on the instrument’s harpsichord registration. Flutist Nancy Vanderlee joined Craig to show off the accompaniment abilities of the instrument with the Cantabile and Allegro from Sonata in G major by Georg Philipp Telemann . The balance between the flute, an acoustic instrument, and the organ, in this case an electronic instrument, can pose challenges. However, this was accomplished perfectly as the flute melodies soared above the continuo part.

The second half of the concert consisted of more traditional repertoire: Mendelssohn’s Sonata in d minor, No. 6; Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G (BWV 541); and Guilmant’s Grand Choeur in D. All three selections were played impeccably by Williams, and the Allen Organ supported his playing.

We are blessed in the Hudson Valley to have such a gifted organist performing on a regular basis, both at West Point and on other instruments within driving distance. Saturday’s audience realized this and stayed to ask questions after the program concluded.

This concert on the 24th of August was produced by the New York Theatre Organ Society, and cosponsored by the CHVAGO and Nancy & John Vanderlee.

Historic Pipe Organ in Otisville

Beacon’s Organs Disappearing?

The fate of other pipe organs in Beacon is also in question. Development at the former Craig House is threatening the 18-rank Johnson and Co. pipe organ built in 1873. And Prophecy Hall, formerly the Reformed Church and now a performance space, is giving away its 1895 21-rank Ryder organ. What will happen to the 1860-ish Geo. Jardine 7-rank organ at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church when/if that building is sold is anybody’s guess.

To read the entire article (which also mentions our new dean, John Vanderlee), please visit https://highlandscurrent.org/2024/08/30/free-pipe-organ/

Membership News

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
August 2024

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From Past Dean Laura Russell:

Earlier this summer I attended the 2024 National AGO Convention which was held in San Francisco, a city that I love dearly!

The Convention had amazing performers playing hugely varied repertoire in concerts and worship services held in beautiful venues in and around the San Francisco area. What follows is a brief snapshot description of parts of the conference, accompanied by actual snapshots that I took with my phone. You will be able to view some of the photos by clicking on links embedded in this document; the rest be be made available soon.

I flew out of Albany, New York on Saturday, June 29th for the pre-conference excursion to the Legion of Honor Museum and an organ concert by Jonathan Dimmock, the Legion’s principal organist. However, my connecting flight was delayed in Chicago, and I arrived too late. On past visits to the area I have walked around the grounds of the Legion, and I have always wanted to go inside to see the museum. It would have been great to hear the new Skinner 2024 organ there too!

I took advantage of the beautiful day to explore Yerba Buena Gardens which was next to the Marriott Marquis, the convention hotel. The Gardens are in the heart of the City, yet the architecture and plantings manage to create a feeling of wildness. I have several photographs of the Gardens and of the old and new buildings that surround it.

On Saturday afternoon I attended the NYACOP (National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance) Finals which took place at Lakeside Presbyterian Church on the Pearson 2023 organ. The three 2024 Finalists were First Place winner Ryan Chan, from Hong Kong. Second Place winner was Victoria Shorokhova from St. Petersburgh, Russia. Third Place winner was Tyler Boehmer from Kansas.

Saturday evening brought the Opening Worship Service in the Reform Jewish Tradition at the historic Congregation Sherith Israel. David Riggs played the Prelude, and NYACOP winner Ryan Chan played the Postlude. The service music included a commissioned piece by Melissa Dunphy. I was fascinated and moved by the architecture and history of the venue. It was one of the few buildings in that part of the City that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. As one of the few surviving, intact buildings, it offered use of its space to municipal government and other community organizations that were helping in the aftermath of the earthquake. Its eclectic architecture includes multiple elements evoking, among other things, Eastern Europe and the American West. One of the Tiffany-style stained glass windows shows Moses, dressed as a nineteenth-century European Rabbi, delivering the Ten Commandments to Jewish immigrants, while Native Americans look on. The Rocky Mountains form the background to this new Promised Land. In his introduction to the service, the Rabbi described how Reform Judaism originated with immigrants in the United States. Like others who traveled to the American West to reinvent themselves, so did European Jewish immigrants. Click here for a photo of the Moses Window.

Brief overview of events:
Monday afternoon: At the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, Dong-Ill Shin performed on the Letourneau 2010 organ. His program included Grande Piece Symphonique by Cesar Franck, a World Premiere commissioned work: Diptych on Veni Creator Spiritus by Texu Kim. Shin ended his program with Prelude and Fugue on the Name BACH by Franz Liszt. Later, Chanticleer gave a stellar performance at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. Their program was nearly identical to the one that I heard at the Pawling School concert earlier this year, and it was wonderful to get to hear them again! Music included works by Max Reger, a commissioned piece by Ayanna Woods, Hoagy Carmichael, and others.

Monday evening: We returned to San Francisco for a concert at Grace Cathedral at the top of Nob Hill, performed by Faythe Freese on the Schoenstein 2001 (originally Aeolian-Skinner 1933). She performed selections from Neuf Pieces by Jean Langlais, First Sonata in D Minor by Felix-Alexandre Guilmant, and she ended with works by Florence B. Price and Leo Sowerby.

Tuesday morning: I attended a Choral and Organ Reading Session given by Oxford University Press and a workshop about Creative Concert Programming in the 21st Century. Other offerings that morning included a Walking Tour of The Castro District, a Mission Dolores Tour, a workshop about the changes in the AGO Certification exams, a GIA Reading Session of Organ Music of Black Composers, a workshop given by the AGO Task Force for Gender Equity/Society for Women Organists. Our own CHVAGO member Renee Louprette gave the workshop “Transylvanian Organ Landscape: Historic Organ Restoration in Romania”. Some of you may have attended that same workshop that our Chapter sponsored earlier this year at St. James in Hyde Park!

Tuesday evening: Shin-Young Lee & Olivier Latry performed with the Berkeley Symphony at St. Ignatius Parish. The concert opened with Concerto in One Movement for Organ and Chamber Orchestra by Emma Lou Diemer. This was followed by Ascending Light for Organ and Orchestra by Michael Gandolfi. Toccata Festiva for Organ and Orchestra by Samuel Barber. The concert ended with the two organists playing Stravinsky’s own reduction for piano duet, performed on the Hupalo & Repasky 2024 organ rebuild.

Wednesday: I attended the Northeast Regional Regional Meeting and chatted with Westchester Chapter member Jonathan Riss, former CHVAGO member Barbara Bayers, and many people from other chapters in our region. In the evening I attended the St. Cecilia Recital performed for the first time in its history by a woman. Janette Fishell performed at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption on the Ruffatti, 1971. This was another stunning venue. Highlights from that concert, which was titled “From Muse to Master Muse” included selections from Cinq Improvisations by Charles Tournemire; selections from Pieces de fantaisie (dedicated to two of his female students) by Louis Vierne; selections from Four Biblical Dances (dedicated to organist Susan Landale) by Petr Eben; and from Deux Esquisses (dedicated to Madame Stephane Bornemann) by Marcel Dupre. The second half of the concert included the World Premier of the commissioned Suite for Organ by Mason Bates; Premiere Prelude et Fugue by Elsa Barraine, and selections from Six Etudes pour orgue by Jeanne Demessieux. The concert ended with selections from Symphonie No. 1 pour Orgue, by Rachel Laurin.

Thursday morning offerings included two worship services: a Baptist service, and Episcopal Morning Prayer. The services were followed by more concerts, including organists Weicheng Zhao, Anne Laver, Annette Richards, Jonathan Moyer, and Monica Berney in a variety of venues in Menlo Park, Stanford, and Palo Alto.

Thursday evening featured the Gala Reception back at the convention hotel. This was a Convention and a City to remember!

See You at the Picnic!

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
July 2024

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A belated happy Fourth of July, and I hope you had a chance to regale your congregation/audience with some patriotic-themed music! Playing something traditional will always bring a smile to people’s faces. Maybe it’s the child in us that finds comfort in hearing music that stirs up memories.

Which gives me a great segue into the meat of today’s newsletter, but first some great news: Your Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the AGO is now tax-exempt!

Thanks to the Herculean effort of Susan Guse, assisted by Justan Foster, and the input of many others, we have now attained 501(c)(3) status. That means your generosity could now be rewarded with possible tax advantages. (Check with your tax adviser to be sure). Financially it puts us in a much better position. This news was celebrated with a gathering at the Guse residence on June 23rd. Thank you Susan and Mike!

On to the main topic:
When people are asked at what age they started to play an instrument, it’s often in the pre-teen years. It’s an age when social pressures are not quite as present, and a kid feels free to express him/herself in whatever form of music feels pleasurable, not just because it’s in the “top ten”. (Do they still really use that term anymore?) As my spouse will agree, it is also the age where music teachers have the best chance to plant a seed that can take hold and germinate.

The mission statement of the AGO says in part: “…to foster a thriving community of musicians…” and digging deeper it says: “nurture organists of all ages”. I see this as a clarion call, and what better than to start this at an early age? Unfortunately, today’s school-age children get minimal exposure to serious music in their schools. Of course, there are exceptions in a few lucky districts. But Music is usually treated as an “extra.” I don’t want to beat on sports programs, but in comparison, the performing arts tend to get short shrift. Yet, how many school-age star athletes make it to the big time? On the other hand, teach a kid the joys of making music and he/she will have a skill for life, where often they can be a part of the larger musical world.

My good friend, John Baratta, who taught music for decades (and still does), had the perfect counter to some who minimized music skills. He’d rattle off all the academics and skills involved in music performance: math, languages, history, geography, discipline, collaboration, etc. I’m sure we can all add a few to that list.

Narrowed down to AGO world, we need to continue teaching our music as well, and become more pro-active if we expect there to be organists in the future. The question has been, where to start? How to engage? By luck, we have identified a few individuals in the past who have gone on to be performers, but we need to do much more than just depend on luck.

In past years, the New York Theatre Organ Society has made a valiant effort through its organ-teaching program at the High School in Hyde Park. However, due to changes in administration mandates which made access to students much more restrictive, plus the ever-evolving personality of students these days, it has become much less successful and very cost-prohibitive. A newer model is needed, and we, the CHVAGO, need to be part of it for our very survival.

I had a deep discussion with the Director of Fine Arts in the Hyde Park School District, and she gave some good outlines for a possible future extending far beyond the school district. It could involve a program based in the former school building of Regina Coeli Catholic Church in Hyde Park, combined with a serious community outreach effort. The details are much more than this letter can contain, and should be part of our upcoming board meeting, including the formation of an education committee to brainstorm our options and formulate a plan. Think about being part of it!

Meanwhile, Nancy and I are looking forward to hosting the Chapter Picnic at our home on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 3:00 PM. (Please consult your favorite GPS app for driving directions.) Bring your music, there is an Allen organ and a Yamaha piano available! This will be our first big home event since the pandemic, and we are excited!

Then, on Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 7:00 PM, Craig Williams will premiere the Skinner organ capabilities of the Allen T321Q at Stissing Center in Pine Plains, NY. Besides showcasing a variety of classical composers, Craig will accompany Nancy on flute as well, with selections by Telemann. Admission is $25.

Nathan Avakian, James Fitzwilliam and I have been talking about plans for another “Bach to Broadway” on Saturday, October 12, 2024. The theme being considered is “The Other Bachs,” which could include PDQ Bach?

I’m working on getting funding for another “Salute to the Veterans” at the Bardavon in November, perhaps the 8th. We’re hoping to do the silent film “The Big Parade” with John Baratta at the console. More news as it develops.

Finally, we’re looking forward to hearing from Laura Russell and her impressions garnered from the AGO 2024 Convention. That should be an exciting newsletter!

For now, let’s stay cool and keep the harmony!

Your Dean-Elect,

John Vanderlee

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
June 2024

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Letter From the Acting Dean

This will be the last letter that I write to you as Acting Dean. I have been on the CHVAGO board since 2008, and over the years I have served as Secretary, Sub-Dean, Dean, and most recently as Acting Dean. Our chapter has presented many wonderful concerts, hosted workshops on a variety of topics, and held enjoyable social gatherings with our members. We have supported young organists through our scholarships and through our involvement with and development of the AGO Achievement Awards. Information about the AGOAA appears on our website and at AGOHQ.

During the dark years of Covid, our board tried to stay in touch with all of our members by presenting tutorials about creating a “Virtual Choir”, by sponsoring online members’ recitals, and by promoting and sharing organ performances and repertoire via Facebook and YouTube. We researched and shared denominational practices and scientific guidelines for “safe music-making” in houses of worship and in music venues. During 2020 the board also became increasingly aware of the importance of including under-represented composers and performers in our concerts and in choral and organ music in our houses of worship. We drafted a Juneteenth Statement that appears on our chapter website. As a board and as individuals we continued to work toward expanding the canon of choral and organ music.

Our chapter also has a long history of working collaboratively with regional musical organizations, houses of worship, and other AGO chapters. This year marks the 25th anniversary of one such organization that is near and dear to my heart: the annual Hudson Valley BachFest, produced by the Hudson Valley Society for Music. This community-based festival has been held every summer since 2000. In that year I was one of the co-founders of this festival; I launched the first BachFest Choir in 2000 and conducted a performance of Bach’s Magnificat for choir and orchestra. In the years since, I have conducted the BachFest Choir in performance of many of Bach’s Cantatas and Motets, and several of his large works, including the Mass in B Minor and the Passion according to St. Matthew. All six of Bach’s Brandenberg Concertos and many of his Orchestral Suites have been performed in the festival as well.

An important feature of the festival, right from the start, was what was then called the Keyboard Marathon. Our friend Ruthanne Schempf shepherded this event, and has encouraged local keyboard players to perform on piano, harpsichord and organ. Since 2019 our chapter has sponsored the organists who perform on this concert. In recent years these organists have included CHVAGO members Craig Williams, James Fitzwilliam, Reilly Xu, Bruce Xu, and Patrick Walker.

This year Gail Archer, Vassar College Organist, will perform Bach’s Praeludium et Fuge in e minor (Wedge), BWV 548 and Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Her, BWV 662. Recent Vassar graduate Avery Duer (’24) will perform the Toccata and Fugue in D minor,  BWV 538 “Dorian”.

The 2024 BachFest takes place over the weekend of June 22-23 at Vassar College’s Skinner Hall, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie. The Keyboard Concert will take place on Saturday, June 22 at 3:00 PM. Choral and Orchestral works will be performed on Sunday, June 23 at 4:00 PM. Both concerts are open to the public; there is a suggested donation of $25. For more information, please go to our calendar of events

I hope to see you at these exciting events!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Acting Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Election Results

We also take this opportunity to thank Eileen Kerkes and Justan Foster, whose terms are expiring. We greatly value their dedication and faithful service, and we wish them all the best as they move on.

We are also pleased to welcome new board members John Corrie and Kari Maschhoff! Both are relatively new chapter members, but they have already indicated their eagerness to help the chapter move forward.

The votes for the new board have been received and counted, and the results are presented below:

Dean - Johannes A. Vanderlee 24 votes (Write-in 1)
Sub-Dean - Susan Guse 25 votes
Secretary - Nancy Vanderlee 25 votes
Treasurer - John Corrie 24 votes (Write-in 1)
At-Large Members -
Susan LaGrande 23 votes
Kari Maschhoff 23 votes
Laura Russell 21 votes (Write-in 1)

Although their terms begin immediately, we expect that the new officers will be formally presented at the Chapter picnic, which will take place on Saturday, August 10, 2024, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM, at a location to be announced. More details to be announced later.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
May 2024

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Letter From the Editor

Newsletter Editor, CHVAGO

Chapter Elections: Slate of Officers

Justan Foster is Music Director at the Greenbush Reformed Church in East Greenbush, NY. A Past Dean of the Eastern New York and Hudson-Catskill AGO chapters and current CHVAGO Board member, Justan has served as a past chair of the Regional Quimby Pipe Organ Competition in Glens Falls, NY and has coordinated several Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza events. Outside of his role in the music world, Justan is Director of Office 365 for Church World Service (a international refugee and disaster relief organization).

Susan Guse is currently serving on the CHVAGO board as treasurer. Recently, she oversaw the task of updating CHVAGO’s Standard Operating Procedures and is currently working on re-establishing the chapter’s tax exempt status which expired in 2012. Susan was Director of Music at St. John’s Lutheran, Poughkeepsie, from 1998-2020. She is retired and playing at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Kent, CT . She has a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Wittenberg University and a BA degree with a major in music from Smith College.

Susan LaGrande is a long-time member of CHVAGO, having first served as assistant newsletter editor. Over the years her role has increased until now she publishes the monthly newsletter, maintains the web site and Facebook page, and handles all membership issues. In addition she is the de facto information broker for the chapter, handling inquiries about Subs and Position Openings. After serving as organist in several local churches since the 1970s, she is currently retired from the bench. She has long been a practitioner of the Korean martial art Tang Soo Do, and was recently promoted to 5th degree Black Belt.

Kari Maschhoff is currently the Garrison Chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point and has served in the United States Army for almost 20 years. Kari was first introduced to playing the organ as a child and has pursued organ studies whenever her military obligations allowed. Since moving to the Hudson Valley last Spring, Kari has been studying with Dr. Gail Archer at Vassar College. As Kari is nearing military retirement, she hopes to study organ as a full-time student in an undergraduate organ performance program as she transitions from military back to civilian life.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA recently retired as Minister of Music at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, where she played organ and directed the choir for over twenty years. She was founder of the Concerts Con Brio music series at the church. In 2000 she co-founded the Hudson Valley BachFest in 2000 and has conducted many of Bach’s choral works. She has taught in the music programs at Marist College and Dutchess Community College. Having received a DMA in conducting from the Hartt School, Laura is now starting a second career as a “free-lance conductor” in the Hudson Valley.

Johannes (John) A. Vanderlee is a Senior Electronics Technician retired from IBM and Vassar College. He has had a lifelong interest in all things organ from a musical as well as a technical perspective-be it pipes or digital. He initiated and completed the renovation of the Bardavon theatre pipe organ under the New York Theatre Organ Society’s banner, of which he currently serves as Director. “I believe that the organ is a misunderstood instrument, a concept which needs to be countered by greater exposure to the general public, both young and old, by any means possible.”

Nancy Vanderlee has served as CHVAGO secretary since 2017. An alumna of the Crane School of Music, and a recent retiree from the Hyde Park Central School District, she currently holds the position of Director of Music/Organist at St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lithgow. Additionally, she teaches flute and piano privately, and performs as part of the Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir, Hudson Valley Bach Fest, Breezy Hill Wind Quintet, Vergennes City Band, and Capital Area Flute Club.

Seipp-Williams Trumpet and Organ Duo Announces Availability

If your church or civic group is interested in engaging this duo for a concert, please contact Chuck Seipp at chuckseipp@gmail.com or call 703-517-0670.

MM & Cert. in Piano/Organ Performance, Pedagogy & Injury-Preventive Technique

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
April 2024

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Members’ Recitals: A Retrospective - By Susan LaGrande

April 1997 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Kingston - featuring one of Don Filkins’s notorious improvisations, as well as a very young Jeffrey Alban, DMA (now living in Virginia)
May 1998 - Grace Episcopal Church, Middletown - in celebration of the church’s 150th anniversary. Mary Caskey was then organist.
June 2000 - St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie - featuring an organ duet by Charles Callahan played by Polly Beynon James and her mother, Dorothy M. Beynon
June 2001 - United Methodist Church, Poughkeepsie - in memory of Victor Scarchilli
May 2003 - St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie. Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the chapter. Announcement of AGO Region II-III Convention, to be hosted by CHVAGO in Poughkeepsie in 2005. Introduction of the Margaret Pecoraro Memorial Scholarship Fund.
June 2004 - The Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie - Featuring a young Thomas Sheehan (now Organist and Associate Director of Music at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC) playing the Andante and Finale from Vierne’s Symphony Number 1
April 2005 - Grace Episcopal Church, Middletown - in memory of Nora Strudwick - Featuring two original songs by Alice Cann and a memorable organ duet performed by Past Deans John Sullivan and Al Reese
May 2006 - The Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie
June 2007 - Grace Episcopal Church, Millbrook. Marking John Sullivan’s last official duty as Dean before passing the torch to new Dean Gregory Citarella
May 2008 - First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie - In memory of William Robert "Bob" Brittenham, Mary Sherman Caskey, and Clara Pankow-Miller. Certificate of Appreciation presented to Kay Pearson, Anita Drake, and Alice Cann.
May 2009 - Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church
June 2010 - St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie
May 2011 - Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls - From the Dean’s Letter the following month: “The musical offerings, while mostly 19th and 20th century, couldn’t have been more varied. They showed off the 100 year old organ very well.”
May 2012 - Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie - featuring 20-year-old Dillon Streifeneder playing Mendelssohn’s Sonata No. 3
June 2013 - The Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie. To quote from the Dean’s Letter in the July 2013 newsletter: “The music of Bach, Handel, Lubeck, Duruflé, Widor and others was played at a very high standard - professional concert caliber from each and every one of the players.”
March 2014 - Vassar Chapel, Poughkeepsie. To quote from Dean Craig Williams in the April 2014 newsletter: “I was privileged to play the 106 rank Gress-Miles Organ in this terrific concert. … Thanks to Wesley Joseph, Laura Russell, Alexander Green, Janice Grace, Boyd Herforth, Patrick Walker and Eric Hepp for a very well played variety of great organ music!”
April 2015 - United Methodist Church, Poughkeepsie - To quote from Dean Craig Williams in the May 2015 newsletter: “Let me take this opportunity however to congratulate the performers who participated in our Annual Members’ Recital at Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church this past month! I was gratified by the number of you who were able to come and listen – we had a terrific audience that day.”
May 2016 - North Congregational Church, Middletown -To quote from Craig Williams in his Dean’s Letter for that month: “North Congregational houses a 20 rank E.M. Skinner organ in nearly original condition. Not only does the organ have beautiful voices — noble diapasons, colorful flutes and wonderful orchestral voices — strings and reeds — but, if one of the most important stops on any organ is the room in which it plays, this organ is one of the jewels of the Hudson Valley. The sanctuary of North Congregational is a warm reverberant space accentuated by the church's unique stone structure, lending great power to the organ. I encourage all to participate. The one caveat is that the console does not have working pistons. Therefore, do not bring repertoire that requires many piston adjustments. You or your assistant will be pulling drawknobs by hand.”
June 2017 - St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie - Dedicated to “eleven members of our Chapter who have died since the last memorial members' recital in 2008: Ray Corey, Robert H. Palmatier, Jack Davis, Kay Pearson, Robert F. Dorum, Don Hoger, Martha Miller, Anita Drake, Don Filkins, Pat Maimone, and Peter Hall. Each of them made important, and unique contributions to organ and choral music in the Hudson Valley.” Concert program with biographies is available at 2017_Members_Recital_Pgm.pdf
April 2018 - Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls - To quote from the report in the May 2018 newsletter: “Of twelve selections, four were for solo organ and eight were duets with organ and other solo instruments, which included trombone, trumpets, flutes, oboe, soprano saxophone, and cello. … Styles ranged from baroque to romantic to jazz to contemporary praise. It should be noted that some of the instruments, especially the brasses, had difficulty tuning with the organ, which is pitched slightly lower than A 440 Hz. This is a challenge which may require some ingenuity to overcome. Where this challenge was met successfully, the collaboration resulted in beautiful and affecting music.”
May 2019 - St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, Lagrangeville - To quote from the calendar entry for the event: “The instrument is a Diane Bish signature series Allen organ (80 stop, 3 manuals); the sound space in St. Kateri is expansive and reverberant. This concert will feature music of French composers from the 16th through 20th centuries.” Five chapter members, Charles Faverio, Nancy Brown, Richard Ehlenberg, Janet Nelson Nickerson, and Margaret Small, were inducted into the League of Distinguished Service.
May 2020 - “Postponed” - originally scheduled to take place at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie on Mother’s Day Weekend. The April 2020 newsletter announced that “all our Chapter programs through October have either been canceled or postponed indefinitely.”
June 2021 - Virtual. To quote from the June 2021 Dean’s Letter: “The annual Member’s Recital will take place on YouTube, and will premiere on June 20th at noon. You will be able to watch it anytime after that date at your convenience.” The link is still available at https://youtu.be/2p368XSkQZM.
2022 - No Members’ Recital. In the April newsletter for this year it was announced that the Members’ Recital would take place in the Fall of 2022, and would focus on organ and choral music by composers of color, but this did not materialize until February of the following year.
February 2023 - Part One. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie. Featuring music composed by people of color. To quote from the March 2023 Dean’s Letter: “We had a totally AMAZING February Members' Recital at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, with eight of our members performing a wonderful variety of VERY diverse works by composers of color! I was also blown away by the very large multi-racial turnout of well over 100 people (we ran out of programs!) who represented both a wide geographic area as well as a wide range of AGES! What was not to love????!”
May 2023 - Joint Members Recital with Westchester Chapter. St. Philip’s in the Highlands Episcopal Church, Garrison.
April 2024 - The Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie. This recital was originally scheduled for March 2022 as part of a recital series featuring under-represented composers. Part One, in February 2023, featured music by Black composers, and Part Two (upcoming) will feature music by women composers.

If this trip down memory lane has piqued your interest, you can do some digging yourself in our online archives. From the home page of our chapter web site at www.chvago.org, click on the Newsletter page and select “Click here for the Newsletter Archive,” or click on the Calendar page and select “Click here for an Overview of Past Events.”

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
March 2024

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

From the Acting Dean:

Last year’s Members’ Recital them was “Organ Music written by Black Composers”. We held that event on February 12, 2023 to a packed house of enthusiastic listeners at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. Members of our Chapter played a wide variety of music by composers David Hurd, Adolphus Hailstork, Carl Haywood, Ruth Norman, George Walker, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Florence B. Price.

This year our theme is “Organ Music composed by Women”. It will take place on Sunday, April 21st at 3:00 PM at the Poughkeepsie Reformed Church on Hooker Avenue in Poughkeepsie. The John A. Davis, Jr. Organ at the church is a contemporary, eclectic American pipe organ built by Schantz of Ohio which was installed in October 2003. According to the church’s website, “It has already established itself as one of the finest organs in the Hudson Valley. The 45 ranks of pipes -- 2,652 total -- provide a superb variety of sound, greatly enhancing worship, from hushed tones of reverence and awe to majestic peals of praise and exaltation.”

Last year we sent out lists of resources and music for our members to become better acquainted with the wealth of organ music written by African American composers. In a similar vein, this year I am sharing some resources for you to explore to discover the breadth and depth of organ music composed by women!

I encourage you to look through this material and to find some music that captures your interest. I am keeping a list of the music that people are selecting, so please be in touch with me as you figure out possible music to play at the recital. I would like to aim for the first week of April as a deadline for a nearly complete list of the recital music.

Resources for the discovery of organ and choral music by women composers:
• MusForum, “The Online Network for Women Organists”, founded by Hudson Valley organist and conductor Gail Archer, (Vassar College Organist). This is an excellent site with current events, news, special features on individual artists, and a list of articles and resources for learning more about women composers and organists. I highly recommend it: www.musforum.org.
• The Association of Anglican Musicians’ project “Great Host of Composers” seeks to bring diverse voices to liturgies through building a curated database of sacred music by a great host of women composers. All of their offerings may be found in the detailed database at: www.greathostcomposers.org. Other denominations may offer similar resources as well. Here are some examples from AAM’s project:
  -Listing of choral music and voluntaries by women composers for the three-year Revised Common Lectionary.
  -Mass Settings, Evening Canticles, Responses, Anglican Chant – Women Composers Data Base
• The American Guild of Organists’ Task Force for Gender Equity includes links to the Society of Women Organists (SWO) which include:
  -The March 2024 Newsletter from AGOHQ about Women Composer Sunday. It includes links to webinars and lists of possible repertoire. https://www.agohq.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/March-2024-Newsletter.pdf
  -More information can be found at: https://www.agohq.org/?s=women+composers

Sincerely,
Laura Ramsey Russell
Acting Dean & Sub-Dean, CHVAGO

More on Women Composers

You can also view the AGO Webinar from February 15, titled “Woman Composer Sunday 2024: Honoring Trailblazers and Inspiring New Generations.” The link is available at https://tinyurl.com/6d8bkmfb. There is also a transcript available if you prefer reading to listening.

Member News

• Welcome to new member William Bozzetto! Bill is actually a returning member after an absence of several years, and he is also a member of NYTOS. His contact information will be included in the new membership roster.
• Welcome also to another new member, Stephen Siktberg! Stephen is Organist/Choir Director at Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church. His contact information is:
  314 Washington Avenue
  Beacon, NY 12508
  swsikt@gmail.com

Organ Competition Announced

New Guidelines for Wedding Music

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
February 2024

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

This month’s editorial is provided by board member Justan Foster. Justan is Music Director at the Greenbush Reformed Church (East Greenbush, NY) and has served on the CHVAGO Board since 2020. A Past Dean of the Eastern New York and Hudson-Catskill AGO, Justan works to promote the compositions of living, American composers and supports funding programs that encourage growth of interest in organ and development of young artists--which includes acting as past chair of the 2015 Regional Quimby Pipe Organ Competition and as coordinator for several Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza events. Outside of his role in the music world, Justan is the Director of Microsoft Services for Church World Service (a international nonprofit focused on refugee placement, disaster relief, and sustainability efforts).

“You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you'll find
You get what you need”

I’m almost certain that this is the first CHVAGO editorial to quote Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, but hopefully it won’t be the last. Regardless of a person’s faith or classical music journey, we all have a handful of songwriters many would write off—but they make sense to us, individually. They speak to us. They remove the weight of mechanics and inspire us to be present in what we feel, think, and do. And the real beauty in their work is when the lyrics match the melody to tell a story that transcends their own experience and becomes something we can resonate with. And sometimes they need some inspiration from the rest of us.

In preparation for the upcoming workshop on commissioning new music and choral reading session, let’s demystify the process so you can prepare to play your part in this critical piece of musical growth.

Myth #1: Commissioning new music is expensive.

Your institution is likely on a budget, and it probably fails to adequately address all of the musical needs or goals you may have as a leader. While it is true that many well-known composers can readily ask for $1,000-5,000 for a new work that may last just a few minutes, there is also a new world of opportunity for emerging lyricists and arrangers who will gladly provide you with something suitable for what amounts to nominal fees (I recently commissioned a new anthem with instrumental parts and custom voicing ranges for less than $400, when a single new anthem could run $75 for a small choir and miss the mark entirely). These artisans are also readily available if you take to social media or forums related to music, and I have found each and every budding composer was ready and willing to work with whatever unique challenges your program may present.

Myth # 2: My music program isn’t good enough to premiere a new work.

What makes commissioning new music so exciting is how flexible it can be for your situation. You are given a blank canvas and someone to help guide you. How many times have you perused a published work to find that the sopranos need to hit an A (or even an F some days) that you know will cause grumbling or sacrifice artistry for accuracy? Or perhaps you have always thought this one tune would be better suited to a poem or these lyrics better suited to less frenetic melody? The good news is that you can do just that. Commissioning a new work should be a dialogue where the end product is a masterpiece no matter the size of the palette.

Myth #3: I don’t have anything special to commission music for.

While commissioned works typically feature a note about being related to an important anniversary, historic event, or to act as an epitaph, that isn’t true of all music. You don’t need to celebrate a birthday to bake a cake. Music is meant to make sense of something where words alone don’t do justice. While that could be needed at one of many milestones, it can just as easily be just as appropriate while looking out of window of a cabin in the Adirondacks, comforting someone who is ill, or taking stock of a transition in life that is unexpected or overwhelming. I distinctly remember an AGO recital during the 2007 NYC Regional Convention where it was noted that the piece by André Raison was written on the occasion of King Louis XIV’s return home following fistula surgery. No, really (follow this link and see page 6). Finding beauty where you can is truly a required skill for any dedicated musician.

I’m sure you don’t remember the story behind the piece that made you fall in love with music, but that doesn’t make it any less important to you. The true value of commissioning new music goes beyond a one-time gift or stop-gap solution. You have helped to create something new in a world in pain that is crying out for beauty. You have supported an aspiring artisan, bridged a gap between trauma and healing, and maybe even inspired the next generation to take up this musical craft that we hold dear.

Justan Foster, CAGO

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, February 3, 2024 - 3:00 PM
  Romanian Organ Landscape: Renée Anne Louprette, Lecturer
  Chapter member Renée Anne Louprette is Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist at Bard College where she directs the Bard Baroque Ensemble and leads an annual Bach cantata series. She spent the Fall 2022 season as a Fulbright scholar in Brasov, Transylvania. Her audiovisual presentation will illustrate her survey of historic Romanian pipe organs.
  Location: St. James Episcopal Church, 4526 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538-1564. Free admission. Reception to follow. Info: 845-229-2820
• Sunday, February 25, 2024 - 3:30 PM
  Workshop and Choral Reading Session: How to Succeed in Commissioning Music Without Really Trying
  This session will feature a beginner's guide to how to commission works, the benefit of commissioning works to meet specific needs, and a choral reading session of recently commissioned works and new favorites. Attendees are invited to bring an anthem or composition (original or published) to share with other attendees, as time allows.
  Church of the Messiah, 6436 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572. For further information, please contact Justan Foster at 518-965-2389 or justan.foster@live.com.

  Member News

  Welcome to new member Roman Pemberton, who is the newest recipient of the Margaret Pecoraro Memorial Scholarship. Roman is a student at FDR High Schol in Hyde Park, where he has had some experience with the New York Theatre Organ Society’s Gus Pratt Organ. He will be studying with Dillon Streifeneder. His contact information is:
  Roman Pemberton
  3 Stoutenburgh Drive
  Hyde Park, NY 12538
  845-366-0615
  romanwpemberton@gmail.com

  Deadline for Next Newsletter

  We are always glad to receive input for the chapter newsletter in the form of calendar items, reviews of recent concerts and events, biographies, letters, photographs, etc. In order to make sure these submissions can be processed in a timely fashion, please make sure they are received by the 23rd of each month. However, material such as calendar items may be submitted at any time; even if the material may not make it into the printed newsletter, it can be quickly posted on our web site at www.chvago.org. You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in March 2024, is February 23.

  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: 845-235-7203 - e-mail: CHVAGOboard@gmail.com

Newsletter
January 2024

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

From the Editor

As has been reported in previous newsletters, we have two new scholarship recipients, who have also become members. As part of their application process, they were required to submit an essay in response to this question:

What first attracted to you to the organ? What do you like best about playing the organ now? What are your goals (short-term and long-term) with regard to continuing your organ lessons?

Their responses were thoughtful and interesting, and I think worthy of sharing with our members.

In her essay, Susie Gilgert wrote, in part:

… Playing the piano has been a passion of mine for many years, and the organ provides a new musical adventure. The main factor that led me to the organ is my desire to become a well-rounded and versatile musician. … I have long been impressed by the each of the talented organists that have performed on the Casavant Organ at St. John’s. The world-renowned organist Felix Hell has performed here, and I, along with the rest of his audience, was captivated by his skilled performance. I have also had the pleasure of listening to performances on other organs, such as when I participated in BachFest in Skinner Hall at Vassar College. These talented musicians have inspired me to try playing this instrument myself. It takes an incredible amount of dedication, diligence, and practice to play the organ well, and I have always gravitated towards a challenge. The organ is a unique and beautiful instrument, and it was only a matter of time until I started taking lessons. … Coming to the organ as a former piano student, I was surprised and interested to learn how much the organ differs from the piano. I have also been enjoying pedal exercises and coordinating the motion of my feet and hands. This has been the most difficult part of transitioning from the piano, but also the most exciting. Even in less than a month of lessons, it has become much easier to use the pedalboard. My goals continue to develop as I learn more about the organ and discover new repertoire. …

Tommy Leung wrote this, in part:
I … have always been amazed by the organ ever since I was a little boy, sitting in church with my mom, hearing its deep and rich sound fill the entire space of our gigantic church. I would turn around and sneak a peek at the amazing person playing up in the loft, at the person touching all of those keys and pressing all of those pedals, all at just the right moment. … [At] that age I thought it was something I thought I could never do. … My short term goal is to learn how to play this humongous instrument with the tips of my fingers and feet. … I think it will be an instrument that I would like to play for the rest of my life if my fingers allow me to. If nothing else, it will keep me on my toes! …

Let’s all try to recapture that enthusiasm and sense of wonder as we set our goals for the coming year!

Susan LaGrande

Newsletter Editor

Upcoming Events

• Sunday, January 21, 2024 (Snow Date: Sunday, January 28, 2024) - 5:00 PM
  Spuds & Sundaes!
  Annual Meeting - Social - Music Sale - Mini Organ Crawl
  Four events in one! And a great opportunity to bring a guest.
  • Annual meeting: We will discuss and vote on the new Chapter Standard Operating Procedures (see below for details).
  • Social: The menu is baked potatoes and ice cream, with appropriate toppings for each. If you would like to contribute a topping, please contact Susan LaGrande.
  • Music Sale: If you have organ- or choral-related sheet music that you no longer want, bring it here and let other members browse. Take what you want and leave a donation to benefit the Scholarship Fund.
  • Organ crawl: There will be an opportunity to play/hear seasonal organ music on the Emmons-Howard tracker organ (1904).
  Location: Hopewell Reformed Church, 143 Beekman Road, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
• Saturday, February 3, 2024 - 3:00 PM
  Romanian Organ Landscape: Renée Anne Louprette, Lecturer
  Chapter member Renée Anne Louprette is Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist at Bard College where she directs the Bard Baroque Ensemble and leads an annual Bach cantata series. She spent the Fall 2022 season as a Fulbright scholar in Brasov, Transylvania. Her audiovisual presentation will illustrate her survey of historic Romanian pipe organs.
  Location: St. James Episcopal Church, 4526 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538-1564. Free admission. Reception to follow. Info: 845-229-2820

New S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedures) for CHVAGO

1. The office of the Chaplain was added to the list of appointed officers.
2. Currently, the quorum for voting is 25%. The proposed change is to 15% based on current membership numbers.
3. We retained all of the committees suggested by National, but divided the list into standing and ad hoc committees, for a total of 13 committees. CHVAGO’s S.O.P. dated 1993 had 9 committees.

The updated S.O.P. was completed and submitted to the National Office, and is now cleared for our membership to review and approve.

At this point, we need you, our membership, to attend the next chapter meeting on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at Hopewell Reformed Church where we will be holding a discussion and then voting on the new S.O.P. Please attend this important event! For more information, contact Susan Guse, treasurer of CHVAGO. 

Sad News

OK – I know what you’re probably thinking – “FANFARES for organ, of course, but – RIFFS???”
Actually, there’s more in common than you might think between our instrument and the concept behind he word, RIFFS.
RIFFS appear in music from before Gershwin and blues, through jazz and boogie woogie, all the way up to Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Limp Bizkit.
So – what is a RIFF? It’s the same idea as a LICK! A short, hopefully memorable phrase; a small rhythmic and/or melodic motif, that lends itself to repetition, variation, and all sorts of improvisatory transformations.
Organ improvisations for centuries have centered around a brief germinal idea giving birth to a larger form – the four-bar phrase is an obvious example. Check out Dupré’s treatise on improvisation, or Gerre Hancock’s fine volume on the subject.
In this piece, the FANFARES contain rhythmic alterations within the normal common time structure. These flourishes build dynamically, and are interrupted several times by the RIFFS, which are also syncopated and built on melodic alterations or “blue notes” not in the customary major or minor scales or church modes. Ever wonder why some of Messiaen sounds like Duke Ellington? They both loved color, rhythm and exotic harmonies. Late Vierne has some rather purple passages too.
What is it that makes your own homemade apple pie different from all others? The way you make it, flavor it and bake it – especially important are the spices – and in music we’ve got syncopation, ornamentation and harmonic colorations, among lots of other “flavorings”. Try some of these when you need to improvise a little interlude!
And – I hope you like my apple pie!

Charles Callahan

We are grateful to have had the chance to welcome Charles Callahan to Poughkeepsie. May he rest in peace, long remembered.

Member News

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
December 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Editor’s Note: Continuing our series of articles written by other chapter members besides the Dean, this month we present a column by Board Member Johannes A. (John) Vanderlee. While John, a retired Senior Electronics Technician who was born in Holland, is not an organist himself, he has had a lifelong interest in all things organ from a musical as well as a technical perspective, whether the instrument be pipes or digital. He initiated and completed the renovation of the Bardavon theatre pipe organ under the New York Theatre Organ Society’s banner, of which he currently serves as Chairman. We welcome John’s unique perspective on the King of Instruments.

The other point of view

Perhaps it might be interesting to show the non-organist point of view.

In my earlier years I went to church in downtown Schiedam, in Holland, where the 11th-century St. Jan’s Kerk has a pipe organ with a 15th-century case; much of the original instrument was intact, although it has been renovated in recent years. I remember Easter Sunday mornings when we sang “U zijdt de Glory” (Thine is the Glory) from Handel’s Maccabeus, with a trumpet playing descant, an experience that I found truly celestial! Little did I know that a trumpetist was behind the balustrade up above; this kid thought that the carved angel atop of the case was playing the trumpet!

I also knew that my mother had some organ lessons although I never really heard her play, perhaps just a little bit when she had an opportunity in people's houses where they had pump organs, which I already found fascinating.

In those same days Dad also tried to build a simple electronic organ, and I’m sure that is why I still admire electronic instruments. However, my love of pipe organs persisted likewise.

I recall my grandmother saying that maybe I should be taking organ lessons, but it being post World War II, money was tight so that was never in the budget. One thing I did musically was to learn to play the guitar – somewhat. But I hated practicing. In later years I did try organ lessons, but the patience to practice always eluded me. Yet, if no one was listening, I’d whale away as if I knew what I was doing – such fun to make a grand sound!

Obviously, no instrument ever intrigued me as much as an organ did. I knew there were different kinds of organs: pipe organs, electronic organs, whereof I knew very little then, but the mysterious technical intricacies of how they worked were fuel for an inquiring mind.

Downtown Schiedam had a nice art deco theater, the Passage Theater, which had a wonderful Standaart theatre pipe organ that played songs for us kids when we attended summer programs there. My enduring involvement with the Bardavon Theatre perhaps harkens back to those days!

When I came to the US in 1960, I was blown away (not literally) in Radio City Music Hall by hearing that glorious instrument, which currently is a neglected shadow of its former self. Later, in High School, I was kind of an outsider who would listen to organ records for fun.
Amazingly, during my stint in the US Navy I found a few like-minded souls that shared my passion and I recall some of our discussions which were, incidentally, based totally on ignorance. One day, while in port, we read about an AGO concert in Norfolk, VA. and while the details escape me, one thing I recall very clearly. We spoke with the AGO people afterwards and were treated as interlopers. A request to be put on their mailing list was basically ignored. But that’s OK, I have since forgiven the AGO!

Much of what I learned came from recordings, and while still in the Navy that I found a record from a Reader’s Digest set with Virgil Fox recordings. I understand the late Virgil had met mixed reviews from the AGO’s upper crust, but to this organ ignoramus he was the first one whose performances registered something within me.

Shortly after my discharge, I had the opportunity to attend several of Fox’s concerts, including the much maligned/admired “Heavy Organ “concerts. As opposed to earlier experiences, this man spoke to me – in more ways than one. He stood up, faced his audience, spoke to them, told them what he was going to play, and explained what to listen for. Johann S. Bach finally made total sense to me! “Komm Susser Tod” as played by Virgil on the Wanamaker Organ was transcendental. A girl friend who listened with me thought it would be great with some weed! That never happened, but it was the early seventies, you know?

Over time, I learned to listen closer to organ music of all kinds – yes, every type of organ from Hammond to tracker, and everything in between that has since come along digitally. I learned something about organists that never occurred to me before: an organist is not just a musician playing an instrument. An organist is an “Orchestrator” in every sense of the word! The artist selects multiple instruments of many tonalities, molds the symphonic sounds and dynamics cohesively to his/her liking, chooses the interplay among differing instruments, and “conducts” the whole. Because that is what is available at the organist’s periphery: a full orchestra!

Yet, how many people fully understand, and have an appreciation for that? The organist is often unseen or partially hidden and the music that emanates is taken for granted. Perhaps that’s why the theatre organ fascinates. It’s meant to show off the artist’s skills. A merchant sells his wares by openly displaying them; the value of what’s offered can be clearly seen as well as heard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting we make a show of worship; I’ll leave that to that “other” type of worship, but the craft of the organist needs to be made more public. I’m sure everyone in the AGO aspires to lift the spirits of the worship, but do the parishioners understand what it takes? Most think you walk in, play the music, and just go home after. Organists need to find ways to educate those that we touch with the music.

Some lessons have been learned from NYTOS’ annual Christmas events at the Galleria Mall. The public mostly accepts the music as being part of the furnishings, until they actually see it being made, which brings no end of questions: What’s he doing with his feet? Why so many keyboards? What are all those buttons? Is that a big piano? How long did it take to learn that? etc. Those seem like silly questions, but they are really opportunities to engage. Yours truly enjoys being the producer rather than being the artist, because of this opportunity to educate. I find people invariably leave with a higher appreciation of what it takes to make that music.

A word about public “organ concerts”; they can have a bad name. It’s fine for organ scholars to get together and perform some obscure and/or atonal music to be performed and later analyzed and discussed. But in a public performance where you hope to gain admirers of the music, be selective of your program. After all, while you are there to show what can be done on an organ, include something familiar as be part of the program. It is the “hook” that pulls in those who are curious to explore the medium. I’m thinking of hearing German organist Barbara Dennerlein playing Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’ on a tracker organ. Or when in Orwell, Vermont we heard Ives’ Variations on America on a single manual tracker. Sometimes just a few chestnuts thrown in will make the program memorable to the newbies, and it makes it easier to sell them on the more complex repertoire.

Advent and Christmas make the season where the organ shines. Take advantage of it. Show your stuff and make sure people appreciate what you are doing. Let them know it is your Christmas gift to them. Play joyously to elevate the Christmas Spirit. The Holiday worship would not be the same without you. Have a blessed Christmas. Soli Deo Gloria!

John Vanderlee
Board member CHVAGO

Member News

• Stu Ballinger has a new phone number, effective immediately, 9;00 AM to 6:00 PM: 845-309-5398.
• As announced in last month’s newsletter, our chapter has recently awarded two scholarships. Both recipients have received grants for organ lessons and organ shoes, and a one-year Young Organist membership in AGO. Susie Gilgert, 17, is a student at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie. Tommy Leung, 16, is a student at Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls. Both are now taking lessons with Dillon Streifeneder, Director of Music at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie. Be sure to welcome and encourage them at our next social gathering!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
November 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Dear CHVAGO members,

I stepped down from the position of Dean almost a year and a half ago and was happily ensconced in my new role as Sub-Dean (in charge of programming). When past-Dean Benjamin Vice moved out of the area unexpectedly, the position of Dean was left vacant. To fill that position, the board referred to our by-laws, which dictated that the Sub-Dean would serve as Acting Dean until the next election, while still remaining Sub-Dean.

I am very grateful to the entire board for offering me support in these dual positions, and I have happily taken them up on their offer. One of the duties of the Dean is to write the “Dean’s Letter,” which is sent out to members as part of the monthly Newsletter. But I did not write the last two letters. Many thanks to Chaplain Kelly-Ray Meritt who wrote an excellent September letter about his role as CHVAGO Chaplain and how his pastoral training, combined with his interest in organ, extensive choral experience, and love of music make him especially qualified for his position. Thanks also to CHVAGO Secretary Nancy Vanderlee, who wrote the October letter about the importance of volunteer choirs as the backbone of both the worship and strength of religious communities.

One of the reasons that I asked my colleagues to write the last two letters in my place was that over the summer I was invited by the music director and the board of Cappella Festiva to be Guest Conductor for their November choral concert. Preparing for this concert has been a joyful, all-consuming experience! In this letter I write about my process preparing for this concert, especially about how it relates to an important mission of CHVAGO.

Choosing the theme and selecting the music for the concert was my first task, and it was especially meaningful for me. I quickly realized that it was important to me to continue exploring music composed by diverse composers, part of a mission that our CHVAGO Chapter, along with many other music organizations, has been focused on for the past three years.

Background: I have been a member of both CHVAGO and Cappella Festiva for a good many years (CF since 1987, and CHVAGO since around 2005). These two organizations were among many around the country that were discerning how we should respond as musicians to the important issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement during that difficult summer of 2020. After much discussion, our Chapter board issued a Juneteenth Statement which is posted on our website at chvago.org and which we posted in June, 2020 on our Facebook page. This statement says in part:

The mission of the American Guild of Organists in general and the Central Hudson Valley Chapter in particular is to foster a thriving community, which must include not only all musicians, but all humans, regardless of color. Our vision is to engage, support, and uplift. We must demonstrate our unwavering support for each other's professional advancement and success, in music as well as in other endeavors… [We pledge to educate] ourselves, our members, and our students about music written by and performed by Black musicians.

We pledged as a Chapter to support and to present concerts of music written by Black composers and by other under-represented groups. We also made a commitment to become more knowledgeable about music outside of the standard choral and organ canons and to educate our members and ourselves about this. All my life I have felt anchored in the tradition of classical music. However, I have become increasingly aware of the responsibility, as well as the opportunity, for us to move out of our comfort zones to explore and to celebrate choral and organ music written by under-represented composers. This is NOT a call to narrow our musical repertoire -- to drop Bach, Dupré, Franck, and others -- but it is rather an opportunity to widen our vision to include more music, not less! There is an amazing treasure trove of music written by African Americans, women, and other under-represented peoples, much of which is only just now being published.

Like CHVAGO, Cappella Festiva also has a Statement affirming their commitment to learn about and perform choral music by African Americans and other under-represented composers. The upcoming November Cappella concert program creates a rich tapestry of music in a variety of musical styles by a diverse group of poets and composers.

The first half of the concert takes us on a journey with engaging, passionate poetry, including texts by Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Emma Lazarus, Maya Angelou, and others. These texts are set in a variety of musical styles and include classical and popular, and music that draws on elements of jazz and gospel. The composers include Irving Berlin, Adolphus Hailstork, Rosephanye Powell, Randall Thompson, and others. Together the music and poetry form an arc of stories about determination and hope that represent the best of our American traditions and values.

The second half of the program features Francis Poulenc’s Gloria. This well-known choral work uses the traditional Latin Gloria text against a rich tapestry of musical styles, featuring soaring melodies, echoes of Gregorian Chant, and rich jazz-inspired harmonies and syncopated rhythms. Paralleling the arching journey of the first half of the concert, the Gloria sounds one minute like serious, sacred church music, and the next moment like jazzy music you might hear in a cabaret. The juxtaposition of these styles forms a dramatic tapestry, weaving together many different musical threads to create a beautiful work.

In February of this year, our Chapter presented a program of organ music written by African Americans and performed by seven local organists at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. It was very well attended, and people were excited to hear this music. Then in April 2024 we will present a concert of organ music composed by women. It will take place at the Poughkeepsie Reformed Church on Hooker Avenue in Poughkeepsie. If you are interested in playing in this concert, please be in touch with me via email.

I view this upcoming Cappella Festiva concert as a continuation of both my own personal journey and the journey of many musical organizations like CHVAGO and Cappella.

The concert will take place on Sunday, November 5th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, and its title is “Journeys & Celebrations.” Click here for a printable flyer. Tickets are available at the door. I hope to see many of you there!

Laura Russell, Sub-Dean, Acting Dean

Member News

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
October 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

The following is a modified excerpt from an article that Nancy Vanderlee wrote for a recent edition of her parish newsletter. The subject matter seems very timely, since many choirs are just resuming rehearsals after a summer break.

The Role of a Volunteer Choir

Any member of our choir would agree that we prepare music to praise God and edify the congregation. We minister to the congregation and to each other. Our ensemble serves as a conduit of faith for both the congregation and choir members. Choirs encourage good singing throughout the congregation and can be avenues to faith for visitors/guests who end up participating. In a church choir, ordinary people can experience the satisfaction of text coming to life as they sing a well-rehearsed anthem, hymn or canticle.

A volunteer choir creates a community unlike any other. A healthy choir can be one of the strongest small groups in a congregation. A rare and special dynamic is created among people who don’t have to be there. Our church is fortunate to have an ensemble such as this, whose members have been known to gather for social events outside of rehearsals and worship services, such as dinners and movie nights, as well. We must nurture this sense of community in the choir.

In addition to providing direction, a choir director also serves as as a voice teacher. Participants improve their vocal skills by practicing proper vowel and consonant formation, which leads to a more blended sound. Music reading skills are touched upon, but the ability to read music is not required for participation. Choir members always have access to practice sound files produced specifically for them, which helps to boost their confidence. Every anthem that we sing is carefully chosen, arranged, and tailored specifically to bring out the best in each person’s voice and the overall ensemble. Recently, some singers have been performing descants which I have composed specifically for our ensemble. Volunteer singers need to feel needed!

Frequently our singers are accompanied by a cellist, in addition to piano or organ. We find that this unifies our sound by enhancing the tenor/bass vocal lines or adding a countermelody or descant.

I feel fortunate to work in a congregation which supports these efforts by providing funds for continuing education and instrumentalists. With this financial backing, I continue to grow as a musician myself, by attending workshops and conferences, taking courses in choral arranging and composition, and performing as part of the Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir, led by Dr. Christine Howlett and Dr. Laura Russell at Vassar College, both of whom are excellent mentors. My ongoing work as a musician outside of the church, both as a singer, flutist, and teacher, is a constant source of renewal and skill building, which directly enhances my effectiveness as a church musician. My experience of over thirty years as a choral educator in the public schools has also directly informed my ability to minister at St. Peter’s.

May our choir continue to grow and thrive, fulfilling its role as a ministry!

Nancy Vanderlee
Music Director/Organist St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lithgow
Secretary, CHVAGO

Member News

• Susie Gilgert, scholarship recipient.
• Tommy Leung, scholarship recipient.
• The Rev. Kelly-Ray Meritt, CHVAGO chaplain.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
September 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Unencumbered with the precedents of earlier newsletter essays, uninformed of any upcoming chapter plans, and unequipped with any of the organ technique that would have allowed me to join your company by the usual route, I offer you, gentle organists, nothing more than a sliver of autobiography to introduce myself, hoping that those who invited me to serve as your chaplain will not be too abashed at their support. I will organize my thoughts around the apology, HOW I FAILED TO BECOME AN ORGANIST, even though I seem to spend inordinate amounts of time with such. If I fail to inspire, I hope I may at least amuse. 

I grew up in the parsonage of a midwestern Pentecostal congregation, with the expectation that I would behave myself in the front pew throughout no fewer than three services each week. The musical life of the congregation unspooled between the Hollywood glamor of Sister Aimee Semple McPherson's Angeles Temple--at whose Bible College my parents and my father's parents had studied, all four--and the crooning of romantic ballads by my grandfather accompanying himself on his guitar, to texts sanctified by the sensibilities of Radio Gospel quartets. Methodist Holiness and revival hymns of Ira Sankey or Fanny J. Crosby filled the “Song Books” we used. Repetitive “choruses” were permitted, but only as transitional garnishes, say, between the Song Service and the intercessory prayers, but we stopped well short of anything with a back-beat, fearing the allure of the demonic trio Sex, Drugs, and Rock-and-Roll. “We don't smoke, we don't chew, and we won't dance with the girls that do” defined my grandfather's ethics. His world was sorely threatened by “blue notes” and languorous rhythms. Minor chords were deemed unfit for witnessing the joy proper to the Redeemed.

And yet, there were piano lessons. In spite of moving from Minnesota to Nebraska to Colorado to Texas to Indiana before I finished high school, a teacher was found after we settled in each place. Saturday lessons became a joy to me, as much as an ordeal to my little sister, who would have preferred spending her Saturdays on 4-H projects. Miss Vinetta Henning rewarded my happily evaluated entries into the Graded Music Festivals at Concordia Teachers College in Seward with a trip to Omaha to see Aida performed. This led to many weeks of work on a simplified transcription of the Triumphal March and a commitment to finish the lesson in time for the Texaco Saturday Opera Broadcast from the Met. The lessons came to an end in high school, when I declined Mrs. Dorothy Treshansky's exercises to break the cartilage around my fourth fingers, and she thought that failure to achieve independence of fingering effectively concluded what she had to teach me.

Imogene Steele, the piano player at one of the Indiana churches we attended, would have me accompany her ‘cello-playing on her piano at home, in transcriptions of “Whispering Hope” or Saint-Saens’ carnival “Swan,” but warned against trying to play Scarlatti or Scriabin among the Saints. I felt brutal frustration at the isolation of my musical discoveries from my religious life. At seventeen I lacked the ability to imagine compromise between the two. This left me completely unprepared for my first Sunday Eucharist at the Chapel of Valparaiso University, where the music department was not exaggerating much to call itself the Department of Bach and Gregorian. Conservative enough to answer my religious reservations confidently, the Lutheran environment of the early 1970s there was able to integrate the various pieces of my young life into something that came to be vocation.  

But which vocation? I went there planning to teach Spanish when I grew up. Before long, the habits of a parsonage upbringing suggested--earlier to my friends and teachers than to me--that a pastoral vocation was percolating through. More out of curiosity than real commitment, I enrolled in an introduction to Lutheranism intended for non-Lutheran students affianced to devout classmates, prior to their marriages. But my real catechesis began with my audition to the Schola Cantorum, led by Frederick Telschow. Then the chair of Valpo's Music Department, Doc Fritz had attended the Seminary, left before ordination to take a degree in organ performance, and, following a back injury that limited how long he could sit on the bench, committed himself to choral conducting. We rehearsed for fifty-five minutes, five days a week. The first week he started us on the Sanctus of Bruckner's Mass (no. 2) in E minor; when we began reading the Agnus Dei a week later, he began it by asking us to shift from the mysterious abstraction of God's holiness to a devout response to the Lamb now present on the Altar. (To this day I have no better way to think of the power of music in worship.)

Adding a music major to a Spanish major was difficult at Valparaiso. There were sequenced courses demanded in both: Composition and Conversation before Golden Age Literature before Latin American, and several of both before a third language before Pedagogy. Theory before Counterpoint before Keyboard Skills before Organ before Composition before Improvisation. Even one semester out of sync made dual majors nearly impossible, at least in those days. And then, there was the semester abroad in Cambridge, normally reserved for juniors and seniors, but my advisor supported my going in the spring semester of my sophomore year. The Valpo faculty directors on site for four semesters were Gail McGrew Eifrig (then just finishing her doctorate in Victorian literature) and husband William F. Eifrig (another faculty organist); they would help me sort out my vocational confusions. As soon as I was sure of acceptance into the program, I wrote Bill Eifrig, asking to begin organ studies with him that spring in England.

He wrote back that that was impossible. There was no easy access to a practice instrument. He wasn't prepared to carve out extra time from his responsibilities as Program Director. There was no opportunity for a trans-Atlantic audition. Three semesters of choral singing, however well I sight-read, without other music prerequisites did not make me a music student. That one blue onion-skin aerogramme was the end of my aspiration to become an organist; it could well serve as the answer to the first part of my theme: I never became an organist because I lacked the clarity to make up my mind timely and the persistence to pursue the goal effectively. So, I tip my hat to you who have maintained the commitment, managed the ten thousand steps toward mastery, and persist in the discipline of organ performance.

My story does have a second part: After we met in person, Dr. Eifrig reiterated his objections to teaching me, but suggested that I could take advantage of the semester amid a rich variety of instruments of various eras: Listen, and train your ears to detect differences, from organ to organ. Listen to differences when a specific instrument is played by different organists. Listen to differences when an organ is rebuilt and when it has been preserved in its original state. He curated for me a path through the parish churches and college chapels, helping me find examples of early organs and Victorian extravagances and modern recreations around Cambridge and the area as far as Ely. When I traveled farther afield, he helped me learn how to express the differences in what I was hearing. He suggested that I could bridge my heavy-handed piano technique to future organ playing by using a harpsichord, one of which he happened to be assembling from a kit.

But it was Gail Eifrig who discerned that my pastoral skills were to be developed in preference to my musical skills. (Both Doctors Eifrig, as it turned out, came to present me for ordination eight years later,since my call as a “missionary-at-large” had no receiving congregation to fill the role. But that is another story.) My budding Lutheran attitudes concerning Baptism are closely connected to the baptism of the third Eifrig child, born within a week of our group's arrival there in 1972. Besides baby-care and teaching American students about Charles Dickens and Matthew Arnold, Gail Eifrig spent her time in Cambridge learning to play tenor viol and collecting English recipes for sweets. 

During my junior year, back in Indiana, although the Eifrigs were two more semesters in the UK, I continued his advice to listen to organ music, live and with score in hand, if possible. Church musicians need clergy who understand what they are doing--he had written when I announced my consideration of pastoral vocation--, and how they make decisions, especially when their criteria are different from the clergy's. I most often heard the mammoth instrument Hermann Schlicker of Buffalo built for Valparaiso’s Chapel of the Resurrection, and reckoned that I attended more organ recitals than most music majors, who had to report their attendance. Frequently asked to turn pages, I decided that was even better--and cheaper--than bringing scores with me to recitals. (Reciting conjugations of verbs, in most any language, is no more difficult while counting measures of Buxtehude than merely spoken out of rhythm.)

The Eifrigs had returned to Valparaiso by the time I had reached my senior year and was fully committed to the pre-seminary track. (In those days, the Missouri Synod required incoming seminarians to have reading proficiencies in Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and German, so my senior electives were oddly tilted toward the Foreign Language department, as it was then called.) But every Friday of that year, after Schola rehearsal and dinner in the residence hall (I was, of course, a Residence Assistant), I headed across town to the Eifrigs, where we enjoyed a pot of tea with Treacle Sponge or Raspberry Fool, with thin custard, after ninety minutes of my playing recorders, her playing viols, and him playing his now-completed (and well-traveled) harpsichord.  

The mid-1970s were a particularly contentious time for my Beloved Synod. Since then, few church bodies have escaped similar times of profound--and often, profoundly silly--disagreement. Meeting clergy-to-clergy can be a wary dance, while discerning where the new colleague stands,with or against a particular jurisdiction. I suppose organists may have similar obstacles to frank conversation: historically-informed versus lush anachronism? Neapolitan thirds: never? always? only as a joke? But conversations across vocations seem to me much easier: What do you most like to play? Convince me that you love it!

I had thought to add a second part, HOW I FAILED TO DESTROY A 1923 SKINNER ORGAN, in spite of my worst efforts, but perhaps it should wait. For a penitential season?

Kelly-Ray Meritt
CHVAGO Chaplain

Member News

Scholarship Recipients Announced

• Susie Gilgert is 17 years old, and is a student at Dutchess Community College. She has been a student of Dillon Streifeneder since January 2023. Her scholarship grant includes continued lessons with Dillon Streifeneder, plus a new pair of organ shoes and one year of membership in the American Guild of Organists.
• Tommy Leung is 16 years old, and is entering his senior year at Roy C. Ketcham High School. For several years he studied piano with Susan Guse. His scholarship grant will include organ lessons with Dillon Streifeneder, organ shoes, and one year of membership in the American Guild of Organists.

Update on the CHVAGO Annual Picnic

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
July 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Dean's Letter

It has been my great privilege to serve all of you as your Dean for the past year, but this letter will actually be my final one to you since major developments in my life over these months have brought me to a very different point in my journey one year later!

Little could I have ever anticipated that simultaneous with the actual election of officers being underway in June of last year – at that very moment in time (June 7, 2022 to be exact) I met a new and very significant person in, of all the unlikely places, a small group on Facebook! By way of explanation, a major part of what originally brought me to New York in September of 2015 was my taking a new position at Christ Episcopal Church in Suffern which began my “New York journey” in your midst!

I was at that time still recovering from the death in January 2009 of my beloved 24-year partner Fred Sarnes, from cancer. Fred was also an organist so my years with him were spent enjoying many recitals as we gleefully took apart both the repertoire as well as the performer in the car going home! All of that abruptly ended and the years since have been ones of searching for my own direction in life which I was hoping would include at some point a NEW companion in my journey. Well, on the date above that person appeared and the past year has been one of growing together and realizing that this new guy Rick – who not only lives in my home town of Little Rock but is also a retired banker, as was my father – is perfectly suited in every way for what I am needing in my life NOW! I just never dreamed it would take 13 years for him to be revealed to me!

I had no way of knowing how long this transition would take, and as one who takes my commitments very seriously I was prepared if necessary to complete my full 2-year term as Dean. But life has a way of making those choices for you instead, with or without your input, and this new man Rick Landers is now my fiance! What more need I say, my body is still currently residing in New York but my HEART is instead in my home state of Arkansas! All of my actual furniture and possessions have already made the move back to my new home there, and on Tuesday, July 18th I will have my final appointment with my Endocrinologist in West Nyack and from there I will be on the road west!

It is therefore necessary for me to submit to you my resignation as Dean of the CHVAGO chapter, to become effective on June 30, 2023.

On July 1st my membership will be renewed instead with the Central Arkansas Chapter of AGO so I will no longer be eligible to serve in the same capacity here. I leave you in the VERY capable hands of one of the finest Boards of directors you could ever want, however, many of whom have a MUCH longer tenure with this chapter than I ever could! They are already working out all the logistics to see that all of your needs are met just as you have come to expect.    

Sounds like a really FABULOUS member picnic is already planned in September “down by the riverside!” Gee....can I come back? By that point I actually hope to be a VERY active substitute organist around Little Rock metropolitan area as I see where this next chapter (dare I say “movement?”) of my own “Symphony” will take me! I just consider myself fortunate to still have my mental faculties intact enough that I am able to yet be productive with my chosen instrument!

So THANK YOU once again to each and every one of the marvelous folks who it has been my privilege to serve over these combined years as both board member and ultimately Dean. I wish for you “all the right notes” and continued blessings in your own individual journeys as life moves on… with or without us!

Very sincerely, 

Benjamin T. Vise, MM, Dean
Central Hudson Valley Chapter of AGO

Member News

• Heartfelt congratulations and farewell to our immediate Past Dean, Benjamin T. Vise! He has led our chapter most ably during the last year, and we will miss his quiet humor and collegial style of leadership. In his absence, the board will carry on with plans for future programs and continue pursuing ongoing issues. The next board meeting, on July 16, will be chaired by Justan Foster. Leadership will be rotated among board members until the next election.
• Don’t forget the Westchester AGO Convention coming up next week! We are proud to have two of our members, Craig Williams and Renée Anne Louprette, as featured performers . It’s not too late to register for the convention! Visit the web site at https://westchester2023.org/.

School Organ in Storage, Will Sing Again

As an Alumna of Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, I recently attended my 60th reunion. The campus remains spacious and beautiful, but there are lots of new buildings, with new construction and extensive renovations underway. When I was a student, I spent a lot of time in the Chapel, which was not only a worship space, but also home to several classrooms and the swimming pool. I rehearsed there often and sang every Sunday in the excellent choir. In those days I was not much interested in organs so I don’t remember much about the organ which was there at the time.

Several years after I graduated a new organ was installed, built by the Noack Organ Company. (Click here for a stop list.) I heard the new organ played when I returned for my 25th reunion in 1988, and I have been interested in the instrument ever since. Gail Archer has played there regularly in the past, as has Alfred V. Fedak and probably others I don’t know about.

Since the Chapel is currently closed for renovation both inside and out, I wondered what had become of the organ, so I contacted the alumnae department. They told me that the organ is currently in storage, but will be re-installed when the renovation of the building as part of a performance space is complete. Worship services will be provided for in a new multi-cultural building still in the planning stages.
I hope I will be able to return once again to the Emma Willard campus once the Noack organ re-installation is complete. It’s nice to hear about good things happening to pipe organs!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
June 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I bring you June greetings, and the beginning of the summer season which is always SUCH a welcome time for all church musicians when our choirs usually go into “summer break” and WE can do the same! I hope all of you have had a very meaningful and productive liturgical year in whatever setting you may serve....or not serve (hey, we need the “listeners” out there, too, as we all well know)!

There will be some wonderful programs coming up in the valley including two back-to-back concerts of BachFest with both events held in Skinner Hall on the campus of Vassar College. The first one is a Keyboard festival (Saturday, June 17), co-sponsored by our chapter; the second one (Sunday, June 18) will feature the the BachFest Choir in a fabulous Bach motet!

July will bring a very exciting event with our sister Westchester Chapter hosting a combined double regional convention (Northeast and Mid-Atlantic). I urge you to check out the web site (https://westchester2023.org/) for all the fabulous programs scheduled. Hopefully you have already registered to take advantage of all of this but there is still time to do so. Several chapter members have already indicated their intentions to attend at least one or two days of the convention. 

Last but not least, I urge ALL of you to take advantage of the multiple opportunities for continuing education to give you both “breathing room” as well as the marvelous networking with colleagues from all over the country. In years past I have always found that opportunity to be the one time when I was able to recharge my batteries for the planning of a new choir season in the fall!

Our beautiful valley offers SO many opportunities for recreation and renewal in the magnificence of our surroundings. Go and enjoy (and DO take family photos to share with us all at the next meeting)!

Benjamin T. Vise, MM, Dean
Central Hudson Valley Chapter of AGO

Member News

• Welcome to new member Francis Huang, who joins us as a Young Organist! We look forward to meeting him in person soon.
• Stu Ballinger has a new phone number, effective immediately: 845-309-5398 (8:00 AM - 7:00 PM daily).
• We are saddened to announce the death of long-time member Janet Nelson Nickerson, who died on May 6, 2023, at the age of 84.

  Janet always had a strong influence on our chapter through her teaching and performance. Among her many students are member Carl Geiselhart, who was one of the first recipients of the AGO Achievement Awards in 2020, having completed all five levels. Click here to view a photo of Janet and her student Carl at the Award Ceremony in 2020.

  Janet’s own organ studies included lessons with Dr. John A. Davis, Cadet Chapel, West Point. Janet studied theater organ styles and improvisation with Rosa Rio in New York City. In 1970 she entered the Guilmant Organ School, NYC, where she studied sacred organ music/choir directing and private organ study with Dr. George A. Markey.

  She served as organist at several local churches, starting in 1955 at Mountainville Methodist Church. Her most recent post was at King of Kings Lutheran Church in New Windsor, from which she was buried on May 11, 2023.

  Janet was very proud to have been inducted into CHVAGO’s League of Distinguished Service in 2019. We were proud to be counted among her friends and colleagues, and we will miss her.

  (To view her complete obituary, click here.)

Concert Report: Felix Hell

Concert Report: Joint Members’ Recital

Thanks to Christopher Fasulo for arranging for this welcome collaboration. May it lead to further shared events between Westchester and CHVAGO!

Organ Parts Free for the Taking!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
May 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Of course, it also occurs to me that “Mayday” is a pretty loaded word indeed in terms of an expression to say there is a major emergency requiring URGENT ACTION! So, um, ok....I am choosing to just leave that RIGHT THERE on the table and move on! Yikes!! To my knowledge, NO such emergency exists right now, so I pray for all of us that it remains so!

I DO hope that everyone with liturgical responsibilities during recent Holy Week and Easter celebrations (or the equally important Orthodox observances one week later), OR Passover OR....whatever such observances you celebrate in your neck of the woods had a very meaningful and thrilling celebration. To be honest, that was why Susan LaGrande and I decided NOT to try to publish an April newsletter since THAT WAS THE EXACT WEEK IT WOULD HAVE GONE OUT and we figured none of you would have any time, energy, or reason to look at it! Somehow I do not think you missed us, but now with the beautiful month of MAY we are BACK with – as they say – bells on!

Our next upcoming program will be a joint venture between Central Hudson Valley and our near neighbors, the Westchester chapter of AGO. Together we will present an organ recital to showcase the relatively new Schoenstein organ at St. Philip's in the Highlands Episcopal Church in Garrison, NY, on Saturday, May 20th at 1:00 PM. For further details, see below.

The folks in Westchester have a VERY busy summer coming up, also, with their hosting of the Northeast Regional Convention of the Guild at the beginning of July! LOTS of opportunities for summer fun and enrichment. Please do GO and ENJOY TO THE FULLEST (or likewise take in one of the denominational summer events such as the NATIONAL MEETING of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians which takes place in nearby Philadelphia in July. Information on that event may be found at their website, alcm.org)!

Please accept my best wishes for all of you to find summer REST and RENEWAL in whatever activities you seek out! WE NEED YOU to work as we all do to protect our mental and physical health in this demanding profession of ours!

Best wishes,

Benjamin T. Vise, MM, Dean
Central Hudson Valley Chapter of AGO

Member News

• We are so pleased to announce that a new member is joining us! Her name is Karlyn Maschhoff, and she writes:
  “I am an active duty chaplain in the army and I am on PCS orders to West Point Military Academy where I will serve as the Garrison Chaplain. I am on the waiting list for housing on post, but will report in June. I joined the chapter as a part of making West Point my new home when I renewed my AGO membership.

  I am studying organ currently. My teacher is Dr. Paul Tegels who teaches at Pacific Lutheran, but I study privately with him. I play for our Chapel services on post here at Joint Base Lewis McChord. We have a renovated (several times) Reuter organ that was originally built in the 1930s in our Main Post Chapel. I have been quite busy in the repairs and maintenance since I came. The organ I play for chapel services each Sunday is not so fancy, an electric Allen organ from the 1970s, but the people enjoy the organ music nonetheless.

  I have enjoyed sharing the organ with our young Soldiers and their families, some of whom had never heard an organ live before. I have been able to link a few new organ recruits to our local AGO Tacoma chapter. Doing my part to build the future.

  I hope this answers some of your questions. I will visiting West Point for a few days the first week of May before my move in June. A good phone number for me is 505-340-6167.

  I go by the name Kari so my Facebook name is Kari Maschhoff. Not to be confused with my twin sister, who is Kristi. I also have a sister in Philadelphia who will be my closest family member after I move to New York.”

• We have received the following Easter Greetings from the family of long-time member Connie Lacey, who was formerly organist at Fishkill Reformed Church before her retirement. She now resides at The Pines in Poughkeepsie:
  "Thank you for sending cards and reaching out to Connie. Connie will be spending Easter with us at church, hiding eggs for the children in the playground and then brunch at our home. All four kids will be in town along with Lisa’s sister’s family. Easter used to be full of music and rehearsals as Connie celebrated the holy week so know she is looking forward to going to church and visiting with family.

  She plays and electric organ in the dining room and enjoys the many programs, especially the musical events and bingo. She can receive guests who show a negative test (provided and self-administered in the lobby). Thank you again for the many cards and note! She will re-read them several times. Do not hesitate to phone John at 845-750-3114.”

  Connie can be reached at: Connie Lacey c/o Pines Poughkeepsie, 100 Franklin Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 or Connie Lacey c/o 2428 Salt Point Tpke, Clinton Corners, NY 102514.

Upcoming Joint Members’ Recital

We are hoping to have five performers from each chapter perform in this upcoming recital, and so far from our chapter we have only one commitment to play. We understand that time is short, but we strongly encourage you to join this elite group! If you are interested in presenting a piece to an appreciative audience on this fine instrument, please contact the Westchester chapter Dean, Chris Fasulo, at agowestchester@gmail.com. Chris will be able to advise you about practice times, suitability of repertoire, etc.

Following the recital, anyone interested will be able to try out the organ. A festive reception will follow in the Parish House. The concert is free and everyone is welcome.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
March 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

We had a totally AMAZING February Members' Recital at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, with eight of our members performing a wonderful variety of VERY diverse works by composers of color! I was also blown away by the very large multi-racial turnout of well over 100 people (we ran out of programs!) who represented both a wide geographic area as well as a wide range of AGES! What was not to love????!

I regret that coming off of such a HIGH last month our Sub-Dean and Programming Chair Laura Russell has made a critical decision that it is necessary to cancel (or postpone) our 2nd such event featuring women composers, simply because we only had too few people volunteer to play! So for those of you who were planning to join us on March 25th at St. George's Episcopal Church in Newburgh....well, please SAVE THAT THOUGHT! Since this was to also be only two weeks before Easter, well, I guess you could also say “what were we thinking?”

So I will instead try to share “an encouraging word” to all of our members and friends who are obviously engaged well into the Lenten season (or whatever denominational observances are on YOUR plate to lead during these coming weeks, including the Orthodox Easter which will follow one week later from the Christian one! Regardless of affiliation it is a stressful time for all of us “who make music in the church or synagogue” and I will simply say “please be careful to take due care of YOURSELVES as we together travel this thorny route!”

Blessings and peace to ALL of you and may we all have a chance to enjoy this incredible springlike weather (gadzooks, the spring equinox is coming up FAST as well as the TIME CHANGE this coming Sunday the 12th)! I will NOT second guess Mother Nature in ANY form though, knowing that the month of March can often be FULL of surprises here in the northeast!   

“Oh, God, be merciful to me!!!”

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
February 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

The month of February is known for more than one thing. Of course, probably the most “prominent” one is Valentine's Day (just go look in your local grocery or drug store if you doubt me on that score)! But the one I wish to focus on in this letter is Black History month. My reasons are simple – the more examples of MUSIC that I have heard in recent years from composers of color, the more I have been utterly ASTOUNDED at the quality and craftsmanship that has gone into creating them! It is a shame we are only now becoming more aware of this – but better late than never!

Our chapter is going to do its part as well with our upcoming Members' Recital this Sunday at 3:00 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Poughkeepsie, when all of the repertoire to be performed will be by black composers! I urge all of you to join me in attending because it will be a very rich experience for all of us! Composers include David Hurd of New York City (now the resident musician at St. Mary the Virgin … sometimes also known as “smokey Mary’s”), Adolphus Hailstork (don't you just LOVE to say that name?), as well as Carl Haywood, Ruth Norman, George Walker, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Florence B. Price.

I have to admit my own personal admiration for Florence Price, though, because of one simple fact – she and I share the same home city of Little Rock, Arkansas! So having her receive so much exposure now that such a large amount of her compositions have been discovered in a former home in suburban Chicago has been very exciting for me, and for SO many others who have come to appreciate the amazing diversity and quality of everything she crafted! The entire collection is now being housed and curated at The University of Arkansas where I spent one semester but studying architecture … before I “saw the light” and thankfully switched back to music!

ALL of this music promises to be revealing, though, so how fortunate we are that our sub-dean Laura Russell has been able to put this outstanding program together. And this is going to be the FIRST of two programs, actually, with the second one following in March (see the calendar for details) at St. George's Episcopal Church in downtown Newburgh, where all of the repertoire will be women composers! Since both parishes share the same rector, Mary Barber, we are doubly blessed!

And speaking of Newburgh – I hope everyone has been able to read the OUSTANDING front page article in the most recent issue of The American Organist about the restored instrument in Calvary Presbyterian Church there. This remarkable vintage Aeolian-Skinner organ was almost lost to the disastrous fire there about two years ago, but the church has now “come back from the ashes.” A very interesting fact about the instrument is that some ranks of pipes found there actually were stamped with the name “Washington Cathedral,” since the two organs were being built at the same time! A little swapping here and there, you know, was apparently not all that uncommon a practice within the Skinner shop! Hopefully we will at some future time be able to feature a visit there in one of our monthly meetings. SO much richness to share both this month and next … and down the road an organ crawl to visit the new Schoenstein organ in Garrison. Aren't you glad YOU live in the Hudson Valley?

Everyone be well and best wishes to those who will be starting the Lenten observance with Ash Wednesday in only a few more weeks.

Benjamin T. Vise, MM, Dean
Central Hudson Valley Chapter of AGO

Membership News

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
January 2023

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I hope that all of you will use these weeks to begin to restore your energy since I know from my own experience how depleting all of the multiple events of December every year can be utterly exhausting, particularly if you are a person in leadership at whatever level! Even our faithful choir members or ringers put out the maximum at this time of year to provide the glorious music we all enjoy that literally MAKES the season come to life! So whether you are a director or a person sitting in the congregation, be sure to tell them of your appreciation. It can make ALL the difference for them!

Our next chapter event is a favorite of many from years past: the Spuds & Sundays social time and music sharing event which will return in full force on Sunday evening, January 29th at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls. The pandemic put on hold this event until we were lucky enough to try out a “mini” sized event utilizing Eric Hepp's generous sized garage and driveway, so that has emboldened us to give this very popular and unique event a goodly dose of vitamins to make it one of the best yet! Look for all the details elsewhere in this issue and in the calendar.

Two other events coming up in February and March will be a split set of Member's Recitals at two different locations. This will give our membership a choice depending on where they happen to live, too, one on each side of the river! The first one at 3:00 PM on Sunday, February 12 (note REVISED date) will offer the chance to perform music composed by people of color, and you will be amazed at the CHOICES, especially if you have not had a chance to “dabble” in this topic! This will also serve as our Black History month observation and will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Poughkeepsie.

The second recital at the same starting time will be on Saturday, March 25 (also a revised date) but this time we will feature music composed by women! Our chapter leadership has a goal of giving emphasis to more music by typically “underrepresented” composers, and we thank Sub-Dean Laura Russell for her outstanding leadership in pulling these two events together. PLEASE, we cannot pull either of these events off unless we have PEOPLE TO PERFORM IN THEM, so be in touch with Laura for assistance and to register your interest. This should really be a lot of fascinating fun as it always is to discover new music which is not currently on our “standard list.”

And last but not least, I want to thank all the members of our chapter who have been so supportive of me during my second and last cataract surgery on December 6th. This particular operation went like clockwork (unlike the problems I encountered in the first one that put the entire healing process on slow motion for nearly 3 months)! I am now truly stunned at the improvement in my vision overall and within the coming month or two I am confident I should be able to resume driving at night once again. Gadzooks, that means I will actually be able to ATTEND some of our programs!! This has been the very BEST Christmas gift I could possibly have received!

Winter blessings to you all as we begin to also see the days get longer once more! And to that I say a hearty YAY!!

Membership News

• Since AGOHQ adopted rolling enrollment dates a few years ago, some of us tend to lose track of our membership expiration date. In any given month, there are several members whose membership is about to expire. Remember, you must be a member in good standing for your name to be included in the Sub List or Teachers List. In order to maintain your membership and the privileges which it conveys, please pay your dues promptly. If you have any questions about how to renew your membership, or when your current membership expires, please contact Susan LaGrande at chvagoboard@gmail.com.
• Welcome back to Patrick Walker and Lisa Davey, both of whom have renewed their membership after a brief lapse. It’s never too late to send in your dues payment!

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
December 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Greetings of the season to all of our CHVAGO members and friends!

I am very fortunate indeed in that my dear friend Rick Landers from my home town of Little Rock will be coming back to New York for two weeks to help me through this process just as he did when I had the prior surgery on my right eye back in early September. Yes, that was quite some time ago, and the healing process has been achingly S-L-O-W as a result of some complications that arose in that surgery that could not be avoided! Within the past weeks I have finally seen DRAMATIC improvement, however, in my vision on that side--so much so that I CAN NOW EVEN SEE CLEARLY THE NOTES IN THE MUSIC ON THE ORGAN MUSIC RACK!! Gee, no wonder I was playing so many wrong notes before!! (Hey, at my age you grab any excuse you can, but....yikes)!

With any kind of luck this one “may” go more like a standard cataract procedure which normally heals very fast, but the doctor has made it clear that they simply will not know until they get into my eye to “assess conditions!” Not much one can do under those circumstances but PRAY FERVENTLY for enhanced healing, so I covet from any of you in our membership (of which I know there are many) who also have “good connections upstairs!!” Hey, I take ALL kinds! ALL religions count in my book in one form or another and we “mostly” all pray to the same God!

So in light of all this I am going to “step back” this month and let our able Director of communications, Susan LaGrande, as well as Sub-Dean Laura Russell do the bulk of the writing to give some wonderful additional detail about a number of exciting programs that are planned for the rest of our program year, starting next month! I meanwhile want to wish for all of our members and colleagues a VERY blessed and meaningful (spelled GLORIOUS) season of Advent, Christmastide and alongside anticipation of what I believe to be the often badly “underplayed” season of Epiphany!

As they always say (even though it doesn't always apply the best for organists!)....BREAK A LEG!!

Benjamin T. Vise, MM, Dean
Central Hudson Valley Chapter of AGO

Membership News

From the Sub-Dean:

I thought now would be a good time to share with you some of the thoughts that go into planning our programs. 

We strive to present programs that further our Chapter's mission and goals, listed on our website:
Our chapter members have a wide range of skills and experiences, and we try to have events that will be helpful or interesting to as many members as possible. We welcome musicians of all skill levels and those who play on all instruments, including pipe organs, electronic organs and theatre organs. We also strive to affirm our commitment to the goals of our Juneteenth Statement.

We try to include programs that:

• Foster social interaction/fellowship
• Feature a variety of venues & instruments in our region
• Promote education through presentations on technique and repertoire, as well as Certification Awards and Achievement Awards
• Include a variety of types of performance, including in-person, virtual, professional performers, regional & local performers
• Bring new members to our chapter by recruiting new and/or young organists and organ aficionados
• Raise awareness of AGO and of the Organ to the public
• Collaborate with other AGO chapters; with other musical organizations; with performers and venues, both religious and secular

Upcoming CHVAGO programs for 2023

• Spuds 'n Sundaes event on January 29th - see details on our Calendar, elsewhere in this newsletter.
• Members' Recital: This year we will divide up this event into two concerts, both focused on music written by under-represented composers. In February we will feature music written by people of color. In March we will feature music written by women.
  Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 3:00 PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 161 Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie
  Sunday, March 25, 2023 at 3:00 PM at St George’s Episcopal Church, 105 Grand Street, Newburgh
  Both programs would primarily feature organ works, but they can also include choral pieces. The choral component will be in the form of a reading and/or an informal choral performance. Knowing that many of us are not necessarily familiar with the wealth of music written by under-represented composers, we will share in advance a listing of works, at all levels of difficulty, to help members make a selection of what they would like to play. Look for an email about this, and for the list to appear on our website as well.
• Bach to Broadway Duo Organ Concert – late April or early May at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie. Date TBD
• Crawl, Demo, Concert – at St Philip’s Church in the Highlands, 1101 Route 9D, Garrison, where Christopher Fasulo (Dean of the Westchester Chapter) is the new organist. This will be a joint program between our Chapter and the Westchester Chapter. St. Philips has a beautiful Schoenstein organ that was installed just before the pandemic hit. I know many of us will be excited to hear and explore the possibilities of this wonderful instrument! Late May - early June: exact date TBD.
• Westchester 2023 AGO Regional Convention – July 3-6, 2023. We encourage all of our members to register for and attend this exciting event “in our neighborhood”. We hope to collaborate with the Westchester Chapter on aspects of their convention. 
• Annual CHVAGO Picnic – July/August – date and place TBD
• Collaboration with NYTOS – on the re-establishment of the organ teaching program at Hyde Park High School, to include both Classical and Theatre organ lessons. Watch for more information as it becomes available.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events!

Laura Ramsey Russell
CHVAGO Sub-Dean, Programming Committee Chair

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
November 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

It was such a total joy for us to gather in the historic and elegant surroundings of First Lutheran Church in downtown Poughkeepsie on Sunday afternoon, October 2nd, for a multifaceted program to install our officers and board for the new year of life for our unique and spirited chapter of AGO. A very palpable feeling of utter joy in being able to gather once more “in person” was apparent throughout our time together, and it pervaded every aspect of our celebration and sharing of our respective gifts! How could it have been otherwise when we have finally emerged from such a long period of being “locked down” by the COVID epidemic?

The singing of our opening hymn, “When in Our Music God is Glorified,” just about blew the roof off of that magnificent space, at least to my ears at the console of the wonderful vintage Austin organ in the gallery! And I assure you that I spared no organ, either!! It set the stage for an incredibly vibrant beginning to our program year for 2022-2023.

Our brand new chaplain, Rev. Kelly-Ray Meritt, enthusiastically jumped into his new role as we used a ritual of installation that I “borrowed” (with their full permission) almost verbatim from my colleague Bob Bidwell, the Dean of the Central Arkansas chapter of AGO which is based in my home town of Little Rock, Arkansas! We also took time to honor our host for the day, Eric Hepp, who has been so incredibly vital to the life of our chapter over many years in too many aspects of our life together to mention! We were excited to present him with a certificate as our newest inductee for our League of Distinguished Service award.

After this we had multiple presenters--all arranged by Sub Dean Laura Russell (even though she could not be there personally as she was returning from the wedding of her grandson in New Hampshire)--who shared a wide variety of choral anthems, a “hot off the press” setting of a psalm presented by Susan Guse, and even an original composition by James Fitzwilliam. The gathered members formed a small but very vibrant choir as we gathered around the rich sound of the magnificent Steinway piano in the First Lutheran sanctuary. Then Eric ended the program with an original organ work by John S. Dixon that had been presented at the National AGO Convention in Seattle earlier in the summer.

(Editor’s Note: Click here for the complete program for this event.)

The “piece de resistance” for everything, however, was the incredible spread that Eric had prepared--all by himself!--for a time of fellowship afterwards. With such a variety of good things to eat and drink, including multiple gourmet cheeses and even a lovely “cinnamon streusel” style baked dish that Eric made himself! How could we have possibly gone wrong?

I was so pleased that we were able to get a magnificent photo taken of the entire group by James F. using his iPad. Thanks to the efforts of our Director of Communications, Susan LaGrande, this will be appearing in the Chapter News section of The American Organist magazine in another month or so. There is a 2-month lead time to get things published there, but be sure to also check out the very fine submission by Susan about recent chapter events that is found on pg. 100 of the October 2022 issue of the magazine. We are SO incredibly blessed to have Susan constantly balancing so many multiple functions in the life of our chapter, including her diligent and very thorough preparation every month of this newsletter!

Our board of directors will have our next meeting via ZOOM on Sunday evening, November 13, at which time our agenda will include discussion of other planned programming for the year to come. In the meantime, I wish to ALL of us the gift of wisdom and energy we will need as we enter one of our busiest seasons of the entire year as church musicians, choral directors and organists! And even all those enthusiastic “fans” of the above, without whom our life together could not exist.

Blessings to you all during this magnificently beautiful time of the year!

Membership News

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
October 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Greetings to all members and friends of this wonderful chapter of AGO which draws from an incredibly widespread geographic area surrounding our beloved Hudson River! We are excited that in only a few more days we will have the opportunity to gather for the very first meeting of our new 2022-2023 season.

This coming Sunday, October 2nd, we will gather in the beautiful sanctuary of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie, located at 325 Mill Street, at 3:00 PM for an opening liturgy of celebration and gratitude for a new year as well as an order for the installation of our new crew of officers and board members (all elected by YOU back in June of this year). Following this we will take a moment to honor our host for the day Eric Hepp as our newest recipient of the chapter's League of Distinguished Service award.

The program will then transition into a more “nuts and bolts” choral and organ reading session led by various members of our chapter.

We hope that this will provide all who attend a few inspiring “starter ideas” for their own worship planning as we move through the challenges in each of our individual situations. The program will then conclude with a time for refreshments and fellowship as provided by the members and staff of First Lutheran Church.

I personally am also excited to report that, at the bidding of our chapter officers, I have been able to appoint a new Chaplain for CHVAGO, a position that has been vacant for more years than anybody currently serving can remember! This position will follow the guidelines as observed by the national AGO to serve in a non-elected capacity. And to that end, please join me on Sunday in welcoming Rev. Kelly-Ray Meritt, a long time clergyman serving The Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod. He will join us Sunday after leading Divine Worship at a church on Long Island, so I told him it would be just fine if he needed to enhance his apparel by adding any additional stains necessary to match whatever he brings along from Long Island! Given that he currently still calls The Bronx his home we will be well served by a definite “man on the move!”

I very much look forward to seeing ALL of you on Sunday afternoon! 

Benjamin T. Vise, MM
Dean, CHVAGO

League of Distinguished Service

Here is a list of some of the people who have been honored in the past:

Precursors to League of Distinguished Service:
2007 - Jack Davis, John Sullivan, Kay Pearson, Mary Caskey, Ray Corey, Erna Loerch
2008 - Alice Cann, Anita Drake
2009 - Pat Maimone
League of Distinguished Service:
2017 - Connie Lacey, Stu Ballinger, Lois Hoger
2019 - Charles Faverio, Nancy Brown, Richard Ehlenberg, Janet Nickerson, Margaret Small
2020 - Glenn May, Craig Williams, Elaine Simpson

If you know of someone who should be on this list, please contact the editor, Susan LaGrande.

Membership News

• Nancy Demilio and her husband Kevin Scott have moved! Although Nancy still maintains her chapter membership, she is now technically within the area served by the Eastern NY Chapter. Her new address is 217B Deer Run Road, Hudson Falls, NY 12839. Her email address and cell phone number remain the same. Good luck, Nancy and Kevin!
• Renée Anne Louprette started a “six-month Romanian Fulbright adventure in August.” She has been posting wonderful pictures on her Facebook page of her travels through Transylvania, where she has been visiting pipe organs and historic buildings. Safe travels, Renée!
• We are saddened to report that Craig Williams’s mother Vina died on September 27. Craig posted this on his Facebook page:
  My mother Vina passed away earlier this morning. She had neuropathy for the last 12 or so years which gradually limited her mobility to the point where she was no longer able to walk or eat in the last few weeks. After being in the hospital two weeks ago, she rallied a bit - and was able to go home and receive hospice care. She seemed to improve, and I enjoyed phone conversations with her and my stepfather Tom almost every day. This past weekend, she took a turn for the worse; and we are all in a bit of shock how quickly she left us. Fortunately, Tom was by her side until the end, and other members of my family visited her over the weekend. I was planning to travel to CA to visit with her tomorrow (Wednesday), and I am still going - though for a different purpose now.

  With the onset of the COVID pandemic, I was not able to visit with her because of distance and quarantine issues. One of the ways I continued to "connect" with her was posting YouTube videos, sharing the music she inspired in me and loved so much! As I now say good-bye to my No. 1 "YouTube fan," I post one last video for a while - out of order in my Orgelbüchlein collection, but these partings and transitions are always out of order. I recorded this last night, just a few hours before she departed. The text of this chorale "When in the Hour of Utmost Need" is a prayer containing these words:

  Then this our comfort is alone,
  That we may meet before Thy throne,
  And cry, O faithful God, to Thee…

  I thank everyone for their continued prayers and support. My mother and all of us have been blessed being surrounded by loved ones and friends!

  Here is a link to the video that he mentioned in his tribute: https://youtu.be/XNB0_y-Cdzw

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
September 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

As we begin to move into the upcoming month of September and the fall season of programming which accompanies it for so many, I want to highlight both a program which occurred at the end of July as well as our plans for a wonderful event coming up early this fall to begin our own “new” program year for the 2022-2023 season.

I had so much that I needed to cover in my very first Dean's letter to all of you in August, however, I very regretfully did not have the needed space to properly acknowledge the fabulous “Peace Vigil Concert” that took place on Sunday evening, July 30th at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie. Under the magnificent planning and leadership of our members Patrick Walker (host), Susan Guse and Laura Ramsey Russell, this program was co-sponsored by our chapter as well as St. John's and Christ Episcopal Church in the same city. The quote on the front cover from Leonard Bernstein, whose birthday we happened to celebrate only yesterday, so magnificently set the stage:
“This will be our reply to violence: To make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before!”

The original idea for this program arose some time prior as a response to the beginning of the war in Ukraine, but with all the other violent events which abruptly took place in our society immediately afterward it just became very evident that it needed to expand in scope around the “Vision of Peace” for which we all were so fervently longing! The outcome could not have been a more magnificent evening of brilliant performances by a vast host of participants, including a concert choir organized by Laura, as well as two different handbell ensembles, and which featured original compositions for the evening by Patrick Walker, James Fitzwilliam, and others. Members of our chapter who served as participating organists included Susan Guse, Meredith Baker, Craig Williams, Maris Kristapsons, James Fitzwiliam and Anthony Rispo, whose magnificent closing improvisation literally brought down the house!

With such an energetic and inspiring event serving as a “mere mid-summer concert,” (ahem) we knew that anything we planned going forward would feed off of the inspiration generated! So, now with that intent, we turn our attention to the first upcoming program of our own program year for Central Hudson Valley Chapter of AGO. This program will take place on Sunday afternoon, October 2nd at 3:00 PM at First Lutheran Church, 325 Mill Street in downtown Poughkeepsie. This program will serve as a time to formally install our new officers and board members for the coming two year term, and with any kind of luck this will be done by a “new” chaplain for CHVAGO, a currently “missing component” of our own chapter organization which we are trying fervently to rectify! It will additionallyserve as a time to honor our host musician, Eric Hepp, long-serving officer and board member, for all the voluminous years he has worked so hard on behalf of us all!

The second portion of the program will consist of a participatory reading session of choral and possibly organ works, led by volunteer members of our chapter. This portion is being planned by our Sub-Dean Laura Ramsey Russell, even though she will unfortunately not be able to attend herself. No one could possibly have any better a reason to miss it though, since Laura will be just be returning that afternoon from attending her grandson's wedding in New Hampshire! We heartily extend all of our collective good wishes to her as well as all of her family on such a marvelous occasion!

So please DO plan to come and join us SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd for a multi-faceted program, which will be followed by refreshments and opportunity for fellowship afterwards. I hope to see YOU there with bells on!

Ever sincerely, and please..... “always play right notes if you are able!”

Benjamin T. Vise, MM
Dean, CHVAGO

Membership News

• Joseph Bertolozzi has been busy with his Bridge Music sound-art installation. In June nine dance companies performed to Bridge Music on the Walkway Over the Hudson That performance was filmed and the movie is being premiered Saturday, September 17 at 6:00 and 9:00 PM at Story Screen Beacon and Sunday, September 18 at 4:00 PM at the Rosendale Theatre, with a pre-screening talk about Bridge Music by Bertolozzi and a post screening Q+A with him and choreographers. In between all that, Bridge Music was awarded the 2022 Dutchess County Executive's Arts Award for Art in Public Places. Congratulations, Joe!
• Margaret Small has a new address and phone number. Effective immediately, her contact information is:
  Dr. Margaret Small
  922 Ohio Street, Apt 132
  Bangor, ME 04401
  Home:  207-573-4442
  Summer: 207-638-2141
  Cellphone: 207-598-1479
  don.small@ymail.com
• Former chapter member Bruce Xu was recognized in the current (September 2022) issue of the American Organist Magazine in the Pipings section, page 26. Bruce, who with his twin brother Reilly Xu grew up in our chapter, won first prize in the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing, which took place in Syracuse in June. He also took the Will O. Headlee Audience Prize. Bruce is an undergraduate student of Ken Cowan at Rice University. Congratulations, Bruce!
• Patrick Walker, former Director of Music at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie, has assumed his duties as Music Director at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in McLean, VA. We will miss him, but we wish him well!
• Dillon Streifeneder, another young organist who grew up in our chapter, has been named the new Director of Music at St John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie. Growing up in Red Hook, Dillon played in the school’s concert band and sang in the choir from grade school through high school. He began playing organ in high school when called on to substitute for the organist at his home congregation of Rock City Memorial Lutheran Church. Shortly thereafter, Dillon began playing in other local churches (including a few Sundays at St. John’s), and taking private organ lessons, which he continued in college. Attending Lebanon Valley College (LVC) in south-central Pennsylvania, Dillon earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Music and Organ Performance in 2014. While at LVC, Dillon studied with Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman, sang in the concert choir, and performed with the handbell ensemble. Dillon has served Lutheran, Episcopal, and Methodist parishes in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Ohio, and was most recently the organist and director of music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Having received his PhD in history in May, Dillon will begin teaching as an adjunct professor at SUNY New Paltz this coming fall semester. Welcome back, Dillon!

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
August 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Letter from the Dean

First and foremost, we owe an extreme debt of gratitude to Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA, who has so ably led us as Dean for the last 6 years (that's THREE full terms)! Laura was quite emphatic that she did not want to run for another term as Dean (who could possibly blame her?), but we will all still benefit from having her around, especially me as I try to fill her very large shoes (NOT possible)! It was her own suggestion that she wanted to instead work with programs going forward and all the existing members of the Executive Board wholeheartedly agreed with that!

Laura has begun to set up a program committee and we will be soon hearing plans for new programming during the coming year, hopefully starting in October or so with a festive Service of Installation for our new officers. Other possible programs may include a Members' Recital as well as some of our time-tested favorites like the exceedingly popular Bach to Broadway program, Spuds n' Sundaes, and beyond!

The other former board member who needs a major mention, however, is Eric Hepp – how could we have made it without him? Eric has served on the board "seemingly forever" but he also was VERY emphatic that he did not want to return to the board any time soon, especially since he was also to retire from his...ahem...."day job" in NYC in July! We look forward to seeing a hopefully "more relaxed" Eric in the months to come! Oh, and those of you who were not able to attend the Spuds n' Sundaes that he hosted at his beautiful home at the beginning of the summer missed a true treat!

So, meanwhile, here I sit in the Dean's chair....ready or not! But I do want to assure you that I do have prior experience in this job, just not since I was Dean of the Detroit AGO chapter from 1992-94. We are so blessed to continue to have such incredibly gifted leadership in this chapter and all of them agreed to continue in their respective roles for the coming 2 years, while we also welcome two new members to join us going forward: John Vanderlee (husband of our chapter Secretary Nancy) as well as Eileen Kerkes, who joined the chapter in the spring of 2021.

I lived in Canton, Ohio before moving to New York State six years ago. Like our chapter here in the Central Hudson Valley, our chapter in Ohio was not large, but we hosted some incredible programs often with larger attendance than those from our much larger neighbor chapters to the north in Cleveland and Akron!

I am deeply humbled to have had you place your trust in me over these next two years. Feel free to call me by my full name, which I enjoy hearing because I just think it sounds musical: Benjamin Thomas Vise! Or, well, just call me "you there, boy" as my mother often did as she went down the names of all 4 boys in my household. I promise to answer to any and all of them!

So everybody fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the "Ride of a Lifetime!" All of us will always be eager to hear from all of YOU with comments or suggestions. Blessings to you all during the month of August as you get some much needed REST before fall programming gets underway along with the schools once more!

Benjamin of the House of O.R.G.A.N.
Dean, CHVAGO

Membership News

• Welcome to our newest member, Robert Cole. Robert divides his time between Amenia, NY, and New York City, where he is the history and social sciences department chair at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic school for girls. On weekends he is organist at St. Thomas Church in Amenia. His local contact information is:
  Robert Cole
  rwcole39@gmail.com
  We look forward to meeting Robert at an upcoming chapter event. Once again, welcome!
• Even though our member roster was recently revised, it has now been updated again to reflect several recent changes and corrections. You can always access the file on our private Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHVAGO/. If you prefer to receive a PDF version via email or USPS, please contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, at 845-226-6496.

  Deadline for Next Newsletter

  We are always glad to receive input for the chapter newsletter in the form of calendar items, reviews of recent concerts and events, biographies, letters, photographs, etc. In order to make sure these submissions can be processed in a timely fashion, please make sure they are received by the 23rd of each month. However, material such as calendar items may be submitted at any time; even if the material may not make it into the printed newsletter, it can be quickly posted on our web site at www.chvago.org. You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in September 2022, is August 23.

  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) - e-mail: CHVAGOboard@gmail.com

Newsletter
July 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

A birthday is always good time to take stock: look ahead and look back and see where we stand with ourselves; to see what we’ve done or not done in the past year, and what we hope to do in the coming year. Sometimes we are surprised by the unplanned, unexpected things that we did, or that happened to us.

One thing I have never experienced before, and didn’t plan on, was to spend my birthday in Covid Quarantine! I acquired the virus at a large, and otherwise wonderful national music conference last week. I left the conference early, as soon as I became ill. Months ago, when I registered for it, there were lots of Covid protocols required, including vaccination, negative test, and masking. Now, however, there are no masking requirements at all in the region. Spending several days in the midst of more than 200 people, singing in close proximity to each other, brought about a completely predictable result. I do not know how many people may have brought Covid to the conference, nor do I know how many of us brought it back home with us, but I doubt that I was the only one to be felled by this crafty virus, even though I was masked much of the time. I got a fairly bad case, which has been made milder by receiving Paxlovid in the first few days, but I continue to suffer from a great deal of fatigue and brain fog.

I am not surprised by this result. I chose to go, knowing that this could happen. Life may never be back to a pre-Covid normal, but life does continue, and each of us needs to figure out what level of participation we want, and what level of risk we are willing to take. I don’t regret attending the conference, which was fabulous, although I do think that people should still be masked when singing in close proximity with each other!

Because I am still contagious, I couldn’t sing in the wonderful BachFest concert that took place this past weekend, although I very much enjoyed singing in the rehearsals before I got sick. I was able to watch the Livestream, which wasn’t as good as being there in person, but which was also a LOT better than nothing! By the way: everyone in the BachFest choir was required to mask.

I can’t get together with family or friends on my birthday this year, but I have had wonderful phone calls and emails from many people. It’s a beautiful day here in the neighborhood, and there is much for which I am grateful.

In other news: the past month has seen much social and political turmoil, mostly leading to pain and to increased divisions in our country:
-The war in Ukraine grinds on
-Mass shootings continue to take innocent lives
-The Supreme Court has issued a ruling that that leaves some celebrating and others devastated
-The January 6th Committee continues to uncover previously unthinkable revelations

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and not to know what to do in response to all of this. There are many ways to engage in constructive dialogue, and political, and there is a very special way that we as musicians can engage – by sharing our art and passion for music.

What started out as a conversation I had with Patrick Walker about a Ukraine benefit concert, has morphed into something larger, and we are inviting you to participate in and attend a special collaborative Peace Vigil Benefit Concert this summer sponsored by St John’s Lutheran Church, Christ Episcopal Church, and CHVAGO.

Funds raised by the concert will be donated to SNUG, an anti-violence program of Family Services in the City of Poughkeepsie, that uses an evidence-based, street outreach program which treats gun violence like a disease by identifying it, and which works with youth to help them resolve conflicts non-violently.

The concert will include a combined chorus, two hand bell choirs, and lots of local organists, all offering music that honors those striving for peace here and abroad. The concert will take place on Saturday, July 30th at 7:30pm at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

To find out more about the chorus, please contact me at laurarus629@gmail.com.
To find out about the handbell choirs and organ playing opportunities, please contact Patrick Walker at pwalker@stjohnselc.org.

We hope many of you will participate and/or attend this benefit concert.

As Leonard Bernstein famously stated, 
"This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before."

In Peace and Hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell
Dean, CHVAGO

Editor’s Note: This is Laura Russell’s last regular letter as Dean. We thank her for her inspiring words over the past six years, and we look forward next month to a letter from our new Dean, Benjamin Vise.

Election Results

Dean - Benjamin T. Vise
Sub-Dean - Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Treasurer - Susan Guse
Secretary - Nancy Vanderlee
Membership Coordinator - Susan LaGrande
At-Large Member - Justan Foster
At-Large Member - Johannes (John) A. Vanderlee
At-Large Member - Eileen Kerkes

Special thanks to retiring board member Eric Hepp, and welcome to two new members, Eileen Kerkes and John Vanderlee. Laura Russell and Benjamin Vise remain on the board, but in different roles this term. Other officers, Susan Guse, Nancy Vanderlee, Susan LaGrande, and Justan Foster, remain in the same roles they held previously.

With our new online voting procedure, we instituted a true blind election and met the measure and spirit of the law regarding transparency and accessibility. If you have any questions or comments on the election process, please contact the Board at chvagoboard@gmail.com.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
June 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

As the events of this year and particularly the last several weeks show, ugliness, pain, and tragedy exist in the world. So do compassion, beauty, healing, and hope, however!

After all, as musicians we strive to create beauty that can heal and give hope to those who suffer.

During the two-plus years of Covid, musicians around the world have reimagined ways of connecting with others and spreading hope and compassion with their expressive and beautiful music making.

Members of our Chapter have been doing that too, both in their religious communities, and through public concerts. Although Covid infections seem to be receding in our area, we are faced with new and continuing challenges with the suffering brought about by the war against Ukraine, and the suffering to victims of gun violence.

CHVAGO organist Patrick Walker and I have been in conversation for a couple of months about a Ukraine Benefit Concert sponsored by our Chapter. However, our goals are now broader: to bring people together for an organ and choral concert of music that speaks to the suffering in Ukraine and also in Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa, and elsewhere.

Patrick is writing a choral anthem based on Psalm 13, where the Psalmist cries out to God, saying: "How long, Lord, will you utterly forget me? ... How long will you let my enemies triumph over me?" Several of us have discovered new organ pieces written by Ukrainian composers or based on folk songs from that region. Keep an eye out for upcoming information about this collaborative concert, which will take place at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie later this summer. We will be asking for your participation!

CHVAGO is also planning for our next Members’ Recital in September or October, which will be themed around organ and choral music written by under-represented composers. Eric Hepp and I will have some collections of organ music written by African-American composers available for you to look through at our Spuds & Sundaes gathering this Sunday afternoon. If any of you have music that you want to bring to show your colleagues, please bring it Sunday as well. Clearly label the music with your name!

As musicians, we are called to share our special gifts to respond to the violence and pain that surrounds us. I look forward to sharing food and fellowship on Sunday afternoon, and I hope you will become involved in one of our upcoming collaborative concerts as well.

In hope,

Voting for Chapter Officers

For those of you who have not voted yet, here is the list of candidates, along with a photo and a short biography. Note that if you don’t see the bio on the online ballot, click on the little “i” icon next to the candidate’s name. There are photos of each candidate on the ballot as well. If you have any questions about the voting process itself, please contact Justan Foster.

Dean: Benjamin T. Vise
Click here for photo
Benjamin Thomas Vise received the Master of Music degree from The University of Alabama where he studied with Arthur Poister [and] trained (Oberlin and Syracuse U.) with the late Prof. Warren Hutton.He moved to New York from NE Ohio in the fall of 2015 to become Director of Music for Christ Episcopal Church in Suffern, and has over 50 yrs. of widely varied experience serving churches of multiple stripes! He previously served as Dean of the 350-member Detroit chapter of AGO from 1992-94.

Sub-Dean: Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Click here for photo
Since 2001 Laura has been Music Director at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, and she was founder of the Concerts Con Brio music series at the church. In addition she was co-founder of the Hudson Valley BachFest in 2000 and has conducted many of Bach’s choral works. She looks forward to planning many exciting programs for CHVAGO members. She has a DMA in conducting from the Hartt School; an MFA from SUNY Purchase, and a BA from Brandeis University. She has taught locally in the music programs at Marist College and Dutchess Community College.

Treasurer: Susan Guse
Click here for photo
Susan Guse is currently serving on the CHVAGO board as treasurer. Susan was Director of Music at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie, from 1998 - 2000 and will be returning as the Interim Director of Music beginning in September. She has a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Wittenberg University. Susan teaches piano and organ at home in Hopewell Junction.

Secretary: Nancy Vanderlee
Click here for photo
Nancy Vanderlee has served as CHVAGO secretary since 2017. An alumnus of the Crane School of Music, and a recent retiree from the Hyde Park Central School District, she currently holds the position of Director of Music/Organist at St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lithgow. Additionally, she teaches piano and flute privately, sings in the Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir, and performs as a free-lance flutist.

Membership Coordinator: Susan LaGrande
Click here for photo
I am a long-time member of CHVAGO, having first served as assistant newsletter editor. Over the years my role has increased until now I publish the monthly newsletter, maintain the web site and Facebook page, and handle all membership issues. In addition I am the de facto information broker for the chapter, handling inquiries about Subs and Position Openings. I love promoting our chapter!

At-Large Member: Justan Foster
Click here for photo
Justan is Music Director at the Greenbush Reformed Church (East Greenbush, NY) and has served on the CHVAGO Board since 2020. A Past Dean of the Eastern New York and Hudson-Catskill AGO, Justan works to promote the compositions of living, American composers and supports funding programs that encourage growth of interest in organ and development of young artists--which includes acting as a past chair of the Regional Quimby Pipe Organ Competition in Glens Falls, New York and coordinator for several Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza events. Outside of his role in the music world, Justan is a Microsoft Solutions Administrator & Architect for Church World Service (a international refugee and disaster relief organization).

At-Large Member: Johannes (John) A. Vanderlee
Click here for photo
Senior Electronics Technician retired from IBM and Vassar College. I have had a lifelong interest in all things organ from a musical as well as a technical perspective-be it pipes or digital. Initiated and completed the renovation of the Bardavon theatre pipe organ under the New York Theatre Organ Society’s banner, of which I currently serve as Chairman. I believe that the organ is a misunderstood instrument, a concept which needs to be countered by greater exposure tho the general public, both young and old, by any means possible.

At-Large Member: Eileen Kerkes
Click here for photo
Eileen Kerkes received a degree in oboe performance from the Hartt School of Music. She has worked as an accountant, veterinary technician, and oboist/English hornist (Boise Philharmonic). Eileen has renewed her long-time interest in organ studies since returning to the East coast, and looks forward to making connections with other organists by serving on the CHVAGO board.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
May 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

Never has this scripture (or the Pete Seeger song that is running through my head) seemed more prescient and important to me! These two themes from our current life jump out at me, although there are many more that come to mind:
-The war in Ukraine (a time of war, and a time of peace)
-Our ongoing pandemic (a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing)

All of us can connect to the idea that there are many seasons in a person’s life: birth, death, transitions of all kinds. In both my personal and professional life, I am now on the threshold of a new season.

This past Sunday at Christ Episcopal Church, our parish community celebrated my retirement from the position of Minister of Music, which I have held since 2001. As I write that, I feel all the emotions embodied in:
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Although I knew there would be a celebratory service, I was told that all of the music planning would be done by our organist James and by members of the choir, and all I had to do was to show up that morning. I LOVE planning the music for services and concerts – that has been my passion for decades. It was challenging for me to trust others to do this:
A time to act, a time to let go.

I feel so very grateful for the more than two decades that I have been Minister of Music. However, the time has come for me to step down so that new leadership can bring new lift to our parish as we continue to emerge from the pandemic shutdown. Another important factor is having weekends free so that I can travel and can visit my out-of-town family. I will continue to run the Con Brio concert series and will continue to collaborate with others on special music events at the church and elsewhere in the community.

I look forward to creating a space in my life into which new things will come!
A time to keep, and a time to cast away

Yours in hope and expectation!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, CHVAGO

Editor’s Note

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
April 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain,
Love lives again that with the dead has been:
Love has come again like wheat that springeth green.
Text by John Mcleod Campbell Crum (1872-1958), often sung to the medieval French carol Noel nouvelet.

This letter comes at a time when we are all feeling both frightened and hopeful, alternately, and perhaps in equal measure. However, as a Chapter, we have lots of wonderful news to share:

While we continue to use Zoom when it is useful and helpful to us, we are also planning IN PERSON concerts and chapter events! Here is a snap shot of some of our upcoming programs, followed by a special announcement:

In collaboration with NYTOS and CHVAGO, Bach to Broadway returns to Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie on Saturday, May 7th at 7:30 PM. The performers include Nathan Avakian on the NYTOS traveling Allen theatre organ, and James Fitzwilliam on the Christ Church Gress Miles pipe organ. There are several special guests, and the theme is Springtime. Watch our online calendar for details.

Our annual Spuds & Sundaes Social will return in person on Sunday, June 5th at 3:00 PM at the home of Eric Hepp. The event also includes the annual music and book sale, which benefits our Scholarship Fund. Take a look at our online calendar for more information!

We are in the beginning planning stages of a special Benefit Concert of organ, handbell, and choral music to benefit Ukrainian civilians and refugees, uprooted and injured in the invasion by Russia. It will probably take place in late spring/early summer; date, venue, and more info will follow.

Our Members’ Recital, usually held in the spring, will take place in the autumn of 2022. Furthering our Chapter’s mission to educate, support, and present the works of under-represented composers and composers of color, this recital will focus on organ and choral music by composers of color. More details to come!

Now for our Special Announcement:
The Central Hudson Valley Chapter recently heard from the Estate of long-time CHVAGO member Alice Cann, who died in 2020. The Estate attorneys informed our Board that Alice has left a substantial Bequest to CHVAGO to benefit the Margaret Pecoraro Scholarship Fund! The amount is over $35,000. Knowing how long it often takes to settle estates, it is likely that we will not receive the money for a while. However, that is actually good news, because it gives us plenty of time to work together on a plan for the best way to set up this amazing scholarship opportunity to support our new and rising organists.

Many of you knew Alice Cann. Her obituary was short and sweet. Here it is in its entirety, aside from information about the memorial service, which was held on July 17 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pleasant Valley, where Alice was the organist for over 30 years: “Alice Mary (Zimmerman) Cann passed away on November 29, 2020. She was a Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Dear Friend, and Confidant. She is missed terribly and fondly remembered. Alice had many ‘pockets’ of friends in her life. We have a common bond in our love for her.”

CHVAGO Board member Susan LaGrande writes movingly of her memories of Alice: “Alice was a member of the chapter when I first joined, many years ago. She was already blind, and she was tolerant of me when I tried to assist her by describing the appearance of a church we were visiting. It took me a while to realize how incredibly independent and capable she was.

“Occasionally I gave her rides to chapter events. She gave me driving directions confidently, and always pressed gas money into my hand when we parted. I visited her house a few times, to hear her improvising at her piano, or to walk with her around her huge yard, where she was surefooted, unafraid to trip over a fallen stick.

“She was a wonderful musician. She had always taught music, and when she went blind she continued playing, both in church and for nursing homes and other community events. She had memorized almost every hymn in the Episcopal hymnal, and had lots of other music stored in her brain and fingertips. She could play anything, in seemingly any key.

“Alice's most valuable contribution to the chapter was in making calls to members. We had a calling tree where each board member was supposed to make maybe half a dozen calls to remind people of upcoming events, but Alice took the lion's share of calls. Instead of consulting a written list of phone numbers, Alice had to queue up an entry on an analog tape recorder. What a pain that was in the days before random access! But Alice provided the human touch that kept us together. Alice was awarded for outstanding service to the chapter in May of 2008, before we had the League of Distinguished Service.

“She asked me for help a few times, mostly in writing. She was working on her autobiography (I don't know if she ever finished it) and she had written a few other things that she showed me. One was a poem (see “Pea Soup,” below), which she wanted to be formatted on the page in a particular way so as to visually suggest a spoon stirring a pot of soup. I did my best with the formatting, but of course I have no way of knowing whether it matched her vision. This and other writings show how deeply spiritual she was. But for all her spirituality, Alice was not sentimental. She had a dry wit and was always forthright and outspoken, and, as we now see evidenced by her bequest, incredibly generous. She will be deeply missed.”

I close this month’s Dean’s Letter by quoting the last verse of the hymn I started with:
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love has come again, like wheat that springeth green.

I wish you the best of holy days in the upcoming weeks. I am so grateful that we are finding ways to stay safe and to be together again!

In Hope and Gratitude,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Copyright, Alice M Cann, December 27, 1988, Reading, PA

Notes from Alice on PEA SOUP - "I was visiting my mother in her small apartment. Often in the daytime, when I thought of things to do, my diminishing sight would whisper “no.” PEA SOUP came from my dreaming. The tape I used got torn, almost threw it out. Months later, mended, there to my amazement was PEA SOUP in bits and pieces. Waking many times that night, obviously, I was pushing the recorder button. I want to pass it on, especially to my brothers and sisters, who know what it’s like to slowly go blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa.”

Membership News

• Janet Nelson Nickerson has a new phone number, effective immediately: 845-294-8138.
• Connie Lacey has a new address, effective immediately:
  2428 Salt Point Turnpike
  Clinton Corners, NY 12514
  New phone number: 845-750-3114
  Email: Crlfamily36@gmail.com
• Welcome to new member Brian Reynolds! He joins us as a Young Organist and has a dual membership with the Eastern NY chapter. His contact info is:
  Brian Reynolds
  70 Vosenkill Rd Extension Apt B
  Catskill, NY 102414
  Email: breynolds152@gmail.com
  We look forward to welcoming him in person soon!

New Calendar Feature on Our Web Site

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
March 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Since our beloved Dean Laura Russell is enjoying a well-deserved vacation, I am filling in for her in this space this month.

The big news in the world right now is, of course, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This is happening far away from us physically, but it touches us none the less. The news is full of stories of people and organizations around the world expressing their solidarity with Ukraine in various ways. Donations of all kinds are being offered (although money is always the most efficient way to help in any emergency).

What does this have to do with us as organists? Judging by the many posts on Facebook, lots of us are interested in playing the Ukrainian national anthem as a postlude. The piece was composed by Mykhailo Verbytsky (1815-1870) and adopted as the national anthem in 1863.

Of course the question arises whether it is appropriate to play the national anthem of any country, including our own, in the context of a church service. That question I will leave unanswered.

Here is a list of some arrangements of the anthem being offered on the Facebook Organists Association page:

• “Ukraine Is Not Yet Lost” arranged by James Michael Stevens - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em5skk61ujU
• Sheet Music: Ukrainian National Anthem, arranged by Vidas Pinkevicius and offered as a free download at https://www.organduo.lt/blog/ukrainian-national-anthem-arrangement-for-organ-solo. A video is available at https://youtu.be/7A4CFWZT1Ro.
• Video: “National Hymn of Ukraine” played by Fabian Hartung - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFPOZpbeLwU
• Sheet Music: https://www.free-scores.com/PDF_EN/mykhaylo-verbytsky-1815-1870-ukraine-national-anthem-trascrizione-da-concerto-per-grande-organo-62070.pdf arranged for organ by Maurizio Machella
• Video: Ukrainian National Anthem, played by Dr. Kris Rizzotto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oogrrKWg2kE

• “Prayer for Ukraine” played by Ausra Motuzaite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmu_-j7DrQw. A choral version of this (not the Ukrainian National Anthem) was performed by a Ukrainian choir to open Saturday Night Live on February 27. Here is a link to that performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjE4_h0t7qI.
• “Ukrainian Alleluia” by Craig Courtney, sung by the Wellington College Chorale - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulXYfqXMusE. The sheet music is available from Breckenhorst Press at https://beckenhorstpress.com/ukrainian-alleluia-satb/.

And of course if you want to express solidarity with Ukraine without resorting to any specific reference to the country, you can follow Diane Bish’s example and play something beautiful like this Nocturne by Mendelssohn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJJWWeQaCCw.

Wishing you all peace,

Susan LaGrande
Communications Director

Membership News

• Janet Nelson Nickerson has a new phone number, effective immediately: 845-294-8138.
• Connie Lacey has a new address, effective immediately:
  2428 Salt Point Turnpike
  Clinton Corners, NY 12514
  New phone number: 845-750-3114
  
• Welcome to new member Brian Reynolds! He joins us as a Young Organist and has a dual membership with the Eastern NY chapter. His contact info is:
  Brian Reynolds
  70 Vosenkill Rd Extension Apt B
  Catskill, NY 102414
  Email: breynolds152@gmail.com
  We look forward to welcoming him in person soon!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
February 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

The musical high point of January for me was Felix Hell’s organ concert on 1/23/22 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie. It offered both an in-person LIVE concert experience (with distanced seating and mask requirements) AND a Livestream experience. His program choices were excellent, and his playing was well-executed and inspiring. The organ filled the room with glorious sound! [see a copy of his program elsewhere in this newsletter]

Following the concert there was a “Meet and Greet” event sponsored by our Chapter to allow people to talk with the performer and ask questions. It took place via Zoom. I was struck by the fact that, rather than being a limiting or isolating experience, Zoom actually made us feel more connected by allowing people unable to attend the concert (by virtue of location, Covid concerns, etc) to “be there” with Felix. Attending the Zoom session was a person from Mexico, who had met Felix at a live concert he had given in her country a few years ago. She viewed the Livestream of the concert, and then interacted with and caught up with Felix. There was also a young child on Zoom, who Felix didn’t recognize at first, although he was an in person student of his. Felix had never seen the student without a mask, and the child had never seen his teacher without a mask. They were overjoyed to greet each other on Zoom, and to actually see each other’s faces for the first time!

Several years ago, when Felix gave a previous concert at St. John’s, our Chapter took Felix out to dinner in a local restaurant. At that meal we talked with him about his goal to make the organ more accessible to people who don’t normally set foot in houses of worship or in concert halls, where the vast majority of organs “reside.” Felix has a special touring organ that he brings to where the people are: in community/public venues, including schools, parks, and malls, so that people can hear the organ, perhaps for the first time, where they are.

(Sidebar: A shout-out to our own CHVAGO member John Vanderlee who does the same with the NYTOS Traveling Theatre Organ, which travels to Poughkeepsie’s Galleria Mall every Christmas season, and to schools and other community venues, to bring organ music to the public.)

At the Zoom “Meet and Greet” I reminded Felix of our earlier dinner conversation, mentioning that during Covid this continued to be very important, since there are more restrictions and worries about live performance. Ironically, the constraints placed on live performances have also had the effect of creating more opportunities for getting the organ out of the church and concert hall – directly into our homes!

All of this speaks to me about the importance of reframing negative or constraining situations in order to see a few positive opportunities that Covid has given us.

Don’t get me wrong! I am NOT claiming that Covid is a positive thing, by any means. I am just saying that when something as earth-shaking and life-changing as Covid happens to us, it is possible to create new opportunities and to find islands of “collateral beauty’ in the midst of the serious, extensive collateral damage caused by Covid.

I see this happening in the world of music all around us. Many of our houses of worship are broadcasting their services and organ and choral music to a whole new group of attendees – in some cases, all over the globe!

Our own Former Dean Craig Wiliams, having lost the opportunity to bring the public into his amazing Cadet Chapel at West Point, has created an equally amazing “public concert series” on his Facebook page – performing great works on the Cadet Chapel Organ, along with fascinating commentary. He has brought this to many thousands of people who could otherwise never have heard him or that organ. Many people have taken the public on virtual tours of their instruments, creating a new category of “Virtual Organ Crawls.” Craig did a terrific one in 2021, taking us up into the nether reaches of the Cadet Chapel organ’s many divisions.

(Editor’s Note: You can find Craig’s virtual crawl of the Cadet Chapel organ in the YouTube video of the AGO 2021 Members Recital, beginning at minute 6:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p368XSkQZM.)

Seeing the world through Zoom/Facebook can feel frustrating and isolating. But the technology can also be inclusive and grant greater access to music. It allows people to experience and participate in musical events by reaching out to those
- who are home-bound
- who are ill or immuno-compromised
- who can’t drive at night
- who are in a far-off location
- who are affected by bad weather
- who lack access to transportation
- who are not comfortable in specific venues or regions or neighborhoods

The technology breaks down barriers of time and of space; it can also break down barriers of social class, religion, and culture.

When you feel frustrated, deprived, and depressed about all that we musicians have lost during Covid, try reframing the situation to focus on what we have also gained in the midst of this loss. When we finally emerge from our Covid cocoons, I hope that we can also emerge with fresh ideas and new solutions to approach our communities and the world, making delicious lemonade our of Covid lemons, and sharing our love of organ and choral music with ever greater numbers of people!

Yours, in HOPE!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

My post-secondary plans have changed a bit since two years ago. I still am intent on continuing my musical studies in some manner, but I would like to major in physics/chemistry and/or possibly engineering. My studies at Juilliard, alongside rigorous AP science courses at my school, have helped me determine that it would be far too demanding and stressful to attempt to pursue a music major or minor alongside my STEM coursework.

My current plan is to study privately and perform in some of my school’s ensembles; I am applying to schools that offer fantastic science/engineering programs as well as flexible opportunities for non-music school students interested in continuing their studies. Some schools also offer certificate programs, which could be a nice medium between private study and a minor. I will consider enrolling in these if, after a semester or two, I find that I have adequate time.

The most critical and troubling variable in all of this is how to delegate my time and opportunities among the three instruments I play: trombone, piano, and organ. As much as I enjoy my studies on each, I have come to feel “spread too thin” (especially when factoring in school) and would like to focus on just one after high school. This is a terrible dilemma: I am most accomplished and interconnected as a trombonist, so I expect the best scholarship opportunities there. However, I have always wanted to intensify my keyboard studies and pursue more collaborative opportunities as a pianist/organist. I don’t think I’ll be able to figure this out until I’m actually in school and have had a chance to feel out the programs for each, so all I can guarantee now is that I’ll be continuing my musical studies in some way. I promise to update you as I hear back from schools in late March and April!

Program - Felix Hell Concert on January 23, 2022

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
January 2022

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

This will be the sixth time I have written a special Dean’s Letter for the first newsletter of the New Year; it is one of 60+ letters altogether since I have served as Dean. It felt like it was time to review portions from the previous five New Year’s letters – starting with January, 2017 to get a perspective on where CHVAGO has been, and where we might go in the future.

January 2017: I wrote: “Although the date of January 1st is an arbitrary one, … it also gives us an opportunity to take stock of where we are in our personal and professional lives.” I went on to say that one of my priorities as a new Dean was to actively reach out to our members to find out what their areas of concern and interest were.

Programs we were planning for 2017 included:

• the Annual Spuds ‘n Sundaes event
• a group trip to NYC
• a workshop given by Eric Hepp about “Digital/Computer aided worship”
• Past-Dean Craig Williams offering support to members who wanted to pursue AGO Certification
• the Third Annual Duo Organ “Bach to Broadway” concert, featuring Nathan Avakian and James Fitzwilliam”
• the annual “Members’ Recital”

January 2018: “If we let it, the New Year can mark a psychological ‘reset’ point for each of us. We can use it as an opportunity to look afresh at our personal life, our professional life, the life of our community, and of our nation and world.”

I went on to suggest some new areas to explore professionally:

• Take organ, voice, or conducting lessons
• Learn how to incorporate Bells into your music program
• Learn new repertoire for organ and choir
• Attend conferences, workshops, concerts

Some highlights of 2018 were:

• annual Spuds & Sundaes Social Event at Hyde Park’s Roosevelt High School, combining our signature comfort-food meal with a NYTOSS/CHVAGO collaboration featuring an organ concert and demo by John Baratta on the Allen organ.
• Susan Guse presented a very successful “Bells in Worship” hands-on workshop that involved all the participants
• Laura Ramsey Russell led a participatory reading session/workshop of “Music for Organ-Plus another instrument”
• an “Organ Repair and Maintenance” workshop presented by Steven Rosenberry and Ed Myers at St. Pau’s Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie
• the first BYOP* (*Prelude/Postlude) Happy Hour event, combining appetizers, conversation, and informal music performances
• a Choral Reading workshop led by renowned composer Philip Stopford
• the Fourth Annual Bach to Broadway Concert
• Eight of our chapter members attended the National AGO Convention in Kansas City![ebul

• Organ recital by Craig Williams on the newly refurbished Gress-Miles organ at Christ Episcopal Church
• collaboration with Zion Church in Wappingers Falls bringing the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys there for a concert
• Annual Members’ Recital at St. Kateri Church in Lagrangeville
• Collaboration with BachFest 20th anniversary concert in which Dean Laura Ramsey Russell conducted a combined choir in performance of Bach’s Magnificat in Skinner Hall at Vassar College.
• Hosting the BachFest Keyboard Festival at Zion Church in Wappingers Falls

Our Board goals for 2019 included:

• Increased opportunities to collaborate with other musical organizations
• Attracting new members to our Chapter
• Promoting the Organ (in all its varied forms) in new venues and contexts
• Welcoming musicians and music lovers at all levels of experience and expertise to participate in and enjoy our programs.

The Work of Christmas
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost, To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

I went on to talk about resolutions and starting the year afresh with a “reset”. Covid was NOT the kind of reset that I meant, but of course, we were forced to reset our priorities and our programs. We managed to fit in a late January Spuds & Sundaes event that also honored three young organists who had completed some or all of the AGO Achievement Awards, which our Chapter was involved in developing. Bruce Xu, who grew up in our Chapter presented a wonderful early February organ recital at St. John’s Lutheran Church too!

Then, as everything got shutdown because of Covid, we moved to Zoom for our Board Meetings, and scuttled plans for a March Bachs’ Birthday-themed Members’ Recital and for many other planned events. Nothing has been the same since! During that year many of us learned how to live stream our worship services; some learned to create Virtual Choirs, and we all struggled to cope with a totally different landscape.

January 2021: I began that year’s letter with the quote: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.” Isaiah 60: 1-2

I chose it because it aptly described where we had been in 2020, and where we hoped to be in 2021. The darkness had indeed covered the earth, and “thick darkness” had covered the people. But we also held out hope that there would be light ahead of us. In many ways there was: vaccines saved countless numbers of lives; through the necessity of doing things remotely we learned how to be more efficient and to connect in new ways. We also developed a keen appreciation for LIVE music-making and for personal connections.

AGOHQ and other national, regional, and local musical organizations brought creative, exciting approaches to music-making. As a Chapter we attended and sometimes offered virtual conventions, workshops, concerts. We explored new forms of remote and in-person worship. We researched and purchased new organ and choral repertoire, trying to expand the standard Organ Canon and Choral Canon. We renewed our Chapter’s commitment to focus on issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We shared information about new repertoire with our members and encouraged all of us to step out of our comfort zones. Our Board attended Virtual AGO Leadership Conferences and Virtual AGO Conventions throughout the year, and we connected in new ways with our Regional and National AGO leaders. For example:

• In late winter we held several Zoom sessions for our members to find out how they were using technology in their worship services and to share advice and bonded over our common struggles.
• We held a Zoom workshop on “Creating a Virtual Choir” and several Zoom “Hymn Sings”
• Some of us participated in the AGOHQ interactive webinar “Re-igniting, Re-imagining, Re-emerging from Covid-19” Where chapter leaders discussed innovations and strategies for strengthening chapters’ programming and member engagement
• In April we shared the results of an Employment Poll that Board member Justan Foster sent out to our members, and we hosted CHVAGO/AGOYO member Anthony Rispo on a special Zoom presentation as he shared his experiences working on the committee that developed the new AGO Employment Handbook
• In May we held our first Virtual Members’ Recital and Justan Foster uploaded each player’s pieces to our Chapter YouTube channel
• In June many of us attended the Virtual AGO OrganFest 2021 “Beauty Endures”

Our Chapter collaborated with Christ Church in Poughkeepsie to present a special Benefit Concert of choral and organ music to raise funds for the county homeless shelter. Board member Susan LaGrande donated dozens of beautiful hand-made caps and mittens too! The concert raised nearly $1500 for the shelter.

Several of our members were able to sing together in the Annual Messiah Sing presented in the Bardavon with Cappella Festiva and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.

Looking ahead at 2022: At the moment it feels like the only thing that we can plan on is that our plans will most likely be upended! Just today we had to make the decision to postpone our annual Bach to Broadway Duo Organ concert, scheduled for January 8th, because of Covid.

Still there is much for which we are grateful, and there is much about which to be hopeful. I am looking forward to the creativity, determination, and resiliency of our music community. I know we will figure out new ways to share of joy of music, and I know that we will come together and find common ground in our shared humanity.

Here’s to a safe, healthy, and musical 2022!

In gratitude and hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News - Hail and Farewell

One member has moved away, although she continues her membership in the chapter: Margaret Small now lives in Maine; her new address is included in the chapter roster.

And we were sad to say goodbye to Alice Cann, who died in November 2020, and whose memorial service was held in July. We also recently heard of the death last June of Gordon Auchincloss, formerly assistant vice-president of Austin Organ Company in Hartford, CT. Gordon’s widow Joyce was a member of our chapter for a time before they moved to Norfolk, VA. His obituary appears in the January 2022 issue of TAO.

Cultivating Friendships in the AGO

It really helps to have a friend who can relate to these situations and who has their own stories to tell. Laughing (or groaning) together can make uncomfortable situations much easier to deal with. Fortunately, within our own chapter we have lots of people who need a friend just as much as you do.

Since our chapter covers a wide, fairly sparsely populated geographic area, we may not have many opportunities to encounter each other in our daily lives. But with a little effort we can make contact and get to know one another. In my capacity as Communications Director, I have an excuse to reach out to new members all the time. If they use Facebook I send them a Friend request and invite them to join our chapter’s private page. But there are lots of other ways that I have made friends within the chapter. Most of them involve working on some project together.

One of the first people I met when I joined was Paul Nepf, who was my predecessor as Newsletter Editor. I worked with him for several years before he retired and handed the job to me. In those days publishing a newsletter was a very tedious process, but it went much quicker with two people keeping each other company. Paul and I found lots to talk about as we met each month.

Starting in 2003, several of us began meeting once a month to plan the AGO Regional Convention that our chapter hosted in 2005. One member of the steering committee was the late Charles Faverio. Through him I met Glenn May, and the three of us discovered a mutual love of the martial arts. We also worked together in the East Fishkill Community Chorus. Our friendship has continued over the years, and we always have a good time together talking about a whole range of topics, always including the martial arts.

Sometimes necessity throws us together. Laura Russell and I ended up sharing a hotel room (and lots of conversation) at the AGO National Convention in Kansas City. Then a few weeks before Covid hit in 2020, Laura and I took a road trip to West Point to apply for a year-long visitor’s pass. Between the drive itself and the application process, we spent a whole morning together. I always look forward to hearing from her!

My point is, don’t be shy! Take advantage of every opportunity to introduce yourself to other members. Volunteer to help with one of the ongoing chapter initiatives mentioned in the Dean’s Letter above. If you use Facebook, read what other members are posting; make comments and be liberal with your “likes.” Pay attention to the Membership News section of the newsletter and don’t hesitate to make a phone call or send a note if the spirit moves you. Don’t forget, The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ. The best way we can do this is by forming relationships with each other.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
December 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

We have reached December, and seasonal holidays are upon us. As musicians we are used to the frantic feeling this month evokes. This year, as well as the familiar fast-forward frenzy, I also feel caught in suspended animation. But of course, ever since Covid captured us, time has felt different.

Sometimes I refer to this strange time warp we are in as “Covid-tide” or “Covid-time.” Another term for it might be Liminal Time. I am familiar with this term as it is often used to describe the time of expectant waiting during the Christian season of Advent. This year it seems like many of us are stuck in “Liminal Time”. I am busily making preparations for in-person musical events, yet I am also thinking about “Plan B,” returning to Virtual Choirs, and who knows what else.

I brought my children up in a mixed Jewish-Christian household, and we joyfully celebrated both Chanukah and Christmas. Both of these holidays feature bringing light into the word to drive back the darkness. This light is of course literal – candles and lamp oil that lasted for a miraculously long time. The light is also metaphorical and spiritual.

I love the concept of the Shamash (or Shammas) candle in the Chanukah Menorah. It is the “helper” candle which is lit first each night, and which then used to light each of the other candles from night to night. In own my life I am sometimes able to be the “helper candle”, and it brings me great joy to help others bring forth their light. At many other times, I feel like I need somebody else to be my “helper candle” – and many of you, my colleagues, have stepped up and become my helper and my inspiration, and you lead me into the light! Having AGO colleagues is something that continues to mean a great deal to me, especially during Covid.

Here are some exciting upcoming concerts co-sponsored by our Chapter to lighten your load and lift your hearts:

Homecoming Benefit Concert to Fight Homelessness:
Sunday, December 12th at 8:00 PM at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie
Suggested donation to support the Code Blue Homeless Shelter: $15
Masks Required

Annual Bach to Broadway: Pipe and Theatre Organs
Saturday, January 8th, 2022 at 3:00 PM
Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie
More details to follow - Co-sponsored by CHVAGO and NYTOS
Masks Required

I wish you all as much light and joy as possible in this Holiday Season, as we continue to face uncertainty and fear. Let us light each other’s candles and encourage and support each other, both now, and in the months to come.

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

In faith and hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
November 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

The month of November ushers in what I like to call the “Season of Gratitude.” There are many things to be grateful for:

• Lower rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths in our region
• Readily available, free vaccinations, and boosters
• The roll-out of vaccinations for children
• A growing CHVAGO Chapter
• The return of in-person concerts and religious services

What happens when we feel gratitude? I think we tend to feel grateful when we have an abundance of, or at least “enough” of, what is important to us. Do we have shelter; food; clothing; a reasonable expectation of good health; a community of people we care about; meaningful work and activities?

When those things are lacking – are scarce in our lives – we look at the world through the lens of insecurity or scarcity. When we are privileged enough to feel gratitude, many of us want to look at how we can act to “pass it forward” or to give of our abundance to others who may not have the same good fortune or opportunities that we do.

One result of gratitude is to feel hope in the future, and to make sure we carry forward into the future, those values and goals that we have set for ourselves. In our roles as musicians, we know the power that our musical gifts have to inspire and educate others.

So in this Season of Gratitude, our Chapter Board has been revisiting some of the commitments that we have made during the past 18+ months of COVID-tide. The fruits of extended conversations, emails, and zoom meetings among our board members has been a renewal of our commitment to issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, along with a discernment about how, as a musical organization, we can take actions that foster them.

On June 19, 2020 CHVAGO posted our “Juneteenth Statement” on our Facebook page and website, and I wrote about it in my August 2020 Dean’s Letter. I refer especially to the six points mentioned in it, and I quote:

To this end, we propose the following actions to be taken by our chapter as a whole and by individual members:

1. Feature programs focusing on music by Black composers, and routinely include music composed by African-American composers (as well as music by other under-represented groups.
2. Commission choral or organ music by black composers.
3. Personally invite persons of color to participate in our own church music programs.
4. Revisit a past PipeDreams program from February 5, 2001, entitled "African-American Organ Composers." This can be found at https://pipedreams.publicradio.org/articles/africanamericancomposers.shtml
5. Seek out young music students of color and encourage them to pursue organ study, conducting, and/or composing.
6. Educate ourselves, our members, and our students about music written by and performed by Black musicians, including sharing online links to performances and articles. One resource for this is "Music by Black Composers," (MBC) which was founded in 2001 as a project of the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, a long-standing, anti-racist organization in classical music. MBC’s mission is to help rectify historic and ongoing racial injustices in the classical music sphere. Information on MBC can be found at https://www.musicbyblackcomposers.org/.

Composer Kevin Scott, husband of CHVAGO member Nancy DeMilio, has allowed us to publish his compilation of organ works by African-American composers. This list was published starting on page 4 in the October 2020 newsletter and can be viewed here: http://www.chvago.org/CHVAGO_BackNews.php?item=206.

As a member of several choral organizations, I have worked with boards and on my own to develop my awareness of and familiarity with choral works written by women and composers who have long been under-represented in the “choral canon.”

Many of us have programmed organ and choral works by African-American composers in our online or in-person religious services. For some of us this is new repertoire and new “territory.” Others have been doing this already for years!

So, as we enter into this Season of Gratitude, let us affirm out commitment to using music to educate and inspire. Let us expand our vision and increase our awareness of music to include music by women, indigenous peoples, and people of color in our religious services and in our concerts.

Together, let us:

Lift every voice and sing,
Sing till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

In gratitude and hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Janet Nelson Nickerson has a new address as of November 9:
  214 Harriman Dr., Apt 1009
  Goshen, NY 10924
  New phone numbers:
  Home: 845-294-8138
  Cell: 845 522-7262
• Welcome to new member Todd Sisley! Some of you may recognize his name from the masthead of The American Organist magazine, from which he recently retired as Editor. He lives in Columbia Count and is a dual member with the Eastern New York Chapter. His contact information is:
  Todd R. Sisley
  436 Ford Road
  Old Chatham, NY 12136
  518-225-0928
  tsisley@gmail.com
  His information has been added to the Sub List. Welcome, Todd!
• Welcome also to John Corrie, who comes to us from his former residence in Maine, where he was an Independent member of the AGO. He describes himself as being on sabbatical at the present time. His contact information is:
  John H. Corrie
  19 Laffin Lane
  Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
  207-576-8995
  john.h.corrie@gmail.com
  We look forward to meeting John at an in-person event in the near future. Again, welcome, John!
• For those of you who remember former Dean Don Filkins who died in 2015, you may be interested to hear that his widow Doris passed away recently. Her obituary may be viewed at https://www.libbyfuneralhome.com/obituary/Doris-Filkins. We offer condolences to her daughters and extended family.

New Addition to List of Local Organs

Juneteenth, Revisited

A Statement for Juneteenth

The mission of the American Guild of Organists in general and the Central Hudson Valley Chapter in particular is to foster a thriving community, which must include not only all musicians, but all humans, regardless of color. Our vision is to engage, support, and uplift. We must demonstrate our unwavering support for each other's professional advancement and success, in music as well as in other endeavors.

We stand in solidarity with the countless thousands of people around the world who are protesting systemic racism against the African-American community. It is our turn to step up to the challenge. We must listen to diverse voices in crafting solutions to our problems. We must reach out to find new partners to help us chart the best path forward. We must engage.

To this end, we propose the following actions to be taken by our chapter as a whole and by individual members:

1. Feature programs focusing on music by Black composers, and routinely include music composed by African-American composers (as well as music by other under-represented groups.
2. Commission choral or organ music by black composers.
3. Personally invite persons of color to participate in our own church music programs.
4. Revisit a past PipeDreams program from February 5, 2001, entitled "African-American Organ Composers." This can be found at https://pipedreams.publicradio.org/articles/africanamericancomposers.shtml
5. Seek out young music students of color and encourage them to pursue organ study, conducting, and/or composing.
6. Educate ourselves, our members, and our students about music written by and performed by Black musicians, including sharing online links to performances and articles. One resource for this is "Music by Black Composers," (MBC) which was founded in 2001 as a project of the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, a long-standing, anti-racist organization in classical music. MBC’s mission is to help rectify historic and ongoing racial injustices in the classical music sphere. Information on MBC can be found at https://www.musicbyblackcomposers.org/.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
October 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

A heartfelt, yet guilty, Thank You to our Sub-Dean Eric Hepp for his wonderful Chapter Letter last month, which gave me a chance to spend the last days of summer vacation with my family!

Why guilty? Because I feel like I should be back, well-rested, enthusiastic, and raring to go with another liturgical year all planned out ahead of me. BUT – it’s not quite that easy anymore, is it folks? COVID-19, and the Delta variant continue to throw monkey wrenches into every aspect of our musical and personal lives! As I write this letter, our nation has hit the cruel milestone of 700,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Both as members of the musical community, and as members of the human family, we have been through a terrifying 18+ months together, but with cruel irony, we have experienced it for the most part separately – unable to “be together”.

Personally I continue to fight a frightening tendency to view everything in terms of catastrophe: when will the next political or social or medical crisis hit? Will we be able to come together to fight it, or will we break into competing factions, fighting each other, rather than the external menace? As Walt Kelly had his comic character Pogo so presciently say in the 1970s anti-pollution Earth Day poster: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

So, in hopes of gaining personal perspective, and perhaps passing along some small shreds of personal wisdom, I share what have I learned in the past nearly two years.

1. Resiliency, brought about by necessity! We have been forced to become more resilient and self-reliant. Our usual social and emotional support systems have become disrupted, and we have been forced to rethink how we approach much about out lives. This increased self-reliance has also made me appreciate the connections that I have to colleagues, family, and friends, and to value those rare opportunities that we do have to reconnect!

   For our Chapter the use of Zoom for Board Meetings has made it possible for people who cannot drive after dark to participate in evening meetings. It has enabled us to meet even when some are ill or are traveling. We have been able to hold meetings no matter what the weather brings us! We have also been able to offer workshops and choir sing-alongs via Zoom. Virtual organ crawls and recitals have come into members’ homes on our Chapter YouTube Channel.

2. Creative adaptation, including the ability to think outside of the box, to reimagine music, concerts, and worship in new ways. There is a Pandora’s Box of questions here, and I raise them without offering answers or judgment:

   Can we hold services inside and in person this coming season? Each house of worship seems to take a different approach! Some have been holding services indoors for most of this year. Others are still completely shut down. Some mix and match different elements: only allowing instrumental music; allowing only soloists to sing; using distanced congregational singing. Still others are holding weekly choir rehearsals (with or without masks) and presenting full choral music programs again.

   To share my own church’s approach, Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, where I am Minister of Music, has been using a hybrid model over the past 18+ months. After completely shutting down just before Holy Week in 2020, we experimented with different ways of streaming our services, and eventually went with a pre-recorded weekly service that is uploaded each week to the church’s YouTube Channel. We went with the “virtual choir” model, and we continue with it still, although we are currently “recycling” anthems and hymns previously recorded by our devoted, choir members.

   During the summer of 2020 we opened up for indoor in-person services, with instrumental music, but no singing. As COVID-19 cases increased in November, 2020 we completely shut down again, posting on YouTube Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter services that were filmed in a church that was practically empty .

   In early summer of 2021, we erected a tent outside the church and started holding in-person tent services, with a fully vaccinated small choir and limited congregational singing options for those seated in the self-selected “green” zone.

   In mid-September we started holding in-person services back inside our Sanctuary. For the moment we have NO congregational singing, and the fully vaccinated physically distanced choir sings hymns and anthems to the physically distanced, masked congregation in a well-ventilated church. I fear that COVID-19 cases will probably increase again as the weather gets colder and people are forced closer together indoors. If that happens, we will probably shutdown again until – who knows when. How the heck can any of us plan our music programs in such an environment? Is it any wonder that many of you have shared that you feel pulled this way and that and feel perpetual burn-out, even when returning from a pleasant vacation? Our task as individuals and as members of a connected musical community is to find ways we can cope with what feels like an enormity of uncertainties.

3. Learning new technical and music skills: In addition to becoming “fluent” with Zoom, some of us have been forced to learn many new technical skills, not taught in music school! Mastering the intricacies of live-streaming services has, in some cases fallen to the musician! The time-consuming process of creating Virtual Choir recordings has fallen to choir members, organists, and choral directors alike. Again, the irony of working closely together as a team to create the virtual choir, all while remaining completely isolated, is not lost on any of us! Uploading recordings to YouTube channels takes additional new technical skills, and while it is wonderful that it will reach new worshippers, there is the additional pressure of knowing that your worship “performance” is now out there for all to criticize.

Yours, in hope and faith,

Membership News

It needs a good pianist, though the trumpet part is not as hard as the piano part.  I have a digital score for perusal, plus audio/midi files I could forward if you're interested. Contact me at info@josephbertolozzi.com.”

The AGO National Council is committed to membership recruitment, retention, and growth within our organization. During the Year of the Young Organist, July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022, any individual under the age of 30 can become a member or renew her/his membership for free as part of this program.

The Year of the Young Organist will provide opportunities for both personal and professional development. Programs will include master classes and webinars on a wide variety of topics including:

• Organ Maintenance
• Insurance
• Retirement and Healthcare
• Conducting
• Video Recording
• Vocal Pedagogy

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
September 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

From the Dean

I have asked our Sub-Dean Eric Hepp to fill in for me this month because I have been enjoying traveling and spending time with family. 

Eric has given his topic a lot of thought, and I think it is one that will speak to all of us as we look ahead to what shape our lives may take after Covid. Even though the loss of life has been horrendous, and the disruption of our lives, both on the personal and societal level, cannot be fully comprehended at this point, yet I still feel that there may be a small measure of "collateral beauty" that we can take out of Covid-Tide. Eric shares very personally and openly about the opportunity to take stock of one's life and to find new direction and meaning. I am grateful to Eric for sharing his journey with us!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

From the Sub-Dean

It's a lot to think about, and for many of us the enduring nature of these events has forced a reevaluation of our hopes, our goals and perhaps most importantly a reconsideration of our priorities. I've noticed many changes among my friends and acquaintances across all the various communities I've been fortunate to have been a part of over my life. The constant is that many of us are looking at how we've been living and re-evaluating our activities with a more intentional determination of how we will invest our future time, our resources and our talents/gifts. It's as if there is a new sense of freedom in making choices.

Several weeks ago, our pastoral intern at First Lutheran, Lisa Stephens, offered an insight on the text in Ephesians 5:15, which in NRSV reads "Be careful then how you live ..." Lisa shared that scholar Richard Carlson suggests a better translation of the Greek is "pay really close attention to how you live." This change of wording removes the fear of unknowingly doing something wrong, and rather encourages us to live, to evaluate our choices and to make "adjustments" based on our new insights and understanding.

So then, in these times of uncertainty, where many have been impacted by hardship and loss and where all have been affected by restrictions, inconveniences and lifestyle changes, we are asked to consider what is truly important, what we can do to strengthen ties with family, friends and colleagues. I view this as less of a process and more as an opportunity to discover how we can become more present in ways that matter. I hope this ultimately enables us to engage in the things toward which we are led and which capture our interest, and to disengage from those things which previously felt like an obligation or where we felt our participation was expected. May we thus become more content and centered, strengthen and multiply our personal and professional relationships, and build more contented and more generous communities.
Eric Hepp, Sub-Dean - Central Hudson Valley Chapter, AGO

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Gabriel Harrison, who has joined our chapter as a Young Organist. Gabriel is joining as a dual member with the Boston, Westchester County, and New York City chapters. Their contact information is:
  144 Drewville Rd.
  Carmel, NY 10512
  gabeh@protonmail.com
  845-490-9537
  We look forward to a time when we can meet Gabriel in person. Once again, welcome!
• Welcome to new member Christine Johanssen, organist at Fishkill Reformed Church. Christine is joining as a dual member with the Westchester County Chapter. Her contact information is:
  144 Drewville Rd.
  Carmel, NY 10512
  chrisj.rage@gmail.com
  845-628-7980
  Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Christine.
• IT'S A GIRL!!! Congratulations to Paige & Justan Foster with the arrival of Vetta Roze Foster. Born on Monday 8/23/21 - 4 pounds 15 oz. She will continue to stay in the NICU for a couple of weeks until she gets a little bigger. Mom & Dad are both doing well but tired. While Justan would love to share this in person, he will be limiting his contact with folks as Covid concerns and new babies don’t mix well.
• Emily Lapisardi made a brief appearance on-screen in a recent episode of “Say Yes to the Dress.” In the final scene of Episode 4, Season 20 of the popular show on TLC, the featured bride is shown getting married in the Cadet Chapel at West Point. Emily happened to be playing for that wedding, and even though her music is not heard, you can see her seated at the organ console. Check it out!

Stissing Center’s New Organ - A Review by Eric Hepp

Editor’s Note: Some say the future of organ music lies in moving organ concerts away from religious institutions and into secular and civic venues. The Stissing Center is a prime example of such a venue, and it will be hosting a concert this weekend (see our Calendar). For more information about Stissing Center, visit the web site at: https://thestissingcenter.org/

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
August 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Just when we all thought it was finally safe to be together, once again we find out that the virus and its variants have other plans in store for us. So, it will probably not surprise you to learn that our CHVAGO Board has had a bit of a challenge trying to figure out how to plan for events this coming year!

The Board has decided that, in light of these new variants, it is not prudent to hold any in-person events this summer. However, we have decided on a number of programs and projects, which I hope you will participate in or at least enjoy! Here are some of them:

Virtual Organ Crawls, presented on our private YouTube channel. I hope all of you had a chance to watch our Virtual Members’ Recital in May. Here is the link, in case you missed it:  https://youtu.be/2p368XSkQZM. As part of Craig Williams’s recital, he included an excellent Organ Crawl/tour of the West Point Cadet Chapel Organ. We are inviting you to contribute a video of an organ that we can put up on YouTube to share with members. We hope to do this once every month or two. Please be in touch with me or with Eric Hepp to find out more information.

Resumption of AGO Achievement Awards. Back in late January and early February of 2020, we made “national headlines” in AGO with the very first presentation of the new AGO Achievement Awards. All of that has been on hiatus, because of Covid, but we would like to remind and encourage you to recommend your students to work on the skills that these Awards represent. Students are not the only ones who can benefit - many of our members haven’t studied organ on the college level, or haven’t studied music theory or conducting, for example. Several board members and teachers were mentors for the first “batch” of Achievers and would be happy to do so again. The awards can be worked on in person, of course, but equally well via Zoom, if necessary. Complete information on the program can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.

Our Annual “Bach to Broadway” concert at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie with Nathan Avakian and James Fitzwilliam is scheduled for November 7th – time TBD. For the moment we are hoping that it will be able to be a live, in-person concert. However, we will record the performance and upload it to our YouTube channel, either to augment the live concert, or to substitute for it, depending on conditions at the time.

Our Annual Spuds & Sundaes, which usually takes place in late January or early February is on hold – pending conditions.

The Annual Spring Members’ Recital – will take place either live and in-person, or recorded and uploaded – pending conditions.

As part of our ongoing outreach efforts, our Board has reached out by email and/or phone to all of our members. A big thank you to those of you who replied. We are eager to hear back from those of you who haven’t responded yet. We’ve received many emails and engaged in many fascinating phone calls this past month.

A special shout-out to our own Renée Anne Louprette, who is featured organist at Bard’s SummerScape, which focuses on Nadia Boulanger this year. See details about her performances elsewhere in this newsletter and in our website calendar. Please send us info about your performances (live and virtual), writings, compositions – we want to hear from you!

Hang in there, be safe, take good care of yourselves, and do not give up hope! We will all do our best to ride this next wave and emerge unscathed.

In Hope!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• A memorial service for Alice Cann, who died suddenly in November 2020, was held on Saturday, July 17, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pleasant Valley. Alice was a valued member of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter for many years, and attended as many organ recitals and other chapter events as she could find rides for. Despite losing her sight, she played faithfully at St. Paul’s for over 30 years, having memorized most of the hymns in the Episcopal hymnal, and improvised creatively. She served the chapter by calling members with announcements and reminders, and always reached out to new members. She is greatly missed!
  Her obituary, which includes a great photograph, appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal and can be viewed here.
  You can view a video recording of the memorial service here.
  The organist for the service was Gregory Citarella, who did a fine job accompanying the glorious hymn singing despite some challenges presented by the “new” instrument at the church.
• Margaret Small has retired from her long-time position as organist at Union Presbyterian Church in Newburgh. She is selling her home in Cornwall and has moved to Maine. Her summer address is: 256 State Hwy # 9 Beddington, ME 04622 TEL 207-638-2141. Starting October 15, her new address will be: Apt 132, SOLSTICE Senior Living, 922 Ohio Street, Bangor, ME  04401.

  She writes: Don & I are 86, with back problems, arthritis from head to toe, etc! We enjoyed our 30 years in our lovely 2-story New York home, but we needed to down-size to a ONE floor apartment with no stairs. Our new apartment is on the first floor, and is a corner apartment with private entry to the parking lot. The Movers came Sat 7/10, & furniture is in place, with umpteen boxes lining the walls & closets. Yes, my Yamaha Baby Grand Piano came too!! and it is in the 2nd bedroom! The new apartment is only an hour from our summer home at Schoppee Hill !!
  God Bless each of you always,
  Margaret & Don

AGO Achievement Awards

…[The goal of the]“Achievement Awards” is not to replace the Certification Exams, but to reach organists who need encouragement at a different level to develop and improve their skills. Our Chapter has been selected to be one of four sites nationally that will field test these Awards and report back to Headquarters on how the process is working.

The Awards are currently divided into five subject areas:
1.Organ Console
2.Harmony I
3.Registration I
4.Technique
5.Transposition
More topics will be added as the Awards are field tested.

Who might be interested in these Awards? All of us, I think! Some of us may have students who would benefit from learning or improving their skills. Some of us may be pianists who have been pulled into service as organists at houses of worship, and who could really benefit from some organ-based skill development. Some of us, whatever our training, may have gaps in our backgrounds and could benefit from a systematic approach to start to fill those gaps.

I’m sure some of you have had friends or colleagues who say: “Why should I bother joining AGO – what’s in it for me?” By offering these Awards free of charge to any AGO member, we may give those people a reason for joining an AGO Chapter and making an investment in their own and in AGO’s future!

The Awards are administered completely at the Chapter level, and they are offered free of charge. Selected Chapter Mentors will be available to help applicants prepare for the Awards. The Awards may be taken at any time of year, and they may be repeated as many times as the applicant wishes. Once the applicant passes one of the Awards, they will receive a certificate, and if they want, their name will be sent to AGO Headquarters to be included in a data base that is being developed of all of the Certificates and Achievement Awards.

The complete list of Achievement Awards is available by clicking on the following links:
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-guidelines-candidate.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-guidelines-chapter-mentor.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-console.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-harmony1.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-registration1.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-technique.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-transposition.pdf

Please be in touch with Susan LaGrande if you have a student who might benefit from tackling these Awards, or if you are interested in pursuing them yourself. Finally, if you have friends or colleagues who would benefit from honing their music and organ skills, encourage them to join our Chapter where we can help them find a Mentor to lead them on the journey!

“Trash to Treasure” at Regeneration Episcopal Church in Pine Plains

We were called to the Seventh Day Adventists’ Church in Livingston, NY to see if there was hope for a 50+ year old Allen 2 manual organ - an early digital model. It was found to have mechanical issues, only half of the electronics were functioning and all speakers were in need of repairs. Rather than fixing it they asked if we had a newer model available. We happened to have 2 Allen models; a two manual stop tab model and a larger 3 manual draw knob model. Both were of a much more recent vintage. To our surprise, they wanted the larger model, and were willing to pay for the rather extensive install as well, which included adding antiphonal channels. The catch was we had to dispose of the old organ for them, to which we agreed.
 
The selected organ came from a church in Indiana, which went the “contemporary” route and had disposed of it cheaply to Yours Truly, who trailered it to New York. 
The installation was handled efficiently by my NYTOS crew and generous help from the Adventists. It was voiced by my Allen Organ friend Carl Hackert, and the results were outstanding. An inaugural concert by John Baratta was planned for April 2020, but we all know what happened! In this somewhat post-pandemic time we hope to reschedule at a more opportune time.

The initial plan was to take and gut the older Allen for parts, in our shop, but fate intervened. At the time of the Livingston install, Nancy discovered that a long lost cousin was being installed as priest in the Pine Plains Regeneration Church. Eager to reconnect with a family member, we took the opportunity to attend the service. I could not help noticing that the organist Mack Caldwell was struggling with an ancient Hammond organ. Later examination showed it to be from 1938, and had been modified so it no longer even resembled a vintage version. Subsequent conversations revealed that the church was planning a renovation that was long overdue, and also hoped to upgrade their music program. Money was an issue, and that sparked a thought. I invited Mack to Livingston to show him the “old organ” which we had not yet disconnected. Even in its marginal state it drove circles around the Hammond and Mack was enthused. Rather than junk it, we promised to fix it up and donate it to the Pine Plains church. 

The pandemic stalled our plans until Jan 2021, at which time we gave the organ a thorough overhaul, made some improvements, and were able to install it just before Easter.  Coupled with the excellent acoustics of that little church this old trouper actually sounds glorious!

Meanwhile, renovations at the church have been ongoing, and the interior now sports a fresh new look! The church is so proud of its new look (and sound) it’s having an Open House on Saturday July 24 starting at 2 pm. Musical performances are opened by chapter member Mack Caldwell, followed by Priscilla Herdman, Jim Petrie, The Stanfordville Swingers, and even some high school kids. James Fitzwiliam will close the program, which is followed by an open house picnic.

Please find the time to join our neighbors in the North! The church is located on 16 Pine Street, one block east of the Rte 199/Rte 82 intersection. I hope to see you there!

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
July 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

As we begin the month of July, New York State has dropped the COVID-19 State of Emergency, and much in our lives is opening up! I wanted to take this opportunity to take stock of what our Chapter has done for YOU, our members, over the past year.

Our membership has increased to 62 members! To give you a perspective: our highest membership ever – 68 people – coincided with our successful Regional Convention in 2005. After that convention, membership dropped off a bit. So, now that our numbers are rising again, it makes me feel that we are doing pretty well, especially when I hear about other Chapters disbanding or combining due to dropping membership. That said, I would LOVE to see us continue to grow and to welcome more people, AND I would love to get more of you involved in our programs!

Near the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown in early 2020, our board contacted each of our members, either by phone or email, to see if anyone had needs that we could help with. This contact led to the development of closer ties among many of our members at a time when those connections helped sustain us during a very challenging period!

Since COVID-19, we have relied more on our website (chvago.org), on our FaceBook page, and on our monthly Newsletter to get important information out to you. Using these methods, we posted updates on COVID-19 guidelines as they applied to singing and updates from various denominations about church safety guidelines.

During the COVID-19 shutdown our Chapter publicized information about many online line events hosted by other organizations, such as the first virtual AGO OrganFest, the NYTOS virtual organ recital, the American Choral Directors Association virtual conference, and various denominational music organizations’ events.

We promoted and helped publicize online event given by our own members, including an Equity Concert to benefit the NAACP, organized by and featuring some of our own teenage and young adult organists; and members’ DMA Organ Recitals.

Our Board continued to meet monthly via Zoom, and quickly learned how to make our meetings more efficient without sacrificing the important social connections that we cherish.

We started hosting our own Chapter in-house online events, including:

• October 2020 “Harvest Social” via Zoom – where we got caught up with people; introduced new members; and presented our annual Distinguished Service Awards.
• October, November, & December 2020 Hymn Sings via Zoom, with brief discussions of the history of tunes and texts, followed by singing.
• Winter & Spring 2021 - Zoom sessions focused on a variety of topics, including “How to make a virtual choir”; AGO’s Achievement Awards and the Certification Exams; discussion of the new AGO Employment Guidelines.
• April 2021 - My participation as CHVAGO Dean on the AGOHQ webinar “Re-Igniting, Re-imagining, and Re-Emerging from COVID-19”
• June 2021 - Virtual Members’ Recital broadcast on our Chapter’s YouTube channel, and now listed on AGOHQ’s national website.

Now that we are leaving “COVID-tide”, your CHVAGO Board is starting to plan for in-person events. Please contact any of us to let us know if you have suggestions for in-person programs this coming year!

Just as we reached out to all of you early in 2020, now each of us on the Board is in the process of calling or emailing all of our members once again, to talk with you about what CHVAGO can do for you going forward. When you get the phone call or email, please respond and tell us your thoughts.

Important Upcoming and Ongoing Events:

• Don’t forget that you can still attend our Virtual CHVAGO 2021 Members’ Recital if you haven’t yet done so. It features six Chapter organists playing on a variety of instruments, ranging from a home-organ to the mighty West Point Cadet Chapel organ (which also includes a close-up tour of this amazing instrument). Here is the YouTube link – and don’t forget to “Subscribe” to our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/2p368XSkQZM.
• The deadline is fast approaching for the first Virtual Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) for teens age 13 to 18. Scholarship assistance is also available. Additional information about POE is at https://agovirtualpoe.org/more-info/
• To register for the POE, go to https://www.agohq.org/2021-virtual-pipe-organ-encounter/
• The AGO OrganFest 2021 begins TONIGHT (Sunday, 6/27 – Friday, 6/2). For more information go to http://agoorganfest2021.org/

For more information about what’s happening in the organ world, far and near, watch our FaceBook page, check our website, and read out monthly Newsletter! We’re in the process of planning events for later this summer and on into 2022, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Happy Independence Day!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Position Openings

Hiring institutions are encouraged to check references from applicants' previous employers. It should not be assumed that applicants who learn of position openings via these listings are endorsed by the Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Position openings are listed without charge for three months unless an extension is requested. If you would like to place a listing, please contact the editor, Susan LaGrande at 845-226-6496 or email CHVAGOboard@gmail.com.

Newsletter
June 2021

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As I write this, the Memorial Day weekend seems to be a bit of a washout, with chilly temperatures and lots of rain. However, I know that the disappointing weather will not keep family and friends from getting together, perhaps for the first time in a long while. The weather will not prevent us from remembering those who sacrificed to make our country, our communities, our families, and our friends safe from threats to our democracy and freedom.

Now that vaccination rates are rising and Covid-19 rates continue to fall in this country, our schools, stores, houses of worship, and community gathering places are continuing to open up, and we are all hopeful that we will be together again and reconstruct our lives.

The CHVAGO board hopes that many of us may be able to gather together outdoors over the summer, or early autumn to spend some time together again. Since we haven’t been able to attend concerts or workshops in person, we have all lost touch with our colleagues. To try to overcome that, and to start to reconnect, the CHVAGO board will be contacting each of our members via phone and/or email to check in, see how you are each doing, and to find out what hopes you have, and what events you would like to see CHVAGO working on in the coming year. Each of the board members will have a short list of topics to talk about with you, although we especially want to listen to what YOU have to say! When you receive a phone call or email from one of us, please take a moment to let us know your thoughts!

The annual Member’s Recital will take place on YouTube, and will premiere on June 20th at noon. You will be able to watch it anytime after that date at your convenience. We hope to hold the Annual Meeting/Chapter Picnic later in the summer – perhaps in a hybrid fashion, with those of us who feel comfortable, meeting in person, but also streaming it live on Zoom for those of you who want to connect in that way. Plans are also underway to hold some live concerts outdoors during the warmer months.

Things we want to remind you about:

• This is the Year of the Young Organist! CHVAGO membership is FREE to those under the age of 30 for the next year, so this is an ideal time to encourage students studying organ to join our Chapter. If they are already members, they can renew their membership for free. Detailed information about how to do this can be found here: https://www.agohq.org/free-membership/
• Any members who are having Covid-related financial problems can have their membership dues waived. Talk to any Board member about how to do that.
• June has also been designated as Annual Member Care Month by AGO. During the month of June every AGO member in every chapter will be contacted by a staff member or volunteer!
• AGO OrganFest 2021 “Beauty Endures” will take place June 27 through July 3 at 8:00 PM Eastern time. Don’t miss this exciting free event. To find out more, go to: https://www.agohq.org/organfest-2021/
• CHVAGO has Chapter Scholarships that are available to members for lessons, workshops, and more. Please contact any board member at CHVAGOboard@gmail.com if you or someone you know would like to apply.
• Ongoing Education: no matter how long you have played organ, or what your skill level is, both Certification Exams and Achievement Awards are offered to encourage you to continue to improve your skills and learn new repertoire. Information about both options is available on the www.agohq.org website.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA - Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Gregory Citarella has a new phone number, effective immediately: 845-345-9497
• Welcome back to Luca Cantone, who is a student at Oberlin College and Conservatory with a dual major in Organ Performance and Economics. He will be playing this summer at a church in Sharon, CT. His local address is 21 Pleaseant Ridge Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603; email is lucacantone@gmail.com and cell phone is 332-209-8432.
• Sistine Lezon writes that she is looking for a builder who needs an apprentice. She worked previously with Susan Tatterschall, doing tunings, rebuilds, and complete restorations as well as minor repairs. “I was proud to be named as an assistant builder at the rededication of a Hall and LaBagh tracker from the 1800's owned by Vassar College which was part of my apprentice ship with Susan.” So, if you hear of anyone looking for help, please give them Sistine’s number: (914) 456-0533.
• Janet Nelson Nickerson writes: “I am in the process of selling my house. I will continue playing and teaching. Everything is for sale if you would like to pass the word along. Today I am seeking your advertising for a Leslie Tone Cabinet 21H (for a Hammond organ) - recently refurbished - and a Knabe grand piano. I have tons of piano music for students and some of my organ library needs to be downsized. Sure hope AGO can be of some help in this matter.” Please contact Janet directly at janetinandout@earthlink.net or 845-561-0763 if you are interested in any of her items.
• More than half our members have their membership year ending on July 1. We encourage you to renew today so that you can avoid losing such valuable benefits as inclusion in our Sub List. If you’re not sure when your membership will expire, look at the mailing label on your copy of The American Organist magazine; your expiration date is at the upper right-hand corner of the mailing label. If you need further help, please contact Susan LaGrande at chvagoboard@gmail.com or 845-226-6496.

Rodgers Organ Available - FREE

Editor’s note: This appears to be the same model as I have in my home, which also came from a small church in Connecticut. I have found it very satisfactory as a practice instrument. There is a brochure available online at https://www.rodgersinstruments.com/uploads/products/pdfs/145.pdf.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
May 2021

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Tulips, Magnolias, and pollen – Oh My!

Spring is here, and it feels like we have finally truly started to turn a corner in the fight against Covid.

More and more of us are now fully vaccinated and have recently seen vaccinated family and friends. Many of our houses of worship are in the process of re-imagining worship and discerning ways of including musical worship in a vaccinated world. Some of us have been able to return to choral singing in ways that are safe. “The voice of the turtle dove is heard in the land” and we are feeling hopeful!

CHVAGO has held several recent virtual programs, and we are talking about the possibility of holding our Annual Picnic together outside in some fashion. Stay tuned for more details about this as we work them out!

Recent programs:
On April 19th I participated as a panelist in a national webinar produced by AGOHQ: “Re-igniting, Re-imagining, Re-emerging from Covid-19”. My topic was the Achievement Awards, which our Chapter helped to inaugurate in January 2020. Other chapter leaders from around the country presented topics that they had been working on. I encourage you to click on this YouTube link to view the recording of the webinar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgcycL7zrw4

On April 25th we shared the results of an employment poll we sent out to our members about how our employment was affected by Covid. That poll and the new AGO Employment Handbook were the subject of a YouTube presentation given by Justan Foster and Anthony Rispo. Anthony presented his experiences working on the AGO committee that developed the new AGO Employment Handbook. I encourage you to click on this YouTube link to listen to the discussion:
https://youtu.be/sES2zHZmUe8

And click on this link on the AGOHQ website to see and download a copy of the new Employment Handbook:
https://www.agohq.org/employing-musicians-handbook/

Another source of exciting and innovative ideas is the AGOYO (Young Organists) Channel on YouTube Organ. It features videos of organ crawls, factory tours, panel discussions, other resources. The Austin Organ factory tour (#1) is on this channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSJ9JGlhsPJu1SgpYgD_gA4kfvCGLakXg

More resources from AGOHQ include:
AGO Channel on YouTube: Organ crawls, factory tours, lessons for the new organist, the SPC exam, organ and choir performances. https://www.youtube.com/user/guildoforganists

AGO virtual programs:
https://www.agohq.org/online-programming-for-chapters/
https://www.agohq.org/leadership-webinars/
https://www.agohq.org/upcoming-ago-webinars/
https://www.agohq.org/ago-webinars-and-supporting-documents/

We are in the midst of planning for the Annual Members’ Recital. As plans develop, we will send out further information.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions about our programming and about ways of emerging from our Covid-enforced isolation. I feel like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis – still fragile, with damp wings, but full of awe and excitement, and ready to fly!

Happy Spring – hope to see you in the near future!

Membership News

1. You are eligible to be included on our Sub List, which is widely used by members of the local clergy.
2. You may offer your services on our Teachers List.
3. When employment opportunities become available, you have access to complete information about the positions on our Position Openings list.
4. Our Calendar page gives you access to a wide range of musical and educational opportunities, and provides a platform on which to publicize your own concerts and events.
5. You receive email or US mail notifications of important events, such as the publication of the monthly newsletter or other time-semsitive information. Members who prefer not to use email may receive all such information by phone or US mail.
6. You have access to our chapter’s private Facebook group and YouTube channel, where you can present ideas or share performances with your peers in a safe environment.
7. Depending on your level of membership, you may receive a subscription to The American Organist magazine, either in print or online, or both.
8. Through our chapter’s online and in-person social events, you have opportunities for fellowship with colleagues who share your interests, experiences, and concerns.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
April 2021

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As we prepare for celebrations of Passover, Holy Week, and Easter, we also celebrate the return of Daylight Savings Time and of Spring! One year ago at this time, we were all in totally uncharted territory. As musicians, and as human beings, we have all sacrificed, adjusted, and emerged - changed by the experience.

Our Chapter has also adjusted and changed. As you may know, all of our Board meetings now take place on Zoom. But that hasn’t stopped us from connecting and from planning a number of exciting events this spring. I will highlight just a few of them, and Susan LaGrande will include contact/log-in information elsewhere in the Newsletter.

Monday, April 19th at 4:00 PM: “Re-igniting, Re-imagining, Re-emerging from Covid-19” I will be a panelist on the AGOHQ interactive webinar where chapter leaders will discuss innovations and strategies for strengthening chapters’ programming and member engagement. Specifically I will discuss CHVAGO’s experience with the Achievement Awards.

Sunday, April 25 at 7:00 PM: CHVAGO member Anthony Rispo presents his experiences working on the committee that developed the new AGO Employment Handbook. This will be an excellent opportunity for our members to find out more about this and to ask Anthony questions.

Sunday, May 23 at 7:00 PM: Virtual Members’ Recital and Organ Crawl. Please contact Justan Foster or Eric Hepp to participate in this annual event. You will be able to perform and record on your home instrument, and you also have the option of including a virtual organ crawl of your instrument, including any interesting historical details or personal anecdotes.

It’s been an incredibly challenging winter, but hope does spring eternal. With improved rollouts of vaccinations and the opportunity to gather outdoors (distanced, please!) I think our collective moods have lightened. However, we must not throw caution to the winds, and pretend that everything is OK. In too many parts of the country – our region included – COVID rates are once again ticking up. So enjoy the holiday celebrations SAFELY, enjoy the arrival of spring, and be smart and stay safe!

All the best,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

1. Chip Hogg - Chip is an aspiring organist! He is a cellist who loves the organ, but who has no keyboard experience. His contact information is:
   Chip Hogg
   17 Wilson Blvd.
   Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
   Email: chiphogg@gmail.com
   Phone: 914-388-9797
2. Eileen Kerkes has recently returned to the Hudson Valley after several years in other parts of the country. She comes to us through Nancy Vanderlee. Her contact information is:
   Eileen Kerkes
   64 Gellatly Drive
   Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
   Email: kerkes4family@gmail.com
   Phone: 802-309-8407
3. John Corrie, currently an AGO member in Lewiston, Maine, but with deep roots in the Central Hudson Valley, will be returning to our area later this year. He writes, “I am reaching out to begin the process of becoming more engaged with the Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the AGO. My wife and I recently retired from teaching at Bates College in Maine and we plan to purchase a house soon in the Westchester, Ulster county area. I have been a member of the AGO for years and have been a church organist and choir director for more than 50 years....egads! I did my undergraduate organ study at Oberlin Conservatory and a Masters at Yale School of Music as well as a Fulbright to study with Anton Heiller in Vienna Austria.” We are already including John in our chapter mailings while he gets settled. He can be reach]ed at 207-576-8995 or by email at jcorrie@bates.edu.

Organ Music for Free!

Al Fedak, a member of the Eastern New York Chapter, is a well-known and respected composer and organist. This article was reprinted with his permission from the April 2021 edition of The Clarion, the newsletter of the Eastern New York Chapter, AGO.

A few years ago, I led a workshop at an ENYAGO Winter Skills Fair at Westminster Church in Albany. The topic of my presentation was "Free Downloadable Organ Music." During that session, I performed some public-domain organ solos that I had discovered online, downloaded, and printed out. At the end of the class, I distributed a handout on which were listed various websites from which anyone could download copyright-unencumbered organ music at no cost.

But today, as so many church and personal budgets have been tightened because of the pandemic, the idea of building a personal organ music library for free seems an especially timely and attractive one.

So I recently revisited the websites on that original handout, and weeded out those which either (1) no longer exist, or (2) seem difficult to navigate, either because they are awkwardly constructed or in a foreign language, or (3) because they duplicate content that can be found on more comprehensive and user-friendly sites. Here is my revised and updated list of helpful websites where you can find lots of organ music for free:

IMSLP (International Music Score Library Project): https://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page. This is the premier site for online public domain music, organ or otherwise. It holds tens of thousands of individual works in every conceivable form, style and genre by thousands of composers. If you have an idea of what you are looking for, you can search for it by composer, or title, instrumentation, era, genre, etc. IMSLP is also a great place to simply browse the catalog--one can learn so much just by studying it. I have been known to do this for hours on end! While IMSLP's service is free, an optional membership fee of $2.99/month provides quicker download times and access to the Naxos catalog of online recordings. And if you can't find what you seek, the IMSLP site also features a page of links to about 20 more music score websites that are not among those listed here. IMSLP is now also available as a mobile app.

Other sites to check out include the following:
The Mutopia Project: www.mutopiaproject.org.
SheetMusicFox: www.sheetmusicfox.com.
Sheet Music Archive: www.sheetmusicarchive.net.. (Free 10-day trial, then $3.99/mo. thereafter)
Free Scores: www.free-scores.com.
Classical Scores: www.classical-scores.com.
Cantate Domino: www.cantatedomino.org.

Finally, for free choral music scores, visit the Choral Public Domain Library: www.cpdl.org

One caveat: copyright laws vary around the world. What is considered public domain in one country may still be protected by copyright in another. Sites like IMSLP will indicate whether the downloading and performance of a given work is legal in the US. Observe federal law and avoid trouble!

Chapter Videos Available Online

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
March 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Just as the month of March has a reputation for seducing us with temptingly warm, sunny days before flinging icy blizzards our way, so have I found my moods and outlook vacillating widely between wild, fantastic hopes for the future, and deep despair that we will never have a future. Please bear with me as I share some of my curated thoughts about life during the enduring, but hopefully waning, pandemic:

We human beings sure do crave security and consistency, but we cannot depend on that right now. However, we also value experimentation and novelty, and this may be our saving grace! Old approaches and strategies no longer work; old assumptions don’t necessarily hold. Thus, we are required to explore new approaches and to create new traditions. This is a good thing!

I think those of us who are church musicians may be suffering from PTSD as we anticipate the coming once again of Holy Week and Easter, recalling how all of our best-laid-plans were swept away abruptly one year ago “in the twinkling of an eye,” and we all “were changed.”

As much as we may dream about returning to normal, we can’t go back to “before the pandemic” because it has changed us, and it has changed our relationships, our institutions, and our expectations.

Any benefits of pandemic-induced advances in technology pale in comparison to the unfathomable, terrible loss of over 500,000 souls in this country.

Yet, while we cannot minimize the pain of the loss, so we also need to take advantage of these unexpected opportunities has given us. People who cannot drive at night, now CAN attend online meetings or concerts. Bad weather doesn’t prevent us from meeting together via Zoom. The miles that separate my home in Poughkeepsie from my grandson’s home in Cambridge, Mass all melt away when we meet together to play and read books on Zoom.

Individuals and choral ensembles who could not afford to attend music conferences before, now CAN attend and participate in these conferences, in this case, minimizing the financial disparities among people. The pandemic has forced us to try new ways of doing and looking at things; it has forced us to consider dropping our old patterns and to open our minds to new ways of thinking and doing things.

Much has been written and spoken about the extreme polarization of opinion and belief that has come into even clearer focus in the past year. Do we icily “agree to disagree”, or do we move out of the prosecutorial role and into more of a questioning or learning role? Should we not try to understand how others have come to their opinions, rather than trying to convert them to OUR beliefs? When we come together in genuine curiosity, rather than as adversaries, we all have an opportunity to grow!

Many advances in medicine and in technology have come about as a result of wars and of epidemics. But of course, we would prefer NOT to be at war or in a pandemic. As a friend said on Zoom “all of this would be more fascinating if we weren’t actually living through it!”

I am challenging myself to try to see the positive changes that continue to take place, even in the midst of the pandemic. Spring WILL come. We WILL attend live concerts again someday, but I think music organizations will also continue to explore new kinds of online formats. We WILL worship in person again at some point, but many of our houses of worship will probably also offer online worship services going forward.

As I have done before, I will end by quoting one of my favorite hymns, with words by John Macleod Campbell Crum (1872-1958), sung to the tune Noel nouvelet, a Medieval French Carol:
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

In hope,

Membership News

Review of February Zoom discussion

Attendees were asked to walk through and think about the following questions:

• What is musical leadership/shared values?
• How has music helped as we “learned to walk in the dark?”
• Where are opportunities to experience organ & choral music in new ways?
• How do we see the AGO mission and vision changing?

• We need to find better ways to engage members at all skill levels
• We should engage the rich and diverse knowledge among our membership, versus a reliance upon guests and visitors
• We can engage a wider array of guests based on the ability to engage remotely and preserve events for retrieval later
• We are no longer bound by geography, which means:
  • Broader audience for membership
  • More accessible formats/options
  • Chapters could be formed around an affinity/focus, e.g. organ builders, composers, or emerging technology.

Review of Recent Online Concerts

I want to call your attention to several online concerts and events that I found particularly good and interesting. First, the NY City AGO chapter hosted their annual President's Day conference, with a discussion of the French influence on contemporary organ building, a lecture recital on the playing of French classical organ music on organs of today by Dr. Andrew Henderson, and a fabulous recital of French organ favorites by Christopher Houlihan at St. Bartholomew's (225 Rank Aeolian-Skinner). The program and YouTube channel remain active.

Last weekend Christopher Jacobson, FRCO, chapel organist at Duke University, presented a fabulous program "Celebrating the Musical Legacy of Marcel Dupré." Follow these links to the YouTube event and the extensive and interesting program notes. There is an upcoming concert scheduled on March 21, "J. S. Bach and His Legacy," to be played by university organist Dr. Robert Parkins on the Chapel's Flentrop organ. Happy listening!

Review of St. Louis “February Flourish” Virtual Music Conference

Additional sessions included “Pastoral Care for Musicians in a Time of Pandemic” and “Use of Technology within Worship during a Pandemic and Beyond.”

The Virtual Conference closed with a group hymn-sing: “When in Our Music God is Glorified” It was certainly a Saturday morning well spent! Click here for a program book for the conference, with detailed resource lists.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
February 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Even though the thermometer is hitting new lows for the season, as I write this letter, the days are getting longer, and the light is definitely different now! Every winter I wonder how we human beings manage to survive winter, but year after year we do.

Each day I study the weather forecast and plan my daily walk for the time with the most amount of light and the highest temperatures. (In the hot days of summer, of course, I do the opposite, walking early in the morning and at twilight.) During winter, some animals hibernate. We humans “abide”: we persevere, manage, put-up-with - we survive.

For the second month I have been impressed and moved by the message of our new AGO Chaplain Rev. Judy Fentress-Williams, and I highly recommend to you her column in the February issue of The American Organist. This month the text she selects is John 15: 9-11 which begins: As the Father has loved me, so I love you; abide in my love.

She describes memorizing this passage as a teenager, and how she was mesmerized by the repetition of abide and love. Memorization of music and of texts, she says, actually changes the brain and allows us to make connections and to find meaning. As musicians we know that. There is nothing like memorizing a musical score to increase ones understanding and appreciation of a piece.

Some definitions of abide:
- to remain stable or fixed in a state: a love that abided with him all his days.
- to continue in a place: Sojourn will abide in the house of the Lord.
- to conform, to abide by the rules.
- to accept without objection, to acquiesce: I will abide by your decision.
- to endure; to withstand; to remain steadfast and faithful.

I love the word abide – for me it evokes notions of connection and continuity and perseverance. We abide in relationship with ourselves, with our God, and with others. We will abide the pandemic. Our ability to abide creates our ability to love.

Noteworthy items from the February issue of TAO:
Commentary by David Vogels about “Expanding the Canon” of organ music. The organ music canon contains music written by dead European men – there are no composers from the Western or Southern hemisphere; no women or people of color. Vogels urges us not to eliminate "the classics of the organ canon," but to expand our palette and broaden our horizons. He suggests building an organ recital program starting with one Bach prelude and fugue and/or a Franck Choral, and then build around it with organ music for different traditions. Show your audience how the conventional form has been refracted and reflected by other composers!

Highlights from the Column about Black History month by Executive Director James Thomashower:
AGO is considering a variety of ways to honor Black musicians during Black History Month in 2021 with plans to develop a program titled “Black Voices from the Organ.” It will be a series of half hour recordings featuring AGO members playing selected pieces from African-American composers. A panel discussion will follow.

All AGO chapters are encouraged to become actively involved in the celebration of Black History Month by featuring Black musicians and composers in their own recital programs. Here are a few suggestions – more appear in TAO:

• From the AGO website, a 26-page bibliography of Organ Works by Composers from Africa and the African Diaspora compiled by Calvert Johnson. tinyurl.com/ydy7o4rc
• African Americans in Classical Music: A Timeline. tinyurl.com/yb6jcbk9
• “In Black and White” (Program #0428), Pipedreams broadcast on July 12, 2004.
  Contributions to the art of the organ by African American composers and performers. tinyurl.com/y9nwf4ra
• Cultural Influences of Organ Music Composed by African American Women.
  https://symposium.music.org/index.php/55/item/10872-cultural-influences-of-organ-music-composed-by-african-american-women
• Beyond Elijah Rock: Non-Idiomatic Choral Music of Black Composers. An expansive
  spreadsheet of composers and their works, humbly referred to as a “starting point.” tinyurl.com/ya9n24nh
• In a series of mini-lectures called “musical moments,” VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and performs excerpts of the music of 13 Black composers. tinyurl.com/ybrj4g92

Also worth noting:
For three nights in late January, Eric Hepp, Nancy Vanderlee, and I attended the AGOHQ Virtual Leadership Conference - a lively conference of discussions, videos, and helpful breakout rooms. The three of us came away with a lot of creative and exciting ideas which we will be putting to work and sharing with you in the coming months.

Yours in hope,

Dean, CHVAGO

UPCOMING CHAPTER ZOOM MEETING (phone or online)
7:00 P.M. Sunday, 2/ 21/ 21
(Since the meeting date has now passed, the Zoom meeting link originally provided has been deleted.)
All members are invited to Zoom, by phone or online. We will check in and focus our time around the following questions:
1) What is musical leadership/shared values?
2) How has music helped as we “learned to walk in the dark?”
3) Where are opportunities to experience organ &choral music in new ways?
4) How do we see the AGOmission and vision changing?

This is an informal time for open discussion. Those attending are invited to provide their experiences and research, or to listen, and draw from the experiences of others. Our board feels strongly that remaining connected and being able to share insight is necessary for the health and vitality of not only our chapter, but also our
members and their professional and personal development.

Watch for upcoming Zoom meetings in the future!

Advent Reflections, part 2

The article below is a review of an organ concert presented by Sarah Johnson on December 20, 2020. Held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie NY, this concert was the final program in the “Advent Reflection” series, organized by Patrick Walker, St. John’s new Music
Director. A review of the first three programs appeared in last month’s CHVAGO newsletter. Sarah’s program is available on YouTube here

Program:
Sonata Op. 65, No. 6 - Felix Mendelssohn (1809 -1847)
Choral – Andante Sostenuto – Allegro Molto
Fuga
Andante
St. John’s Casavant organ is a beautiful instrument, but presents a challenge for recitalists performing major works, especially longer pieces: it is only two manuals. The beauty of the building and the sound produced by each stop more than makes up for lack of flexibility in registration. Sarah did rise to that challenge – the 3 transitions in the Andante Sostenuto section were flawless allowing for much excitement going into the Allegro Molto. Choice of tempo also factors into the flow of the music and lovely phrasing of the opening melodies – she did it all beautifully! Sarah’s soft rendering of the Fuga was a surprise. I am accustomed to louder registrations with volume decreasing into the final Andante, but this worked.

Prelude on ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ - Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995)
The second selection was a lovely prelude on the English tune ‘The Holly and the Ivy’…“the playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir…” In 1928, Sumsion assumed the post of organist at Gloucester Cathedral until his retirement in 1967. His career spanned over 60 years as composer, conductor, performer, teacher and accompanist. The piece begins with fragments of melody leading up to a statement of the theme on the Swell Oboe; more fragments as in the beginning; another statement of the theme in four part harmony on flutes and again on foundations. Sarah skillfully changed registration from piano to forte during the first half of the piece despite the limitations of the instrument. Plus her phrasing was masterfully rendered to assist in the build up ofsound, followed by the gradual reduction ofstops in the quieter part as the piece ended.

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme - Johann Christian Kittel (1732-1809)
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern - Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780)
Jesus meine Zuversicht - Gottfried August Homilius (1714-1785)
Music scholars agree that the Baroque era concluded with Bach’s death in 1750. Kittle, Krebs and Homilius, the composers represented in this section, all studied with J.S.Bach during the Baroque period. But their careers place them in the classical period. J.C. Kittle was one of Bach’s last students. Kittle became a church musician and was well known as a virtuoso organist. “Wake, awake” is a one minute classical overture in the galant style based on the first three half notes of the chorale, followed by a dialogue between the Great and the Swell.

J.L. Krebs was held in high regard by his teacher as perhaps his most proficient and technically correct student. Some of Bach’s compositions, such as “Eight Little Preludes and Fugues,” have been attributed to Krebs. “How Brightly Shines the Morningstar” puts the melody in the range below middle C with a delightful obbligato part in the upper voice. Sarah’s registration on the Swell was well chosen (8’ &1 1/ 3’) for the melody. The upper voice/ obbligato included the 4’ Koppel flote on the Great. Unfortunately, the pedal voice was barely heard, which is a problem with this instrument. The 16’ Kontrabass is too loud to blend; the Bourdon barely supports two voices. I did notice after the melody concludes, an additional voice enters a third below the obbligato. Sarah did a quick piston change to put that voice onto the Swell keeping it distinct from the main obbligato as the piece concluded. Bravo!

G.A.Homilius was well known as a church musician and composer in his time with a large output of music. His compositions introduce elements of the classical style into liturgical music. “Jesus is my Refuge” is scored the same as the Krebs piece (through composed melody and obbligato voice), but Sarah switched manuals and registration. In addition, she played it even faster than the Krebs piece, and I wondered how that was possible! I did not recognize the tune used in this piece as the one familiar to Lutherans. Sarah and I compared notes after the concert and promised to do more research on this aspect of the composition.

Chorale Prelude on ‘Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen’ - Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
(Lo, how a r ose e’er blooming)
In the latter part of the 19th century, musicians became fascinated by music of the Baroque era, no doubt because of Mendelssohn’s performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. “Lo, how a rose” illustrates the influence of Bach on Brahm’s composition technique, with the addition of all that Romanticism has to offer. It is from a collection of 11 Chorale Preludes, Op. 122; it is well known to organists as selections are extremely useful for worship services. When playing ‘Lo, how a rose’ on St. John’s organ, I always used the alternate version by E. Power Biggs which solos out the melody. Sarah utilized the original score and placed the chorale section on the 16’ Great Bourdon which highlighted the lush harmonies of the Romantic era. Her lyrical phrasing and excellent use of the expression pedal made for a delightful rendering of this piece.

Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV532 - J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
What does one say about a prelude starting with a major scale and a postlude with its subject based on three notes played four times? Bach did it and Sarah brought the music to life. Her registration was spot on and her technique was superb!

Sarah Johnson is a candidate for the degree of Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Eastman School of Music. She received a Masters degree in Sacred Music from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree from Vassar College. In 2013, she was named an E. Power Biggs Fellow of the Organ Historical Society. In 2017, Sarah was featured as a rising star and guest recitalist at the Musforum Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. She currently serves as the Music Minister at Church of the Ascension in Rochester, NY.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
January 2021

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

This scripture, appointed for the celebration of The Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th, aptly describes to me where we have been this past year, and where we hope to be in 2021. Its description of the darkness feels honest, and yet it also gives me great hope!

Darkness has certainly covered us all in 2020, but we are called to “Arise” and to “Shine” despite this darkness. We are called to find new ways of continuing to live out our musical and spiritual callings even under the cover of COVID-19 darkness. In my opinion this does NOT mean being foolish, reckless, or denying the chilling effects of the pandemic, but rather of rising above it, letting our own light shine, and to enabling others to find ways to let their lights shine as well. When you read the January TAO, you will notice that our new AGO Chaplain, the Rev. Judy Fentress-Williams, also chose this scripture from Isaiah, so I feel like I’m in good company. I encourage you to read her inspiring letter.

Also in the January 2021 TAO, AGO President letter Michael Bedford calls on us to retain the lessons we learned from the hardships and inconveniences of COVID-19, to continue our thoughts and prayers for those suffering, while we also continue in our diligence and caution. As I have mentioned in my previous letters, I continue to be happy that both AGOHQ and our Chapter members have been amazingly creative and innovative in finding new ways to connect with each other and to share our passion for organ and choral music. I know that 2021 will include even more opportunities for us to rise and to shine with more innovative ways to share our light with others!

Many opportunities abound. I will be attending two online January conferences and encourage you to consider registering for and attending them as well:  
1. The 2021 Virtual Leadership Conference - taking place January 24-26 and 
2. The January 11th "How we Worship - the Ever-Changing Environment" 
Go to https://www.agohq.org/upcoming-ago-webinars/ to find out out more about the events, and to register.

While at the moment there are no January Jubilee activities, this may change, and you can find out at: https://www.agohq.org/education/january-jubilee/
There is a “February Flourish” sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter, which I plan to attend. Go to:  https://www.agostlouis.org/february-flourish/ 

The AGOYO is sponsoring Fridays at Noon which even older organists like myself might find interesting (smile): https://www.youtube.com/user/guildoforganists

In closing: the Season of Epiphany occurs shortly after the Winter Solstice – a time of early and long darkness, but also a time when the light is returning to the world. It is a season with both specific Christian themes, and ones that are universal: pushing back the darkness within oneself and in the world; letting one’s own light shine; sharing one’s light with others. Although there is still much darkness covering the earth and its people, we are called to arise and to let our lights shine. I will raise a toast to that – Happy New Year 2021!

In Hope –

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Advent Reflections

Many CHVAGO members know that I recently retired from St. John’s Lutheran Church after twenty-two years as Music Director plus eight years as the children’s choir director. For the first time in thirty years, I am able to sit back and enjoy the worship service (while observing COVID 19 protocol). The article below is a review of three music programs arranged and presented by Patrick Walker, St. John’s new Music Director. A review of the fourth program will appear in next month’s newsletter.

“Advent Reflections” was held recently at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie NY. Each Sunday afternoon during the Advent season at 3:00 PM, a thirty-five minute offering of music was presented for a live audience (following NY State safety regulations for COVID 19 which include significantly reduced capacity and mandatory website sign-up for contact tracing purposes) and live-stream availability. November 29, 2020 featured Hannah Walker and Friends; string trio and vocal solos. December 6, 2020 featured Peter Walker, Renaissance Bagpipes and Patrick Walker, organ. On December 13, 2020, a Festival of Lessons and Carols was available on live stream only due to the number of musicians and readers participating in the Service. For this program, the absence of a live audience allowed all performers to practice social distancing including readers, handbell ringers, vocal quartet, brass quartet and string trio. The program on December 20, 2020 featuring organist Sarah Johnson will be reviewed next month.

Hannah Walker and Friends - Sunday, November 29, 2020 3:00 PM
The first program in the series featured Advent and Christmas music performed by a string trio (two violins and cello) and vocal soloist. I was delightfully surprised by the diverse arrangements of seasonal favorites. The opening selections from Handel’s Messiah were “Pastoral Symphony,” the Alto recitative “For Behold a Virgin Shall Conceive” and the aria “O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion” from part 1, both performed beautifully by Rachel Walker. Following were two short excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. String arrangements of familiar Advent and Christmas music by Jeff Manookian and Marshall Fine were the high point of the program for this listener. Manookian was recently appointed as chair of piano and composition to the Utah Conservatory. He spent many years in Argentina as conductor and toured internationally as a concert pianist. Marshall Fine was a violist who spent most of his life in Memphis TN. After his untimely death in a recent car accident, over a hundred and twenty manuscripts written by him were discovered. I mention these facts to comment on the substantial musicianship required, and demonstrated, by these string players when performing these arrangements. String players were Tory Horner and Natalie O’Hearn, violin and Hannah Walker, cello.

Renaissance Bagpipe & Organ - Sunday, December 6, 2020, 3:00 PM
The second program in the series featured two brothers: Peter Walker, bagpipes, and Patrick Walker, organ. I will be the first to admit that bagpipes are not my favorite instrument and I almost did not attend this concert. However, I discovered that I have never experienced the instrument played musically. We heard three different types of bagpipes: Medieval, Swedish and Scottish Smallpipe.

A wind instrument, the bagpipe has two or more reed pipes. Pipes are tied or set into a bag which is inflated by mouth, or by bellows strapped to the player’s body. Melody is played on the finger holes of the pipes. Additional pipes play a drone which sounds throughout the song. The sound is constant; articulation of melody is done by “gracing:” a technique playing additional notes to embellish the melody, which gives the effect of detached notes. Bagpipes can be found dating back to the Middle Ages. There are references to similar instruments using sheepskins or bladders as early as 100 B.C.

The opening section of the program presented three Advent melodies – VENI EMMANUEL, PICARDY and PERSONENT HODIE. Peter played melody on the Renaissance Bagpipe and Patrick improvised accompaniment to the ancient chant on the organ. Patrick also made use of the Carillon (electronic) which utilizes sampling on bells from the Netherlands. Our ears are accustomed to English bells with a different overtone series. Dutch bells have an unusual quality which compliments the sound of the bagpipes.

There were two bagpipe solo sections during the program without organ, musically presented by Peter on the Swedish and Scottish Smallpipe. Both instruments are softer and lighter in timbre and I realized after the fact that organ accompaniment would overpower these smaller instruments. The program ended with another bagpipe and organ improvisation on ORIENTIS PARTIBUS (13th c), skillfully mixed with BRANSLE DE L’OFFICIEL (15th century) also known as “Ding Dong Merrily on High”. Then we were treated to a short encore improvisation on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” employing the Renaissance bagpipes, organ and Carillon.

This listener enjoyed the 35 minutes of bagpipe music – the manner in which the music was skillfully presented and the pacing of the program had much to do with the success of the event. All of the arrangements and improvisations were written by Patrick Walker.

A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols - Sunday, December 13, 2020
As mentioned in the opening paragraph of the review, this program was available only on Live-Stream. Over 40 musicians and readers participated this year; pretty much maximum capacity for the Nave during the COVID 19 Pandemic. Plus, participants were located in different parts of the Nave to allow for social distancing within each performing group.

The format of Lessons & Carols is well known to most of us – the telling of the Christmas story through readings, carols sung by the congregation and anthems sung by choirs. Over several years of presentations, St. John’s has taken one more step with this format and added arrangements of anthems and carols played by handbell choirs.

Normally, each ringer is responsible for four handbells with thirty feet of table space for 12 – 13 ringers. This arrangement requires standing in close proximity to other ringers and requires that music folders be shared. During 2020 with social distancing in place, things have changed. Each ringer uses their own music placed on a music stand, and holds one bell in each hand; two per ringer. Instead of five octaves of bells (C3 – C8), each group is limited to two octaves. Choir size is much smaller, 6 or 7 depending on placement of ringers. This impacts the type of music played by choirs (no modulations in the piece and limited range of notes). Handbell composers and directors have been busy adapting to these changes since last March and their changes resulted in a delightful event this year.

In addition to handbells, strings, brass and a vocal quartet rounded out the program. It was delightful to hear, but this listener missed participating with others while singing familiar carols and hearing scripture. We will need to wait until next Christmas to be together again in that setting.

Sarah Johnson, Organ - Sunday, December 20, 2020
The review of this program will be published in next month’s newletter.

Chapter YouTube Videos

"The Carol of the Angels" - John Jacob Niles - performed by Joseph Bertolozzi in 1985 on the 1864 Hook organ at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA. More details on the organ and music in the end credits

"Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head" (From Four American Carols) - John Jacob Niles - performed by Joseph Bertolozzi in 1985 on the 1864 Hook organ at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA. More details on the organ and music in the end credits

Vater unser im Himmelreich - Georg Böhm - performed by Patrick Walker this year on the RICHARDS, FOWKES & CO. OPUS 10 (2000/2010) organ at First Lutheran Church, Boston MA

Passacaglia in C, BuxWB 161 - Dietrich Buxtehude - performed by Luca Cantone at
St. John’s Lutheran Church (Casavant) Poughkeepsie, NY
Susan Guse’s Residence Organ Demo - for details, see the CHVAGO newsletter for November 2020

Now We Pray Unto Thee - Dietrich Buxtehude - performed by Eric Hepp at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie, NY Austin Organ, Opus 219

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme - Paul Manz - performed by James Fitzwilliam at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, NY

Fantasia on "A Mighty Fortress" - Michael Praetorius - performed byJames Fitzwilliam at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, NY

If you would like to submit a video for inclusion on this private YouTube channel, please contact Justan Foster at CHVAGOboard@gmail.com.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
December 2020

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Gratitude and Grief –

The year 2020 continues to present us with unique challenges and opportunities. As we move through Thanksgiving into preparation for Advent, Hanukah, and Christmas, I continue to experience extremes of confusing emotions – how is it that we can feel grateful amid such loss?

Nothing can replace the human lives lost to the pandemic, and it is all too easy to list those things we’ve lost. These are things that I grieve for – you will have your own list:{blist]

HOWEVER – there is much for which I am grateful:

• The technology that allows us to communicate remotely via Zoom and other media
• First responders, medical workers, grocery clerks, and others who continue to provide for society’s needs
• People who think outside of the box and propose creative ways of connecting

I am very grateful for our CHVAGO board members! We have continued to meet almost every month via Zoom, and are finding new ways of staying connected with each other and with our Chapter members. Inspired by what AGO Headquarters is doing, we are presenting online musical programs and sharing resources about making music during “Covid-Tide.”

I draw your attention to two inspiring articles in the December TAO: one by AGO President Michael Bedford about gift-giving during the pandemic; and one by Chaplain Don E. Saliers about music, and the slow work of God.

Our Chapter can also “take credit” for two items mentioned in TAO’s Year in Review:

• Bruce Xu, who grew up in and was nurtured by our Chapter, received the 2020–21 Pogorzelski-Yankee Memorial Scholarship.
• AGO National Council approved a new program of Achievement Awards to encourage beginning organists to improve their skills and prepare for the first steps in the certification program. The program is administered at the chapter level. Our Chapter was one of only four national test-sites and has been in the forefront of working with members on this new program!

This year are all too aware of the “collateral damage” resulting from the pandemic. However, there has also been many instances of “collateral beauty” – unexpected kindnesses; the opportunity to learn new skills and explore new approaches. Just one personal example: I would never have learned how to make iMovies to “accompany” the Virtual Choir that my organist James Fitzwilliam puts together each week. If you look carefully, you will see opportunities that await you!

While I grieve deeply for the people who have been lost, I also gives thanks for our many blessings. As one of my favorite texts (written by F. Pratt Green) expresses so beautifully:

For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God.
For his gifts to every nation, thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labor, God’s will be done.
In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will be done.
In our world-wide task of caring for the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests we are sharing, God’s will be done.

For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us,
Most of all that Love has found us, thanks be to God.

Gratefully yours,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Member News

Survey Revisited

Some of you may recall my article in the February 2019 issue of our chapter newsletter called: “Are Organists Recognized by the Churches They Serve? A Survey of Church Web Sites in the Central Hudson Valley.” I am very gratified that that The Amercian Organist magazine has published that article in the December 2020 issue. Since it appeared, I have received quite a bit of feedback, which I think sheds even more light on the subject. Some of them have come from members of the Facebook Organists Association, as follows:
From Jayson R. Engquist in St. Paul, MN:
“I have wondered for many years about the relationship between institutions, who listed their musicians (and those not), and how important music is to same!
 
“In addition to AGO, I am also a member of Guild of Temple Musicians (the Reform Jewish movement musicians) and I served as the national president for many years. I began a similar survey, within our Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations some years ago, and found almost the same thing as you did.  With the exception of our larger congregations, employing full-time ordained/invested/certified Cantors (they are equal in training/qualifications as their rabbinical counterparts and are considered “clergy”), many congregations employ additional organists, cantorial soloists, and/or other musicians, who also lead or assist in services, as well as a myriad of other responsibilities, depending on the congregation.
 
“Similarly, congregations who left the musicians off their websites, seemed to diminish music as being important or worthwhile to include. Other employees (administrative, custodial, etc.) were often listed, when musicians were not.
 
“I am bringing this to the attention of our current leadership in both AGO chapters and our Guild of Temple board.

“Many, many thanks for your important article and for bringing this “front and center” in the eyes (and minds) of other AGO members!!”

From Alfred V. Fedak in Albany, NY: “Great article! Not only are organists’ names often omitted from church and synagogue websites, they’re even more often omitted from printed service bulletins. This suggests that either the role of organist is not significant enough to be recognized or that the organ somehow plays itself…”

From Ann S. Carney in Wind Hill, NC: “I played for the same church for over 30 years, most of that time as a salaried (though part-time) employee. My name never appeared in the staff listings, either in the bulletin or online.”

From Larry Wheelock in Milwakee, WI: “My name has always been in the ‘staff box’ in the bulletin but in my last 3 parishes it was on the signboard out front as well.”

Of course I have also received congratulations from several chapter members, including some that included more extensive comments:

From Eric Hepp: “I do believe [the article] will be a catalyst in other chapters for similar surveys. Hopefully the observation that some denominations are more likely to name their organist on their websites and how that speaks to the esteem with which they are held can be a guide in raising clergy sensitivity across all denominations.”

Thanks to all who responded! As I wrote in the conclusion to my article, I wonder how pandemic-related changes might affect the results if the survey were repeated today.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
November 2020

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2020 continues to be no ordinary year – from the smallest details to the most wide-ranging important events! “Once in a Blue Moon” is a common expression, referring to things that happen very rarely. The phrase refers to the appearance of a second full moon within a single month. This occurs only once in about every thirty-two months. Well, of course we have a Blue Moon in 2020 – and it occurs on October 31st, which is the night that I am writing this Letter. Nothing is the same this year – the family birthday of my youngest grandchild had to take place on Zoom this year. The adults were sadly lamenting the fact that he was being deprived of a “real” birthday – but we were dead wrong. We grandparents may have felt deprived, but my five-year-old grandson announced repeatedly during his zoom party: “this is the best day of my life, so far!”, and he was having a blast and enjoying his party to the fullest.

His response reminded me of something very important: as tempting as it often is these days to focus on what we can’t do; we really benefit much more from focusing on what we CAN do. This applies equally to small, trivial things, and to large, important ones.

All of us have had to make major adjustments in how we create music and in how we worship this year. Last month Nancy Vanderlee shared her experiences with producing music during Covid. This month Justan Foster and Susan Guse will share each of their experiences. I encourage each of you to share with us how you are “doing music” these days. Looking ahead, I know we would all benefit from hearing about how you are creating music for meaningful and beautiful Advent and Christmas services. Just as each of our worship communities is different, so each of our ways of dealing with these challenges (and opportunities) will differ. To share your stories, just send me an email at laurarus629@gmail.com and we will publish you experiences in our next Newsletter.

In November and December James Fitzwilliam and I will be offering two Hymn-Sings via Zoom that will be open to all of our members and to their choirs. In mid-November we will host an Advent-themed Hymn-Sing. In mid-December we will host a Christmas Hymn-Sing. Details appear in the CHVAGO calendar on our Chapter Website: chvago.org
I hope to see many of you there, along with your choir members so we can enjoy singing together!

Your CHVAGO Board continues to try to find new ways of connecting during this time. Some of you attended our October 11th “Harvest Social” (via Zoom) where we spent some social time reconnecting with each other and also presented our annual Distinguished Service Awards to long-time CHVAGO members who have made substantial contributions to music in our region. Honored at that event and presented with beautiful hand-printed award certificates made by Susan LaGrande were Elaine Simpson, Glenn May, and Craig Williams. We thank each of them for their distinguished service!

New CHVAGO Board member Justan Foster has launched a CHVAGO YouTube Channel which will feature concerts and workshops of interest to our members. In November Susan Guse will present a short concert including works by Hermann Schroeder, G.F. Handel, C. Hubert Parry, and J.S. Bach to showcase the new Allen Organ which member John Vanderlee helped her acquire recently. Details about that will also appear on our Chapter calendar.

Our Chapter Website will be getting some updates as well. At the top of the “About” page, you will find a new link to “COVID-19 Resources and Guides for Musicians” which will include regular updates on topics ranging from state guidelines for religious meetings to the latest scientific data on singing safely together. If you have other suggestions for our website, or for anything else, please be in touch with us. We are here to serve you!

The isolation, grief, and fear we feel these days is all too real – and yet, as we approach the holiday season, I pray:
That we may find the courage to leave room for hope:
That we may continue to seek the light which shines in the darkness
That we will open ourselves to the possibility of miracles, within ourselves, and in the world.

I wish you good health as we all move forward together.

In Hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

League of Distinguished Service Inductees for 2020

On Sunday, October 11, during our online Harvest Social, three new members were inducted into the chapter’s League of Distinguished Service:

Elaine Simpson is an organist and vocalist at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rock Tavern. We were fortunate to have her as a member of the CHVAGO Board for a couple of years, during which time she proved herself to be a caring, hospitable colleague. We were sorry to lose her as a board member, and we thank her for her service.

Craig Williams is Organist and Choir Director at the Cadet Chapel, West Point. His contributions to the Central Hudson Valley chapter can hardly be overstated, not only as Past Dean, but as advisor and mentor to members of all technical skill levels. He has always been generous with his time and attention, and we thank him for his service.

Glenn May has been a long-time member of the Central Hudson Valley chapte, along with his partner Charles Faverio, who died earlier this year. Glenn is passionate about history, as evidenced not only by his many years as a docent with the Monmouth County Historical Society in Northern New Jersey, but also by his home in Hopewell Junction which is packed with antique books and musical instruments. Our chapter has been warmed by Glenn’s charm and genuine interest in people.

What’s It Like at Your Church?

• From Susan MacNish: “I know that there is little need for organ substitutes as everyone finds creative ways to worship safely. Regardless, I am not comfortable going to indoor venues so is best that you remove my name from the Substitute list for now.” [Note that if anyone else would like to change their status with regard to the Sub List, please contact Susan LaGrande at 845-226-6496.]
• From Justan Foster:
  Beginning on August 23, Greenbush Reformed Church transitioned to split remote and in-person service offerings. This required a number of needs and logistical challenges to be addressed, including:

  New AV equipment (roughly $8,000 in cost)
  Procurement of sufficient PPE (another $1,500)
  Alternative communion elements (about $500)

  The overall process for returning to worship also required a rotating list of volunteers (4 each week) to screen, take attendance, and ensure proper spacing. Our choir has not returned, though we do record either a choral or instrumental offering for each week to lessen the odd space we now find ourselves on. Additionally, my role as technical expert has expanded further into video editing. 

  One unintended benefit of our changes comes by way of our Christmas Eve planning. We realize that it is impractical and uninspiring to worship in such a modified way, so we have secured a professional videographer to provide us with a high quality product for digital distribution. Another benefit is that we have decided to engage musicians for remote services/recordings to support the arts and promote cross-regional exposure to styles and performers where we can. 

  One unintended consequence of our adjustments thus far is the strain is has placed on members and committees to be able to fully commit to mission in the way we might have in the past. There are days where is feels like we are working full-time to run a medical office, versus when we were fully remote and meeting our community where they are.

A Review of COVID Guidelines by Denomination

American Baptist Churches USA
https://www.abc-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/REMC-Recommendations-4-2020-002.pdf
This letter, dated April 2020, simply says, "Worship services should not be held in person. Services should be held by Facebook, streaming, and video conference." I can find no more recent guidance.

The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. provides a direct link to the CDC page for Community and Faith-Based Organizations, but nothing further on their own page.

Episcopal Church
https://2020.dioceseny.org/
This is a completely separate web site dedicated to COVID-19 Information and Resources. In contrast to some denominational guidelines, all articles on this web site are clearly dated. Resources listed include reopening information, financial guidance and assistance, and lots of links.

LCMS (Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod)
https://files.lcms.org/wl/?id=F64Yu9xwsZKeXMxfXEvRCQK6EaEBgSkw
This letter, "Communion and Covid-19," is dated March 20, 2020. It deals primarily with theological implications of attempts to provide communion when the congregation is unable to assemble as a group. It does not address issues of social distancing, singing, mask use, etc. as cancellation of services seems to be assumed. I can find no current updates as to when and how congregations may worship together in person.

Lutheran church (E.L.C.A.)
https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Resuming_Care-filled_Worship_and_Sacramental_Life.pdf
http://www.stjohnselc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Reopening_Plan_Guidlines_June-11-2020.pdf
These are the documents used by St. John’s Lutheran in Poughkeepsie, in addition to the state document for religious institutions.  

Presbyterian Church (USA)
https://www.pcusa.org/covid19/

This web page is a simple and well-organized list of links to resources, each of which is dated.

Reformed Church and UCC guidelines:
https://www.faithward.org/coronavirus-church-resources/ (updated 9/18/2020)

This is a compilation of articles offering practical advice on everything from guidelines for worship services to handling financial difficulties arising from the pandemic. Very well organized and easy to follow. Lots of links.

Roman Catholic (Archdiocese of New York)
https://www.ncronline.org/news/coronavirus/new-york-archdiocese-issues-five-phase-plan-gradually-reopen-churches
This article, dated May 22, 2020, outlines a five-phase plan to reopen churches, which until that date had remained closed since March. The fifth phase allows “Celebration of Sunday Mass with supervised attendance of approximately 25% of the church's permitted occupancy.”
https://archny.org/wp-content/uploads/YouthMinistry/COVID-Addendum.pdf. 
This document, updated on August 25, 2020, is titled “FAQ and Addendum to Safe and Sound: Guidelines and Procedures for Holding On-site Parish Religious Education and Youth Ministry Programs”

As of May 10, 2020, Catholic Churches in the Archdiocese of New York were not permitted to hold in-person liturgies. As of June 14, 2020, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Lagrangeville issued this statement: “We are emerging from the shutdown, some Sacraments are now available. Daily Mass is being celebrated, and soon so will Sunday Masses. Baptisms, weddings and funerals are also being offered. There are limitations and restrictions to all so please refer to the parish website or contact the office for details and information.” The following week Sunday Mass was resumed on a limited basis. By July 19, 2020 an additional Mass was added. By the following week, all regular Masses were resumed. However, Religious Instruction was still restricted. No mention in the parish bulletin at any time about social distancing or wearing masks. At the same time, the parish published an extensive list of “Mostly-Catholic Resources during COVID-19” which includes links to live-streamed Masses as well as audio and visual devotional aids.

United Methodist Church
https://www.umc.org/en/how-we-serve/promoting-health-and-wholeness/coronavirus-information-resources
This web site contains much less in the way of rules and restrictions than other demominational resources. Its aim seems to be to soothe and reassure rather than provide hard-and-fast guidelines, although there is a link to “Guidelines for Reopening” from the Middletown United Methodist Church in Louisville, KY, which is very similar to the guidelines provided by other denominations.

Vassar Temple
https://vassartemple.org/
There does not seem too be much consensus among Jewish communities as to how to provide guidance relevant to the pandemic. Vassar Temple does provide a list of resources on its home page, but in much less detail than is noted in other denominations.

A Practice Organ for My Home [or be careful what you wish for….]

During a conversation with board member Nancy Vanderlee a few years ago, I commented on how great it would be to have an organ in my home to practice. Her husband, John Vanderlee, who is head of NYTOS (New York Theatre Organ Society) overheard the discussion between Nancy and me. I had no idea what project John was planning.

Fast forward to August 2020 when I received a phone call from John telling me that he had noticed an Allen organ for sale in Millbrook on Craigslist – would I be interested in looking at it? The asking price was high, but depending on the condition of the instrument, he knew recent selling prices of similar instruments. I welcomed his input as I know next to nothing about electronic/digital organs. The organ was a three manual Allen ADC 6300-D manufactured in the early 1990’s. The Allen organ company is known for introducing digital sampling, a new technology in the latter part of the 1980’s, into church organs. All of their instruments are solid wood and the company has earned a reputation for excellence in manufacturing.

John and I met at the Millbrook home. The owners had decided to take advantage of an expanding real estate market in Dutchess County; the organ needed to be sold and removed from the property before listing, so the sellers were motivated. My initial offer, based on recent sales of similar instruments across the country and in consultation with John, was not met with enthusiasm. Their counter offer was still unrealistic, but after 24 hours and a small addition to my initial offer, they agreed to the sale. The fun was only beginning!

Two days later, we began the process of relocating the organ.

Dismantling the organ involved removing the pedal board,
securing the music rack on the console, disconnecting six speakers and bringing them down from the second floor. The instrument was fastened to a dolly system also built by John.

Steps were negotiated on ramps built by John.

With John’s trailer parked in the front, the easiest route out of the house was through the back patio door, over the outdoor deck and around the side of the house on a 50 foot stone walkway about 3 feet wide.

Once out of the house, everything was positioned inside the trailer and securely attached for transport and storage.

Two weeks later and moving in day arrived. Our three adult sons were ready and waiting to help when John backed up our driveway with the organ in his trailer. The console was the main attraction. Steps off the driveway and up the front porch were determined to be too steep for ramps.

The organ console with solid wood panels had to be lifted and carried the entire 30+ feet up the front walk way and up the porch. Next challenge: the front door is the widest entrance to our home at 35 ¼ inches, a tight squeeze for the 35 inch wide console.

The plan was to remove the storm door frame and hold our breath – it worked! Finally, the entrance into the living room measured 34 ¾”, not 35”. After much discussion, my husband threw up his hands, got a hammer & chisel and said “Dry wall can be repaired”.



Once in place with pedal board and speakers connected,
I was able to play the instrument.

Our living room is large; 15 feet x 20 feet, and has a 9 foot ceiling. I was pleasantly surprised that most stop combinations I tried almost blended. But just like a pipe organ is voiced for the acoustics of the room where it is located, the same must be done with a digital instrument. Carl Hackert, of Allen organs, came down from Albany and spent an afternoon “fine-tuning”. He went through the electronic components for each section of the organ to balanced volume and tonal qualities. He was also able to adjust the “reverb” or ambience for each voice.

I recorded several pieces for posting to the CHVAGO website to demonstrate some of the stops I am enjoying while playing “Millie” in my home.

I hope you are able to listen to it. Here are the pieces played with registrations:

II Andante Sostenuto from Short Preludes & Intermezzos by Hermann Schroeder
Swell 8’ Gemshorn, 8’ Salicional and 8’ Voix Celeste
Great 8’ Prinzipal, 8’ Gamba
Choir 8’ Erzähler, 8’Viole and 8’ Viole Celeste

Presto, from Concerto No. 5 by G. F. Handel
Swell 8’ Bouchee (not used 4’ Flute Fuseau)
Great 8’ Gamba, 8’ Rohrflöte, 8’ Flute Dolce II and 4’ Spitzflöte
Choir 8’ Holz Gedeckt

Two Hymns
How Clear is Our Vocation, Lord – REPTON F. Pratt Green/C. Hubert Parry
I used the Choir Krummhorn on the introduction of the melody. The verse of this hymn was played on a light Principal chorus on the Great (no mixtures). 2nd verse - addition of reeds, including pedal reeds

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty – LOBE DEN HERREN
Introduction - brass chorus
Swell 16’ Basson, 8’ Trompette and 4’ Clarion coupled to the Great 8’ Trompete
On the final verse, full pedal is utilized which includes a 32’ Contrabasse.

Third and final portion of the Triple Fugue, from Fugue in E flat (St. Anne’s), B.W.V. 552 by J. S. Bach

Additional stops I am listening to and combining with other registrations:
Mixtures: Swell Fourniture IV Great Mixture IV Choir Cymbal III
Mutations: Swell Nasard 2 2/3, Tiere 1 3/5 Great Quinte 2 2/3
Choir Nasat 2 2/3, Quinte 1 1/3, Flageolett I

This ADC model comes with a card reader (which was repaired by John Vanderlee) allowing the organist to program additional voices using IBM punch cards. I am currently looking for cards on EBay. I am looking forward to having a CHVAGO meeting at home, post COVID, for members of our chapter to try out this wonderful instrument that I am able to enjoy during my daily practice.

Review of AGO National Web Site

Our AGO National website has been substantially improved over the last year, and I want to call your attention to some of the features. It is well worth your time to explore and make use of the information provided. Step one is to log in, as some of the content is available only to members.

Click member login

Then enter your userid - first letter of first name followed by last name - and password, found on the mailing label of your magazine in the middle of the row above your name.(If you have trouble finding your password, please contact Susan LaGrande.)

Once logged in, navigation is easy, just use the drop down menus from the main menu bar.

Home: On the home page is a scrolling banner, and you can click on anything interesting as it scrolls by, or hurry it along with the arrows on the sides to get to the panel that interests you. The ones I find useful here are:

• AGO Organfest 2020 - held in place of the canceled national convention, pretty cool stuff.
• Covid-19 Resources - Ideas and advice for navigating the pandemic in your church and chapter setting.

• In the drop down menu, hover over Upcoming AGO Webinars ... and a submenu choice showing past webinars is displayed, click on either of these and benefit from some really great information. For example, one I found especially helpful in these Covid times is one titled "Streaming Music Legally in Churches and Recitals"
• Online Educational Videos - there's a ton of stuff on this page, from introductory lessons to master series classes taught by some of the great names in organ - A lesson with Marie-Clair Alain, Gerre Hancock anyone? These are great for you, and can be pretty helpful for for your students as well
• Certification - If you are interested in the certification levels, all the information on requirements, literature lists, preparation aids, etc are all compiled and available in one place
• Academic Degree Programs - a list of schools offering degrees in Organ, useful if you have a student continuing their studies in college.

• African American Organ Music - one of our chapter goals this year is to promote the knowledge and playing of organ music from African American composers. This plan discussion can point the way.

• The American Organist - read it online, find that interesting article from last year when you can't quite find your copy of the magazine.

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
October 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Even in normal years, everything seems to change after Labor Day. Vacations have ended; if it’s an election year, the pace of political campaigning increases and intensifies; schools begin. If you work in a house of worship, the rhythm of your work changes markedly: staff and committee meetings start up again, choir resumes after summer break, and planning for the upcoming liturgical year begins in earnest!

However, 2020 continues to live up to its unpleasant reputation by bringing us yet another season of uncertainty in our personal lives as well as in the larger society.

• Did we even get to go on a vacation with COVID lurking everywhere?
• Can the incredibly polarized election get any more intense? Will we even be able to vote? If we do vote, will we know the results before 2021?
• Can schools open safely? If not, how do those of us with children juggle childcare and our work?
• Can houses of worship open safely? Will choirs ever be able to sing together again? How can we even think about Christmas?

I had a magical hope that once summer came, we would somehow move past the disease. Here in New York we have worked really hard, and the numbers of people infected and dying have gone way down. However, there appears to be a resurgence of higher numbers with many schools and religious organization reopening, and with cold weather forcing people to gather inside. Frankly, I worry about people abandoning their careful social distancing due to COVID fatigue.

This summer I turned 70 in the midst of the pandemic, and was not able to celebrate the milestone birthday the way I had wanted to. Next year I will mark 20 years of music ministry at Christ Church, and yet I fear that my beloved choir will still not be able to sing together in person. I need to remind myself that, as the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer says,: “Life has changed: not ended.” Although for more than 200,000 souls in our own country alone, life HAS ended.

I think all of us have been grieving the loss of a great deal this year, on the individual level, as musicians, as a community, and as a citizen of the human family. There is no one right way to grieve. Some people become severely depressed and cannot find the resources within themselves to accomplish anything day-to-day. Some find themselves prone to anger or worry. Others are working overtime in their work environments, their families, or their communities, doing everything humanly possible to ensure that these important institutions survive the upheaval of the pandemic.

However, we also need to remember the importance of caring for our own emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Perhaps we can all spend time each day doing something that brings us joy and peace. It may be practicing music, going for a walk, developing a new skill or hobby, preparing a nutritious meal, reaching out to old or new friends.

I have been impressed by the way many arts organizations, include our own AGOHQ and CHVAGO have been responding to this crisis. Elizabeth George, Director of Member Engagement and Chapter Development at AGOHQ has been sending out monthly Chapter Leadership Emails, and holding online Leadership Workshops to help local Chapters figure out new ways to reach out to their membership and to strengthen and develop Chapter Board members’ skills.

I check the main AGO web site at www.agohq.org often to find many types of resources, including the following articles, just to name a few:

• “Legally Live-Streaming Worship Services”
• Coping with job loss during the pandemic
• Developing new skills in the AGO Online Educational Resources

As a Chapter we have been challenged to find ways to present concerts and other activities for our members. Here’s some of what’s happening:

• Susan LaGrande is maintaining our online calendar of events. Please check the Calendar page regularly.
• Justan Foster is looking into setting up our own Chapter YouTube account where we can promote performances by our members.
• Composer Kevin Scott, husband of Board member Nancy DeMilio is developing a list of Organ Compositions by African-American Composers, which we will share with our members. (See below for Kevin’s list.)
• Past Dean Craig Williams, Organist/Choir Director at the Cadet Chapel at the USMA, West Point, has created a virtual crawl of the magnificent organ in the chapel, which is the largest pipe organ in the world housed in a religious institution. The video can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBfZnccD21c

  We were not able to hold our Summer Picnic this year, nor will we have our usual big “Bach to Broadway” duo-organ concert. However, we are planning a “Harvest Social” (on Zoom) to which all of you are invited. It will take place on Sunday, October 11th at 7:00 PM. A Zoom link will be sent out to you a few days before the event. At this time we will introduce you to our new Board members and to new Chapter members. Our annual “Distinguished Service Awards” will be presented at the gathering as well. I hope to see many of you at this gathering!

  The days may be getting short, and the weather is getting colder, but we can still continue to keep our spirits hopeful, to share the gifts of our own musical community, and to show warm hospitality to our members – new and old alike. Even in a virtual online setting, we can find strength and community.

  In hope,
  

  

  Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
  Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

  Did You Notice Our New Logo?

  
  Turn to Page 1 of our printed newsletter and look at the top left corner. We are now using the newly redesigned seal as adopted by AGO headquarters. There was a full page story about it on page 31 of the August issue of TAO. In solidarity with our parent organization, over the next few weeks CHVAGO will be updating our logo on our web site and Facebook pages. Please let us know what you think.

  List of Organ Works by African-American Composers

  Thanks to Kevin Scott, spouse of CHVAGO board member Nancy DeMilio, for this list of Compositions for Solo Organ (save one work) by African-American Composers.
  Compilations
  King of Kings: Organ Music by Black Composers Past and Present edited by James Abbington (GIA Publications)
  A three-volume series offering works by several African-American and African composers including Florence Price, Fela Sowande, Carl Haywood, Marques L.A. Garrett and William Farley Smith https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/king-of-kings-combo-pack-print-g7677.
  African-American Organ Music Anthology Edited by Mickey Thomas Terry
  An eight-volume series of works for solo organ ranging from works by Ulysses Kay, Noel DaCosta and Mark Fax to recent works by Adolphus Hailstork and David Hurd
  https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?Ntt=African+American+Organ+Music+Anthology.
  Blogs
  Ashley Danyew website on Music by Black Composers
  A more comprehensive list of the compilations listed above plus other works. The highlighted titles in Ms. Danyew's blog will send you to Sheet Music Plus if you wish to purchase them: https://www.ashleydanyew.com/posts/music-by-black-composers-organ
  Individual Composers
  David Hurd:
  Suite for Organ – https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/david-hurd-suite-in-three-movements-for-organ-digital-sheetmusic/20658616
  YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkFNZiHoKlU.
  Te Deum Laudamus – a major symphony for solo organ https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/david-hurd-te-deum-laudamus-for-organ-digital-sheetmusic/20403086
  YouTube videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RycDDMwfqcE
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IOeKgprn8A
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qR7DqlWyq0
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8fd0GtlP0
  Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Organ – https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/david-hurd-sonata-for-alto-saxophone-and-organ-digital-sheetmusic/20658613
  YouTube Videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJzu9zzQ3Kg
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVLBVupx3qs
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QWItnQ7yb8
  Trent Johnson:
  I'll let his website do the talking – and playing! He lives in New Jersey. http://trentxjohnson.com
  Video of his Visions for Organ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U00Hwt3vACE

  James Lee III
  Ascend The Mountain (A Walk With Dr. King)
  https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/ascend-the-mountain-a-walk-with-dr-king-sheet-music/19507807
  YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXgMEW4GHkQ
  
  Kevin Scott
  Last but not least – this contributor! These are the pieces that I feel are ready to be played, though I will admit that two of them really require firm editing for performance!
  Festal Toccata on a Medieval Chant (ca. 3 minutes)
  Prelude on “Gift of Finest Wheat” (ca. 3 minutes)
  Prelude on “Ellacombe” (ca. 4 minutes)
  Of the three listed works, only Festal Toccata is up to performance standards, although I have a feeling that the coda may require a second pair of hands! I also want to complete a couple of other works, so give me some time on this one.

  This is Part One of a Two-Part series. Watch for Part Two in an upcoming newsletter.

  What’s It Like at Your Church?

  We are encouraging members to send us updates of the status of music in the houses of worship in which they serve. Nancy Vanderlee’s contribution appears below.

  St. Peter's Lithgow (Millbrook) resumed in-person worship at the beginning of July. Attendance is restricted to 26 (including clergy lay leader, and organist), with additional distanced seating in the parish hall (watching the stream on a large screen). Hymns are pre-recorded from submitted sound files and mixed into a finished product, which is played through a speaker, while I accompany live on the organ. Sometimes, these recordings are enhanced by my own flute tracks or submitted keyboard descants from parishioners. I have taken on the sound engineering responsibilities myself at this point, relieving my husband of the responsibility!

  A quartet from our choir is beginning to prepare an anthem for All-Saints' Sunday, mostly by practicing individually with emailed clicktracks, diction tutorials, and vocal files. There will also be some individual coaching via Face Time and group rehearsals on Zoom. Several others will join us by mid-October to begin rehearsing Lessons and Carols and Christmas music via Zoom.

  If you would like to share your experiences, please email Laura at laurarus629@gmail.com.

  Membership Questions

  Please address all questions regarding membership and ONCARD to Susan LaGrande. Her phone number is 845-226-6496 and her email address is SUSANEL2@OPTONLINE.NET.

  Deadline for Next Newsletter

  
  We are always glad to receive input for the chapter newsletter in the form of calendar items, reviews of recent concerts and events, biographies, letters, photographs, etc. In order to make sure these submissions can be processed in a timely fashion, please make sure they are received by the 23rd of each month. However, material such as calendar items may be submitted at any time; even if the material may not make it into the printed newsletter, it can be quickly posted on our web site at www.chvago.org. You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in December 2020, is November 23.

  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) - e-mail: SUSANEL2@OPTONLINE.NET

Newsletter
September 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Sistine Lezon! Sistine is Organist at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Poughkeepsie, NY. She has a particular interest in organ restoration work and was apprentice to master organbuilder Susan Tattershall. Her contact information is:
  Sistine Lezon
  90B Rhobella Drive
  Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
  914-456-0533
  patientpeoplecminor@gmail.com
  We look forward to an occasion where we can welcome Sistine face to face!
• Susan Guse, who has been music director and organist at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie for many years, is retiring. She played for the last time at the worship service on August 30.. We wish her well in this new phase in life she is entering!
• Connie Lacey has been recovering from an illness at home since before Christmas. She loves to hear how about our chapter members are doing and would love to hear from you. Her number is 845-897-5962.

  Having Trouble Paying Your Dues? CHVAGO Can Help

  Many of us have been facing uncertainty and financial hardship since the pandemic struck our communities. For some, it has meant putting off renewing our AGO membership. AGO Headquarters already has a program in place to extend membership beyond the normal expiration date, but once that extended date has passed, they are unable to offer any further assistance.

  Your Board Members feel that we must do all we can to support and encourage chapter members. Membership provides valuable resources, such as information via The American Organist Magazine and the AGO main web site www.agohq,org, as well as our own web site, monthly newsletter, and Facebook pages. Membership also grants you the privilege of having your name included in our Sub List and Teachers List, which is a major reason why the public visits our web site. Fellowship with other organists is another crucial benefit to be gained through membership in CHVAGO.

  Therefore we propose a new, temporary program to assist members in paying their dues. The money for this program would come from our chapter treasury, which otherwise would be used for public concerts and other events.

  If you need help in renewing your membership, please contact Justan Foster at 518-965-2389. There will be an application process, and each case will be considered individually and confidentially. Applications must be received by 12/31/2020.

  We hope that this new program will not only maintain our chapter's numerical strength, but will also demonstrate our commitment to supporting each other as colleagues and friends, which has always been the hallmark of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter.

  Getting More Out of TAO

  By Susan LaGrande
  This year, when it came time to renew my AGO membership, I noticed the option to receive The American Organist magazine digitally rather than through the mail. I decided to try it, and so far, I like it very much.

  Accessing the online magazine is easy. First log into www.agohq.org. To do this, you need your username, which is your first initial plus your last name, as in jsmith for John Smith. Your password is printed above your name on the mailing label of your print copy of TAO, and it always appears in any official correspondence from headquarters regarding your membership. If you can’t find your password, you can always get it from me at 845-226-6496 or from Molly at AGO headquarters at 212-870-2310.

  After you log in, click on the “TAO and Advertising” menu item at the top of the page, then select “Read TAO Online.” This will bring you to a page that displays the current issue of the magazine, which you can page through just as you would the print copy. There are embedded links (blocks of text that show up shaded in color when you scroll over them) throughout the text that allow you to jump to any part of the magazine that you choose.

  If you advance to the Table of Contents page and scroll over the listings, you will see shaded links to all articles and department within the magazine. When you click on a link, it takes you to the correct page. Once there, you can view a large-print version by clicking on the shaded link embedded in the title or the name of the department.

  Another way to get the large-print view is to click on the tic-tac-toe grid in the upper left corner to switch from Page View to Contents View, in which each article is presented in single-page format.

  I recommend that you spend some time investigating the TAO pages on the AGOHQ web site. You may find it very rewarding to view the articles in a different way.

  Instruments for Sale

  We have been informed about two instruments for sale locally. If you are interested in either of them, please use the contact information in the listing and do not contact the editor of this newsletter.
  • For sale: 5 foot 7 inch Kohler & Campbell piano (built by Samick) 10 years old, meticulously maintained by one piano tuner, red mahogany case with bench and damp-chaser (to maintain even tuning through changing seasons) is for sale. Piano has a well developed bass and a pleasing tenor-treble section. Was $12,000 new; priced to sell at $3,500. Buyer must arrange for removal and set-up to their destination. Serious inquiries only. Call Gregory Citarella at 845-297-7693 not before 9:00 AM or after 9:00 PM.
  • For sale: Conn Rhapsody electronic organ Model 625 (ca. 1960’s), two manuals, 25 pedals, with bench. Good condition. Asking $500, not including transportation. Photographs available. Clintondale area. Might be a useful home practice instrument. Contact Dan Latham, 845-837-8914 or lateshow1@icloud.com.

  Membership Questions

  
  Please address all questions regarding membership and ONCARD to Susan LaGrande. Her phone number is 845-226-6496 and her email address is SUSANEL2@OPTONLINE.NET.

  Deadline for Next Newsletter

  
  We are always glad to receive input for the chapter newsletter in the form of calendar items, reviews of recent concerts and events, biographies, letters, photographs, etc. In order to make sure these submissions can be processed in a timely fashion, please make sure they are received by the 23rd of each month. However, material such as calendar items may be submitted at any time; even if the material may not make it into the printed newsletter, it can be quickly posted on our web site at www.chvago.org. You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in October 2020, is September 23.

  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) - e-mail: SUSANEL2@OPTONLINE.NET

Newsletter
August 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

How is it possible that we have reached the month of August? We are now six months into a strange new reality that still feels like a bad dream, from which we will suddenly awake. But it is NOT a dream, and so the show must go on!

Even in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic. AGO-HQ and our CHVAGO Chapter ARE going on with the show! My letter will tell you about some of what’s been happening, and what is on the horizon.

CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
Board Elections: We held our annual Board elections via email and snail mail, and we now have new board members to introduce! Nancy DeMilio and John Gagliardi were both duly elected to the board as at-large members. Around the time of the elections, Elaine Simpson resigned from the board for personal reasons. Our Chapter By-laws allow that a new board member may be appointed by the Chapter Dean to replace a departing member. With consultation from the rest of our Board, I invited Justan Foster to join us, as an additional member at-large. A brief personal statement from Justan can be found below in the Newsletter. Please welcome our new members: John, Nancy, and Justan!

Board Meetings: We have been meeting via Zoom and by email throughout the Summer. We were not able to hold the Annual Meeting and Picnic, nor were we able to present the annual Distinguished Service Awards. At our September meeting we will discuss when and how we plan to do that, so please stay tuned.

The Juneteenth Statement, thoughtfully crafted by our Board, as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement was posted on our Facebook page on June 19, 2020, and also appears on our website , prominently presented, as part of what we value as a Chapter.

Online Concerts: Anthony Rispo is in the process of developing an exciting Pop-up Concert project. A few “teasers” about it appear below in the Newsletter. Watch for more news about this, and get in touch with Anthony to participate.

AGO-HQ efforts:
As I mentioned above, our leaders at AGO-HQ have been working overtime this summer to create events despite the Pandemic. Their July online AGO Organfest 2020 – beauty in the midst of chaos – was a dramatic and inspiring week-long presentation! If you missed any of it, you can still go online to agoorganfest2020.org to experience it. I highly recommend it.

The August TAO has many articles and columns to help us deal with Covid-19. I mention several here:

• See AGO Chaplain Don Saliers’ article about “Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land”. He talks of the power of music from many traditions, combined with scripture, to touch us in times of trouble – and we are most certainly in troubling times right now – with Covid ravaging many parts of the world; political and social polarization in our country; concern about upcoming Elections; possibility of world-wide Economic Collapse; concerns for racial justice and equality.
• See David Vogels’ column about the affect of COVID on concert performance. Summer concert series (even Tanglewood) have been universally canceled. Many concert venues have already canceled the rest of their 2020 season entirely. Yet many organizations are creatively figuring out ways to stay engaged with their audience base by presenting special virtual online concerts. Ironically, many AGO Chapters and small church music series lose money on concerts that they produce, so the fact that our concerts have been canceled doesn’t necessarily hurt the financial bottom line. However, our real “bottom line” is sharing the inspiration of music in live performance, educating our public, and also in supporting performers.
• See the full-page mention of an award presented to one of our own: Bruce Xu was awarded the 2020-21 Ronald G Pogprzelski and Lester D. Yankee Memorial Freshman Scholarship Award. Many of us remember Bruce when he was just getting started on organ – way to go, Bruce – congratulations!
• See the article by Mary Newton: “Organists and Covid-19” – How to survive and thrive during a pandemic. Quite an optimistic sounding title – but do read it, there are many excellent and encouraging suggestions for how you can use this strange time to develop new skills and strengthen existing ones.
• See the “big, splashy full-page” mention of the Achievement Awards, for the development of which our Chapter served as an initial test site! Even during the pandemic, you can work on the skills these Awards encourage you to develop. Many of us would be happy to meet one-on-one in Zoom meetings to go over the Awards topics. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Board with questions, or to offer to help those who want to learn these skills.

I wish you a relaxing August, with hope for new initiatives in the Autumn. Be well!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA -- Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Meet Our Newest Board Members

• Justan Foster is the Music Director at Greenbush Reformed Church, former chair for chapter-level RYCO competitions, and Past Dean of the Hudson-Catskill and Eastern New York chapters of the AGO. Justan has performed throughout the United States, studying organ with Lonnie Kulick, Craig S. Williams, Peter Mahigian, Alfred V. Fedak, and Dr. Angela Kraft Cross. In addition to his musical pursuits, Justan holds degrees in Education, Literature, and is completing graduate studies focused on Data Privacy and Compliance at Albany Law School. Justan presently serves as a Notary Public, Senior Administrative Analyst for the State of New York.
• John Gagliardi writes: Since the day I heard the sound of a pipe organ I have since been continually captivated by it's ethereal and grandeur characteristics. Interestingly, I was forced to learn the piano at a young age. It wasn’t until my late teens that I began to take my piano studies more seriously as I began to appreciate the piano literature. I’ve been both self-taught and mentored throughout the years. At some point I was invited to an organ concert with Hector Olivera as the performing artist. To put it mildly, I was left in awe and changed forever, perhaps traumatized. Hector’s performance sparked a love for the organ I did not know I had. Ever since then I’ve been happily obsessed with learning the organ literature. Aside from the pleasure of playing the organ, my encounters with many delightful, larger than life people in the organ world has greatly enriched me.
• Nancy DeMilio writes: “I am a graduate of Mannes College of Music, where I studied voice. I've also studied organ privately. I am happy to be a member at large with the Central Hudson Valley AGO and I look forward to helping everyone during the coming year.”

Membership News

An Invitation to Share Your Music

We hope you are doing well and staying as safe as possible during these times of ongoing uncertainty. The Central Hudson Valley Chapter of The American Guild of Organists would like to offer you an opportunity to share your musical gifts with our community through our FaceBook page, regardless of whether or not you’re a member of the chapter.

These events will operate on a schedule to engage as much viewership as possible. Please inquire with Anthony Rispo at anthony.rispo@gmail.com to establish dates and times and to settle other details. You are welcome to perform live by using a smartphone or any other setup you might have, or you may submit a recording of your playing so we can share it on our page. If you chose to perform live on Zoom or FaceBook, we'd ask that you send us the link so we can share it on the Calendar page. This is a volunteer opportunity in which anyone can participate. We hope this provides you with a chance to connect with other organists as well as form new friendships.

COVID-19 has managed to upturn our lives in various ways, not the least of which is the illness itself and the great sorrow it has caused many, as a result. Everything ? meetings, jobs, social time, day trips, long trips, you name it ? has been seemingly limited to a computer screen and Zoom. The familiarity of our lives has been changed. Consequently, the illusion of feeling like we are “missing out” has become amplified, and our sense of connection, reduced. And out of this can cause great mental distress. Even though it can be rather challenging to “find the silver linings” during moments of great difficulty, we can continue pursuing options that help us fulfill our current life passions and our purpose. We can discover new qualities about ourselves or develop ones that we have been putting off for a while, either out of fear, insecurity, lack of time, or maybe we even forgot about one!

We hope this opportunity will offer you a means to stay connected to your musicianship and with others. So, please don't sit this out. Get those shoes, old or new scores, and pencils out, continue honing your craft. Continue to feed your soul to share your gift with us during these trying times.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
July 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

On this Fourth of July there is so much that cries out to be written about that I don’t know where to start! So much of it is tension-filled, painful, and important – to our nation, to our Chapter, to our colleagues, friends, and family, and to ourselves.

It seems to me that as much as we want to celebrate, we also want and need to mourn. As much as we eagerly try to “re-open” and move forward, we are cautious or even terrified that if we ignore our past we are more likely to repeat tragic mistakes. I am talking about the Novel Corona Virus, but I am also talking about social justice and institutionalized racism. I am talking about respecting and celebrating our differences, but I am also talking about trying to find a sense of common purpose. I am talking about of loss of community in our civic, religious and musical institutions, but I am also talking about the risks of trying to rebuild that community too soon, or in ways that are dangerous and destructive.

I draw your attention to the article by our AGO Chaplain Don Saliers in July TAO that discusses the reordering of time during the COVID virus. We experience a shift of tempo and rhythm in quarantine; in working from home; in pre-recording services; in creating Virtual Choirs. The experience of making music together in real time – in the moment - as part of live worship is utterly different from the experience of recording multiple re-takes on organ solos when you know it’s going to go up online – potentially to be heard by anyone and everyone for eternity.

The rhythm of the recurring liturgical seasons shapes the musical lives of many of us who work in houses of worship. In 2020, we were wrenched out of this rhythm in the midst of the penitential season of Lent as services were suspended, then canceled, and then moved online right before Holy Week and Easter. That has never happened before – or at least it has never happened on such a global scale, and has never happened to us.

It was one thing to “muscle through” (or muddle through) the stressful “production” of Holy Week services, followed by the not-very-Joyful Alleluias of Easter at the beginning of the Pandemic. It is another, to gird our loins and marshal our strength for the long haul, as we try to plan for a musical future we cannot know. In many parts of the country houses of worship are opening up – often without clear guidance or careful planning. In some places choirs are singing together again, but early signs indicate that new COVID cases are spiraling higher and higher, potentially out of control. The choral ensemble is perhaps the most efficient “super spreader” of the virus that we have. But “How can we keep from singing?”

Our traditional means of solace – community memorial services; hugs; choral ensembles; live music – have all been taken away, for our own safety. “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” We long for a return to normalcy; for live, in-person worship with choral ensembles and congregational singing, but it also terrifies us! We crave connection with our family and friends but dread getting the virus ourselves, and we dread passing it on to those who are vulnerable.

Virtual worship is all we’ve got, but it is fundamentally unsatisfying. Will we find new technical fixes to penetrate the spaces that separate us? Zoom worship has made worship a spectator sport, a performance. We can watch, but we cannot fully participate.

The very qualities that distinguish making music in a worship setting from performing in a concert have led many of us to build careers (callings) that are focused on making music in houses of worship rather than concertizing. Now many of us are being forced into creating unsatisfying concert-like experiences. For many of us THIS IS NOT WORSHIP! I have heard of several music directors who have resigned from their positions, not because they don’t have the skills to work in the virtual worship realm, but because it is a deeply unsatisfying, and even non-religious experience for them. Many devoted church choir members find little or no meaning in recording their voices alone in their homes, even when they are told by other people watching online services that they “love to hear the choir each week.” How do they tell their friends in the congregation, that “it’s NOT the choir” – or is it the choir?

What about the employment of church musicians who are not able to fully do their jobs, through no fault of their own? What is the house of worship’s obligation – legal and moral – to continue to employ these musicians? On the other hand, what about the part-time organist who is now spending three to four times as many hours a week “constructing a virtual choir” – an incredibly time-consuming process – for the same small amount of pay. What is the church’s obligation to the musician to compensate them for their additional hours of time?

Many of us feel helpless and in despair over the loss of meaningful music-making. What can we as individuals do? What can we as your AGO Chapter do? Perhaps we can acknowledge our collective sense of loss, and then try to find ways of connecting through music in this hopefully temporary new world.

I sing in Cappella Festiva, a community-based choir directed by Christine Howlett, director of Choral Activities at Vassar College. She has been convening weekly Zoom rehearsals for the choir – to keep us connected socially; to keep us working on music together that we hope to sing in the future; to keep us hopeful that real choral ensembles will emerge once again in a post-COVID era. I also meet about every two weeks with my volunteer church choir on Zoom. We are individually recording hymns, service music and anthems every week for our online church services. It’s frustrating work, but I greatly admire the dedication of my group. They know that as frustrating as it is for them, it creates a meaningful worship experience for those who attend the online services.

The New York Chapter of the American Choral Director Association is hosting several free online choral events this summer – open to all (you don’t have to become a member). You may access these events by clicking on this link: https://www.nyacda.org

AGO-Headquarters is hosting a 2020 AGO Virtual Convention on July 20 – 24 at 8:00 PM. It will include the World-Premiers of new organ works, originally commissioned for the AGO National Convention in Atlanta. These nightly musical offerings and the accompanying festival website are offered to all, free of charge. The official website is scheduled to go live on July 13. Here is the link: https://agoorganfest2020.org/

Our CHVAGO website calendar now includes online concert and workshop listings. If you know of additional events, please contact Susan LaGrande who manages the calendar.

Whether or not we like it, we are living through a significant moment in history!

This seems to be one of those times when a world-wide pandemic, issues of economic and racial inequality, issues of social justice, of religious expression, of politics – all coalesce into a swirling vortex of crises. But moments of crisis can also be moments of opportunity. I close with a prayer:

Loving Creator, help us to find within this terrible crisis, a way forward: building on the aspirations of our forebears, while learning from their mistakes and from our own. Let us work for inclusive community and for justice as we hope to rebuild our world. Let us use our gifts to find new ways to bring music to those who need to mourn, and to those who need to find inspiration and healing. Amen.

A Very Hard Time

We grieve, but we are also angry, and frightened. With so little consistency between states and local governments with regard to testing and reporting, we don’t know who or what to believe. The overall number of cases continues to climb from day to day. In some places (like New York State in particular) the rise has leveled off somewhat, while in others the spike in new cases is dramatic. We are now being told that the threat of contracting COVID-19 may persist for years.

There are people who choose to believe that the virus cannot affect them, or that it is not as bad as most of us fear it is. Others resist or defy the recommendations to stay home, wear a mask, practice social distancing, etc. This can trigger anxiety and frustration in people who do follow the recommendations.

This of course omits any consideration of the other stressors in our daily life these days, such as racial tension, political struggles, and economic hardship. We are going through a very hard time.

But I think that is the point. WE, not just you, not just me. All of us. WE are going through a very hard time. We don’t know how long this dark tunnel is, or what new dangers may lie around the next bend in the road. But eventually we will find our way back into the light. The journey will be safer and a little less frightening if we keep track of each other. Please stay in touch.

More Shared Wisdom about Worship During COVID-19

The church is operating almost entirely on Zoom, all the committee meetings, the three times a week sign-ins when everyone touches base, and whatever other meetings are necessary.

For the weekly Sunday morning service the pastor will send me the hymns sometime early in the week. I choose what I will play and something to fill the anthem slot. Fortunately, I have a good Steinway grand at home and that is what I use. I've been having a good time with it because there is so much piano literature to choose from, really fun and beautiful music. Plus I've purchased three or four books of contemporary piano music for the church service, so eventually there's something everybody loves to hear. Midweek I email my program in, because they will send that out to everyone on the email list. Then on Thursday afternoon one of my daughters comes to the house and we record all of the music on the smartphone, intros to hymns, all the verses of each hymn, and prelude and postlude. So far I've not run out of our actual choir music to use as anthems. We record things we're learning on CDs, and that's what we've used up to now.

The church is going to continue to use the online service format on an ongoing basis. Many people who can no longer attend, for various reasons, have been joining the service during the last three months, plus a goodly number of new people. So they are investing in the necessary equipment to keep that part of the ministry intact.

So while it will be more than thrilling to be back in the actual building and playing the organ again, there are many parts of this experience that have been very positive and I'm grateful for having been involved in the whole process.

If you would like to share your experiences of worshiping in the new and evolving manner, please send them to the Editor, Susan LaGrande, at SUSANEL2@OPTONLINE.NET

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Renee Anne Louprette! When you open your copy of the July 2020 issue of TAO, you will see her picture on page one in a full page ad for Truckenbrod concert artists. Nice photo! Renee is a dual member with the New York City chapter. Because she is a public figure her personal information will not be shared here, but will be included in our chapter roster which is available to chapter members only. Welcome, Renee! We look forward to greeting you in person soon.
• Also mentioned in the July issue of TAO was John Vanderlee, who was instrumental in helping the Westchester Chapter put together their last event before the COVID shutdown. You can read the write-up on page 68.

Sad News

There are no definite plans for a memorial service yet.

Election of Officers

It should be noted that as the ballots were being collected, Elaine Simpson announced her decision to resign from the board. She wrote: “I have made the decision to resign my status on the CHVAGO Board because I … have expended my energy for organizations other than family and church. I wish to thank each of the board members for including me and sharing their enthusiasm for the field of organ music-making. I commend all of you on your visions and concerns. You are a most dynamic group! I shall remain a member of AGO/CHVAGO and look forward to seeing you at area recitals and/or related activities. Having turned 80 in March and having some additional family concerns, I trust that you will understand. May God bless each of you in both your personal and professional lives. All in Christ, Elaine Simpson”

We will miss Elaine’s enthusiastic participation, as well as her kindness and generosity, and we wish her good health and much happiness.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
June 2020

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As I write this Letter at the beginning of June, all of us are challenged by a word-wide pandemic, economic hardship, political polarization, social unrest, and utter upheaval in the way we make (or don’t make) music in our houses of worship. I sincerely hope that all of you are well – physically, emotionally, and spiritually! However, on another level, I don’t know how any of us can truly be well at the moment!

In this Letter you will hear the voices of twelve of your colleagues as they discuss how the pandemic has changed the way their religious services take place, and also about what role they continue to play (or no longer play) in the music of those services. Some of the respondents wrote pages of comments, describing in great detail what they are doing to make music. Others just gave general descriptions. Still others wrote one or two sentences, lamenting the lack of their involvement musically in religious services at the moment. I am honored that so many of those whom I asked took the time to tell me what is happening musically in the houses of worship that they serve. Some of the comments were highly emotional and personal, while others were more clinical. The ways that music was included in services comes in an amazing variety of flavors, reflecting the diversity of our region’s religious institutions and the differing roles that music plays in those services. Note that only a few of the respondents are including virtual choirs as part of their service. Those who are not doing this have a multitude of reasons. Those who DO include choir participation stress the incredible time commitment it requires of organist/choir director; of technical person (often one and the same); of participating choir members.

I hope you will take the time to read your colleagues’ remarks. If you would like to write about your own experiences, please email me at laurarus629@gmail.com . I would be happy to send out a second Letter this month including the reflections of more of our members.

Now here are your colleagues in their own words telling you how they are doing music in their religious services. They represent a variety of denominations; they are large and small, urban, small town, and rural. They are YOU, our CHVAGO members!

From Susan Guse – CHVAGO Treasurer and Director of Music Ministries at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie

Online worship at St. John’s began on Sunday, March 15th, 2020 with Pastor Koenig presenting spoken liturgy, accompanied by a sermon. Twelve weeks later, and St. John’s hosts five weekly services: on Wednesdays there is Dinner Church and Vespers and on Sundays there is Contemporary Worship, Traditional Worship and a Children’s Message. Services are pre-recorded, then announced Saturday evening with email and Facebook links to You-tube videos. Streaming licenses are held with CCLI and OneLicense.net, as well as with Augburg's “Sundays and Seasons.” Content in the Sunday services includes instrumental prelude and postlude music, lessons, sermon, prayers and three accompanied hymns. The length of each service averages 35 - 45 minutes, with the exceptions of Vespers and the Children’s Message, both under ten minutes. The number of “hits” to YouTube postings suggests an increase around two and a half times compared to weekly attendance figures prior to March 2020. This and favorable congregational response have prompted the Worship Mission Team to think about continuing on-line worship in some form past the current July 1st deadline for the opening of Lutheran Churches declared by the Metro NY Synod Bishop. Adult choir rehearsals have been on hold, but the handbell choirs have begun meeting together via Zoom, reviewing basic music theory. In September, plans are in place to reconfigure two choirs of five octaves (12-13 ringers sharing 61 handbells) into several groups of four to six members located six feet apart, with each ringer using their own music and only two bells. It will be a major change, but keeps our ringers together safely. Following Patrick Walker’s presentation on virtual choirs in May, St. John’s hopes to have the Adult Choir join our worship services VIRTUALLY, the only safe method of singing together for the time being. Congregational singing will be discouraged as well.

From Anthony Rispo – CHVAGO Board member and Director of Music/Organist at Emanuel Lutheran Church, Pleasantville.

My time at my church job during this pandemic has been (probably) somewhat similar to yours. However, at the beginning of this whole experience, I would record the service music on my Zoom H6 recorder and send it to one of our members who is working on engineering all the material for our YouTube channel. The service is taped on Saturday afternoons, and the recording was played in its specific place during these sessions. A few weeks ago, I started going back to the church to play the organ, which was much better for the in-person experience— tempo and leading the pastor’s singing live rather than a recording. However, our sound equipment is not up to speed, and the product is rather harsh. I’ve inquired about purchasing better recording equipment or a sound system that could produce professional-quality sound. One quick remedy: pastor hyperlinks hymns and music for the service from outside resources; members can click the links at home and listen and sing along. I think we’ll be recording services for a while, even if we start opening the church up to a few people each Sunday. I sit upstairs in the balcony, and the pastor and worship assistant are downstairs, naturally. My concern with physically going back to the church to record was due in part because of the number of people that would participate in these sessions. It seemed as if four or five people would show up, not including our pastor and me. Social distancing was practiced, however. But many of my colleagues have been able to make do with their pastor, themselves, and a person present for the recording. Ideally, I’d prefer this setup, but we are safe, and there aren’t as many people present on Saturdays. We will be meeting to discuss our plans for moving forward, but none of us is sure what that means, right now.

From Gregory Citarella – former CHVAGO Dean; Director of Music at Zion Episcopal in Wappingers Falls.

Dear Colleagues: To say that the Cornavirus Pandemic has substantively changed our lives is really an understatement. One day we are on the bench playing Sunday morning liturgies for our parishes in attendance, and the next thing you know we are livestreaming our liturgies, morning prayer office, healing services, bible study and the like. How quickly our lives have changed. At Zion Episcopal Church, in the Village of Wappingers Falls, Rector Deborah Magdalene, along with videographer John Beischer, myself included, began Zooming our Sunday liturgy to many. Since we began we have moved off of Zoom and onto Facebook and a dedicated Zion Church YouTube channel. We seem to be reaching many: pre-COVID Sunday morning attendance was about 60. Interestingly enough we have had over 600+ “attendees” during the first three Sunday livestreams. There have been many members of Zion who have moved away for various reasons. Therefore, I can tell you that we have people from the UK all the way to California who join our livestream on Sunday mornings. There is no choir, no sung Gloria, Psalm or Sanctus. We are keeping things simple. Hymns have a short introduction and then only two verses are played. Rev. Deborah sings the verses so it is very important for me to not overpower her from the organ. As I write this I pray that you are all doing well considering the circumstances. I pray each day and night that soon we will be back to some form of normal worship services. I realize that the word normal these days is a relative term. We are in this together and we should never forget our mission: Soli Deo Gloria.

From Celestine Campbell – Director of Music at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Wappingers Falls

I'm not doing anything for Sunday worship. We're using a soloist who sings to a commercial sound track. I will certainly be glad when this is over.

From Elaine Simpson, CHVAGO Board member and Organist at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rock Tavern.

I have not been playing for services since COVID struck, but I will be starting to return to playing organ on June 12. It’s a whole new world!

From Nancy Vanderlee, CHVAGO Board Secretary and Director of Music/Organist at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lithgow (Millbrook)

Reflections on Music Ministry During Covid-19
Frustration Gratitude Fear Reflection Restlessness Sadness Hope Opportunity Joy
Little did I know that the last church service and choir rehearsal I would attend for almost four months would be that of Immanuel Presbyterian in Tucson on March 15. I was visiting my mom, who sang her last service as a faithful choir member that Sunday, as well. Four days later, back in Dutchess County, I resumed my work as St. Peter's Music Director, albeit in a very revised role.

In my work with church staff and leaders, attempting to plan services for those first few weeks, it gradually became apparent that nothing was going to be “normal” for an indeterminate period of time. Holy Week Music, which had been diligently prepared by our beloved choir, had to be shelved; Daniel Frankhuizen, our cellist who had been hired for Holy Week, quickly adapted as music was rearranged, replanned, and repurposed. Our church secretary earned the status of sainthood during that period of time, as she was constantly asked to revise the bulletin “once again.”

Each week, I record the service music on a digital zoom recorder, using organ, and both digital and acoustic pianos. My husband edits and converts the files to mp3 files via “Audacity” (played by our priest on his laptop in the sanctuary). I am honing my technology skills for what the future may hold, as well! I am thankful for my colleagues in the American Choral Directors' Association, the Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, Adirondack Flutes, Capital Area Flute Club, and Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir. Through my ties with these professional organizations, I have had the opportunity to attend technology and Covid-19 music-related webinars, Zoom chat sessions, choral composer forums, board meetings, as well as to stay in touch through old-fashioned phone calls.

Another joyous source of connection has been teaching many of my private music students, both children and adults, via FaceTime, and connecting with friends through Zoom dinners. It has been a source of comfort to see the faces and hear the voices of those who have been physically offering the service from Lithgow. Blessings to our interim priest-in-charge for all that he is doing, and a big thank you to the Vestry and congregation for their continued support of St. Peters' Music Ministry. I cannot even begin to describe how much I miss live interaction with my congregation; worshiping with others fuels my faith. I miss being in the same room, rehearsing, worshiping, singing, laughing, praying and receiving Holy Communion. The process of personal preparation for each week's service has always been part of my own spiritual fulfillment, but what a joy it will be when we are able to gather together again!

Additional comments from Nancy in response to my questions:
1.The Sunday morning service is streamed live from the church; the only prerecorded component is the music
2.You mention that the priest plays your recordings from his laptop - is that during the actual service? Or does he make a movie of the service that includes your recordings. Yes, he plays the recordings through an auxiliary sound system (his laptop is connected to it by a cable). Then the built-in cameras and mics pick up the combo for a video which is streamed on YouTube.
3.Does anyone sing along with the hymns? You - on your recording? People physically present in the church? The only singing by is the priest and about 5 people present in the church.
4.Are there readers present in the church with the priest, or does he do everything by himself? One or 2 readers, and about 3 others

From Eric Hepp – CHVAGO Sub-Dean and Director of Music and Organist at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie

At First Lutheran, we've taken the approach of pre-recording the service and posting on YouTube. We send an e-blast notice late Saturday afternoon with links to the service, the bulletin, and the sermon text. It also includes a letter from the Pastor and from a member of Council, newsy bits from around the congregation, and links provided by the Synod. We have the proper licenses from publishers for all copyrighted music performed or images included.

What I like best about the service is that we get as many of our members as possible involved in the readings and prayers. They each record on their own time, in their homes, and email the video links to Rosemary, our very talented member who stitches it all together, splicing in pictures from around the church or images meaningful to the sermon or texts. For Pentecost, we recorded a Zoom meeting where we received new members so that the pastor, president and new members were virtually together for that part of the service. I record a prelude, postlude and 3 hymns each week at the church, using the video recorder on my iPhone. We've tried to keep this fun and as stress free as possible. This has been very well received, and our viewership has continued to expand throughout the country to our families and friends. Our weekly virtual attendance is now over 3 times our regular weekly in person attendance. It is truly a group project, where many hands make light work.

From Joseph Bertolozzi, Organist at Vassar Temple, Poughkeepsie; Organist/Choir Master at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Middletown; Organist at United Presbyterian Church, Middletown.

Joseph Bertolozzi plays for three houses of worship. He opted not to enter any of them during this pandemic but offered to record music as necessary on his piano at home and email the files. St Joseph's Church in Middletown is completely closed for public Sunday Masses as are all RC churches in the Archdiocese of NY. He made himself available to record service music though his offer was not taken up. He subsequently sent several recordings of his own sacred compositions for the comfort and consolation of the parish, that the office posted on YouTube with images of the church itself. “There are nuns there who've been doing some singing...they live there. I've also heard a schola on some Masses. Most likely it's a group from our Traditionalist Latin Mass. There has been a family supplying a few altar servers and lector. They've also been filming/editing the Masses for YouTube as well as the occasional “Message from the Pastor” and videos to accompany my compositions.

At United Presbyterian Church of Middletown, Joe hasworked with the pastor to provide 2-3 hymns a week for a pre-recorded service posted on YouTube. He also sent several recordings of his compositions for the parish to post for the congregation, but they weren't used. At Vassar Temple in Poughkeepsie, he began recording improvised preludes and meditative instrumentals to be interspersed during a live-streamed service. In recent weeks as the "stream team" became more comfortable with the recorded playback, they have requested a few pieces that could be sung along to. Similarly, he provided recordings of his sacred compositions but they weren't used. At Congregation Shir Chadash where he occasionally plays, his services weren't needed, but they DID use his recordings, sent out to the congregation in a weekly emailed newsletter. Without a microphone or proper recording software, he recorded videos on his phone for the Temple and the Presbyterian Church. It was a lengthy process, not just in terms getting a good take, but because a three-minute hymn video can take up to half a gigabyte or more space on his phone. This massively adds to the length of time needed to upload it to the cloud, a necessary immediate step or else his phone would freeze because of a lack of internal memory. Multiply that by four or five songs and you've spent 2-3 hours recording and another hour uploading, re-titling, and deleting. The videos allowed him to give visual entry cues after intros and interludes to the Presbyterian minister, who sang along "live." He'd have to have a second laptop open out of sight but within his own view to take advantage of that. “Then they began using a style where images (sometimes slides of the lyrics) were used so my videos were incompatible with that editing. So then the audio had to be ripped from the video so that they could use a simple mp3 file where necessary. This took another ninety minutes by the time it was all done and emailed out.”

From Craig S. Williams, former Dean CHVAGO and Organist/Choirmaster Cadet Chapel, United States Military Academy – West Point.

At the West Point Cadet Chapel, we have been streaming live Sunday morning services on Facebook since 22 March. We will continue doing so for the foreseeable future as the leadership of West Point continues to weigh safety and health issues. Most times, the service has just the chaplain, me, and perhaps one or two other chaplains – one operating the camera and monitoring microphone inputs. Other than us, the entire chapel is empty. Having no people there with just the camera rolling makes the experience feel more like a recording session than a live worship service. I am always very aware that every note played and every motion taken is projected onto the screens of the viewers without other distractions, in addition to knowing that what is played in the moment is captured on Facebook to be seen at any time in the future. So preparation, physical and mental, going into preparing less music, usually a prelude and two or three hymns, is enhanced because of the communication medium. Also, the chaplain and I have to create our own energy in delivering the organ music and spoken word. We do not have the energy of a crowd from which to draw. I recognize the necessity of worshiping in this manner for the interim, and I am grateful for the technology we have at our disposal to reach out to our greater congregation and community. We are actually reaching people through these media with whom we have not been in contact for years! Still, a return to live worship will be very appreciated, though perhaps adding elements of the virtual worship to maintain the contact to more people now that lessons in using the tools of technology have been learned. All chapels at West Point are broadcasting some kind of Sunday (or in the case of Jewish, Friday) service. The Jewish, Catholic, and Post Chapels are choosing to shoot segments in advance and edit a pre-packaged video released on the chaplains’ YouTube channel over the weekend. Only we at the Cadet Chapel have chosen to continue with the truly live format.

From Janice Grace, Organist & Music Director at Poughkeepsie Reformed Church.

I Zoom with my choir every Thursday @ 7:30 to keep us connected. George Tilley the prior organist stayed with us and sings in the choir as one of my 2 Tenors. He has been writing new Introits for us to sing and record. Bill Bakker one of the basses, has been recording church services since 2004 so I have a lot of repertoire to select from to give Jason (our Pastor) for his YouTube Sunday services. I do all of my audio editing in Digital Performer. I use a ‘de-noise’ program to help remove the congregation noise, and add a touch of reverb to the overall recording, and then a compressor for more audio level. Our Virtual Choir is audio only. I am not well versed in video editing programs and I’ve been told it takes DAYS and uses gigabytes of hard drive space. So not doing that.

For making tracks for the choir to record at home: I record a piano Melody track for each SATB part with a click track as a guide for the singer with a 4 measure Introduction. They sing their part into their cell phones. It’s best to not hold the cellphone while singing as it makes noise, and keep it about 1 foot away. P’s are very plosive so have the phone slighty above or below your mouth. I ask them to set the recording to the highest MP3 setting of 320 kps. If their cell phones can record wav files which are higher audio resolution that’s better. There is a free app called Hi-Q for Android which can record WAV files.

Once I get eveyone’s file I import into my audio editing program 'Digital Performer' and start lining all the parts up. Then I gently tune each part with Melodyne. It doesn't sound like robo autotune. Just a gentle tuning. Once I have all of the tracks aligned, I EQ (or equalization, in music is the process of changing the balance of different frequency components in an audio signal) the tracks for clarity. I then add a little reverb and compression. The organ is a ‘virtual’ plugin. You can hear Sunday's Introit here: https://youtu.be/Y5qSqGUky2E?t=105. Another Introit I did with Amelia Seyssal singing her Solo into her cellphone is here: https://youtu.be/lHMbO770UcY?t=125

From Laura Ramsey Russell, CHVAGO Dean, and Minister of Music at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie

Since COVID struck, James has taken over most of the day-to-day work of creating virtual music for the church. I select the hymns and anthems, and I’ve recently started Zoom meetings/rehearsals every other week with my choir. Trying to rehearse via Zoom is challenging, but possible - marginally. Keeping in the touch socially and pastorally with the choir is very important, however, and folks generally enjoy hanging out together on Zoom. It’s the best we’ve got at the moment, but it sure makes me miss live music-making!

From James Fitzwilliam, Organist at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie

As Descartes once said in a letter to a friend, “I apologize for the length of this letter. I didn't
have time to write a shorter one.”

You can see and hear our online services, and hear the results of the process I am about to describe, by going to YouTube and searching for “christ church poughkeepsie” then hitting PLAYLISTS once you get to the church's actual YouTube channel. We are doing our choir music -- service music, hymns, and anthems – as AUDIO-ONLY “virtual choir.”
1)At least a week before each service, I create guide-track files as multi-track projects in Audacity, so I can export, from the same project, with the SAME performance timing, multiple MP3 versions of: Piano only; Piano plus the ALTO part supported; piano plus the TENOR... These are then posted on my web site for easy access and download and listening. 1a) My guides usually also include a bit of my speaking about each piece, and providing instructions to the choir. ‘Watch out for the fermata in measure 18, we will do that in suchand-such way.’ Etc.)
2)Individual choristers (and the organist, too!) listen to the guide tracks in their headphones, and record their individual part, using their phone or similar, and send their audio file of just their voice back to me, usually via email. This happens no later than the Thursday before the service.
3)Thursday evening and Friday (and sometimes Saturday morning, too, though I am supposed be DONE before then) are busy days. I listen to each voice submission -- I can usually use most of them, but not all -- then, using Audacity again, I clean up obvious noises and loud breathing as much as possible, apply some compression to get a more consistent, even loudness, and adjust the maximum loudness of each voice to the SAME level. (For the size of my choir, -18 dB works pretty well for that.)
4)Paste each individual voice back into the original audio project as a new audio track. I usually start by saving a new copy of the guide file project, with JUST the original piano and click track (if I used one), and then I lay the voices over that. Alignment of each voice -- to the original piano reference, and to the other voices -- has to be done manually, but I can usually get it pretty close. (Even if there WAS an official alignment reference, as would be available if we were doing VIDEO submissions, people's singing rhythm is only so good, anyway. My NOT having to edit the VIDEO as well as the AUDIO, or create an Eric Whitacre-style multi-pane-video virtual choir, MORE than makes up for my having to manually fiddle a bit with the voice alignment!!)
5) Now I can adjust the balance and blend of the choir. I might double or even triple some of the stronger voices, especially if I need more altos or tenors. (That would be done by duplicating one singer's track, and then skewing the clone forward or back by 30-40 milliseconds. The time displacement has to be enough to make the copies sound distinct, but not enough to sound like bad ensemble.) I can adjust the gain of individual voices up or down slightly for balance. And then, I place the voices onto the stage, by panning them from left to right. Sopranos a good way left of center, Altos slightly left, Tenors slightly right, Basses more to the right. Any duplicated voices, I place well away from each other, which improves the illusion of them being two bodies as opposed to one singer with phasing problems. 5a) On our most recent Sunday anthem, I myself was singing Bass (x2), Tenor (x2), AND Alto!
6) Mix the entire choir, with their vocal balance and spacing now set, down to a new, single, "Choir Mix" track. Now that the choir is lined up together as one unified entity, I can paste in my separately-recorded ORGAN AUDIO. (On a hymn, I might have an improvised introduction, or an improvised transition to the last verse, things which have unpredictable timing. Now that the entire choir is a SINGLE unit of audio, I can shove their timing around to accommodate the unpredictable organ.)
7) Apply artificial reverberation to the mixed choir track, so they sound like they're in the church. You'd be amazed how much this improves the choir SOUND, too. Adjust choir balance with the organ. (Remember to turn OFF the piano and click tracks from the original alignment guide!) Check length of the silences at beginning and end of track -- should be one or two seconds, with fade-in and fade-out of the organ blower and other ambient sounds. Export the audio of the project, both as a lossless file for future reference, and a high-quality high-bit-rate MP3 to send to the church. Have a celebratory glass of wine.
8) My completed audio files go into a shared Google Drive we have for our church projects. And now, the minister gets to play with HER iMovie. She adds photos and images from her collection, or some that people have sent in, as a video slide show to go with the choir audio. These are pictures of the church and our church people, photos of the Hudson Valley and nature. She also creates a YouTube playlist for each week's service, in service order -- Prelude (if any), opening hymn, readings, sermon, anthem, prayers, closing hymn, Postlude (if any). Using the playlist, people can just sit back and watch the whole service, and follow the service bulletin which is posted as a PDF.
9) Sunday is a day of REST!!

Total time: 1.5-2.5 hours to create the guide tracks, 4-5 hours to edit, align, and mix the voices together, for EACH PIECE. (This is why I usually DON'T bother doing an organ Prelude/Postlude every week in addition!) A cappella choral anthems are the absolute hardest thing to edit. I spend WAY more time listening to the sound and balance, because the choir is so exposed. In a cappella pieces, I also sometimes shove people's individual notes around in time to fix rhythm mistakes, and tweak individual voice tuning (I DON'T have auto-tune, but I CAN shift each person up or down slightly overall), which I would NOT normally bother to do. By comparison, hymns or anthems with organ are rather easier, editing-wise. But there's no getting around having to paste in and align all of the voices, so it still is a good bit of time. Every week we do ONE choral anthem and TWO hymns this way. (There is service music, too, a Gloria and/or a Sanctus and/or a Gospel Alleluia, but those projects only have to be done once per liturgical season, and then they can get re-used week after week.) We also give the choir occasional weeks off from doing more challenging anthems, and instead use a solo piece in the anthem slot.

Thoughts as a Musician: As a musician, I have always enjoyed the fun technical challenge of experimenting with multi-tracking. Way back when I was in high school, the music department obtained a reel-to-reel recorder which had overdubbing capability. So, one afternoon after school, I made a recording of a Telemann Concerto playing violin, violin, violin and violin. Generally speaking, I also enjoy audio gear, and fiddling with computers and gadgets and technology generally. So I don't find the technical side of the process bothersome. It's a lot of work, but it's stuff I enjoy.

Being in charge of the ENTIRE process from beginning to end is both good and bad. As examples of people who write, produce, direct AND act in their own films, you have Orson Welles, true -- but then, you also have Ed Wood and Tommy Wiseau. It's a similar situation when I compose, because I also do my own music typesetting. I once remarked to a friend, "The problem with doing it myself is that, if I don't like how the score looks, I have only one person to blame."

Also speaking as a musician, the primary frustration with this process is that it's very hard to achieve really good ensemble, for one thing, and it's nearly impossible to have any musical nuance or rubato, for another. Virtual Choir pieces HAVE to proceed at an exact steady tempo, maybe with a bit of easy-to-hear very-predicable-sounding ritard just at the very end, or the result is chaos. Flutist Carl Gutowski and I did the Ashokan Farewell "together, but separately", and just for me to follow the nuances of ONE FLUTE PLAYER, with them not in the room, and having no way to watch them or feel their breathing, was almost impossible. Finally, I hate making recordings. I am too much of a perfectionist. I can't stand making or hearing recordings of my own playing. Sometimes, when a recording project is DONE, I might have a sense of satisfaction, but DURING the process is another matter. If you happened to walk by Christ Church after midnight on any recent Wednesday or maybe Thursday, you could probably hear me, even through the stone walls, repeating the mantra -- after about the twelfth or fifteenth take of the same organ part -- “I hate making recordings. I HATE making recordings…”

Yet, since March, both for the church, AND for doing voice coaching at Vassar College, my ENTIRE musical career and activity consists of: Making Recordings. It's just part of the challenge of the times.

From Justan Foster, Music Director at the Greenbush Reformed Church, East Greenbush
Note: Justan was just awarded the Poppen-Young Fellowship for 2020-2021 from New Brunswick Theological Seminary to write and research about Reformed Worship during “Coronatide.”

At Greenbush Reformed Church, we have chosen to provide services in a fully digital format. This approach has been both a blessing, allowing me the ability to navigate between musical vocation and serving as part of the NYS response to COVID-19, and source of stress. Additionally, my spouse serves as Minister to two Reformed Church congregations that have also switched to fully online services. This means that we are producing three services between three churches each week. This also means that we can take part in each other's services and musical offerings in ways our lives did not allow for the first five years of our relationship.

At present, our services involve planning out recording days, gathering volunteers to help lead hymns and provide special music (whether sung or instrumental ensembles), and learning ways to express creativity and originality in a multi-media domain that was previously unavailable or unimaginable to our congregations. All of this must be done while following strict guidelines and managing the anxiety and frustrations of those involved. It's certainly not something any amount of theological, legal, or musical education completely prepares you for, but we are learning and growing together as communities of faith and neighbors in crisis.

As sacred musicians, organists and choir directors are called to not only provide musical leadership and creative liturgy/responses, but to be pastoral figures. I have found that my role has shifted heavily from musician to counselor, video editor (those services have yet to produce themselves!), and member of a task force to determine the "how" and "when" of returning to in-person services. We have not only our congregation and choirs to look after, but the community at large. This has involved providing a weekly check-in via Zoom with choristers to provide a space to speak openly and find help within a family, as well as recording and releasing a Memorial Day recital for the East Greenbush area as a part of the town-wide digital parade and remembrance services. We are also working to identify those in need outside of the church walls and provide them with assistance or resources to thrive (and not simply survive) lock-down orders and losses of connection, jobs, and mental health. The Church is experiencing a rare opportunity to reflect and grow, and so are musical arts. Music is a defining and comforting source that provides a healthy medium for people to express their doubts, concerns, hopes, and beliefs (regardless of whether they are sacred or secular). We are all part of a community with growing edges to examine and respond to, especially in how we define our neighbors and then care for those neighbors.

To Conclude: My topic for next month’s July Dean’s Letter will be the future of music – organ, choral singing, and congregational singing – in our houses of worship.

I welcome you to send me your thoughts about what will be happening to your religious services as the Hudson Valley continues to open up. Will in-person services be able to include live music? Will online religious services continue? Please send me your thoughts about this – with a tentative deadline of the third week of June.

It is likely that we will need to continue having online worship for some time to come, although of course, individual houses of worship (or their denominational heads) will make their own decisions. Many questions come to mind: are the things we are doing now going to be sustainable in the long term? How are your musical offerings being received by your congregations? By the larger community? How can we be present to each other when we can’t be together; how can we love when we can’t touch; how can we serve when we can’t be together; how can we sing when singing is so viciously effective in spreading COVID-19? And yet: How can we keep from singing! Yours,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA -- Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
May 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I hope all of you are well, and staying safe at home!

At our April CHVAGO Board Meeting we discussed ways of staying in touch with our members, and by now all of you should have been contacted by a Board member – either by email, by phone, or both. If nobody has reached out to you, please let one of us know right away! All of us agreed that it was great talking to you or hearing from you on email. During this challenging time when concerts and religious services no longer take place in person, it is more important than ever to find new ways to reach out and stay in touch!

Currents event updates: as of early May, all of the AGO-sponsored POE’s have been canceled. The AGO national conference, and most ACDA summer regional conferences and religious denominational summer conferences have been canceled. All our CHVAGO spring and early summer programs have been canceled or postponed, including our Members’ Recital and BachFest. We are not yet canceling our Annual July Picnic, but it is likely to be postponed to later in the summer, or even until the early autumn. However, Board Elections can NOT wait!

Process for Election of Board Members during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Given the Corona Virus situation which will likely limit our ability to collect and tally votes at our Annual Picnic, the Board has agreed upon a combination email and snail mail voting process this year, similar to our past elections but without the “deliver-in-person at the picnic” option.

Click here for a printable ballot.

Virtual Choir Zoom Presentation for CHVAGO members!
CHVAGO member Patrick Walker has offered to give our members a Zoom presentation on how to create virtual choir audio recordings for live stream or Zoom church services. It is intended to be very easy for the choir members, even those who are not technologically inclined. Patrick grew up in our Chapter and is now Director of Music at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover, MA. He gave this presentation to the Boston AGO earlier in April. Our Zoom presentation will take place on Sunday, May 3 at 7:00 PM. Details are presented elsewhere in this newsletter. Please reserve May 3 at 7:00 PM in your calendar – and a huge thank you to Patrick!

Copyright Concerns with Broadcasting Religious Music during Covid-19
Many of us are now dealing with broadcasting organ music, hymns, and choral music weekly for our religious services. In addition to trying to master new technology, we are also encountering new issues with copyright law. I hope this lay-person’s summary will help those of you who may not be familiar with what licenses are available to protect composers, publishers, and houses of worship.

David Schaap of the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) has prepared a list of helpful guidelines, reprinted below. This information is also available on the AAM’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/41545064095/.

I hope you will be able to join us for Patrick Walker’s virtual choir presentation on Zoom. Our Board is also thinking about other programs of interest to our members that could take place on the Zoom platform, or on Facebook Live. If you have suggestions of programs, please be in touch.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

“How to Create Virtual Choir Audio Recordings” - Participate in Patrick Walkers’s Zoom Presentation

If you have not used Zoom before, here is a link to a helpful web page that explains what you need and what you should do to get started: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting. It is strongly suggested that you familiarize yourself with the process of joining a meeting well before the scheduled start time. This page provides a way of joining a test meeting so you can feel comfortable when it comes time for the real thing.

If you are using a computer, tablet or cell phone with a web cam (meaning it can take pictures), just click on the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85280327881?pwd=Q0t1OGZMZlEwTkgwRG90blVKN0FXQT09
This will result in the Zoom application being downloaded onto your device. Don’t worry, it’s free, and it won’t mess up your device. Just follow the prompts until it asks you for a Meeting ID and Password, which are as follows:

Meeting ID: 852 8032 7881
Password: 311164

If you do not have a computer or cell phone, you can still join the meeting with audio only by dialing 1-929-205-6099. Provide the same Meeting ID and Password when prompted.

If you need help setting up for this Zoom meeting, please call Eric Hepp at 845-489-2625.

Copyright Issues Affecting Online Worship

Or, you can subscribe to a service that allows you to do synchronization. The most comprehensive is Christian Copyright Solutions (christiancopyrightsolutions.com) which works with ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC to license their artists’ works for streaming. Nearly all (not not all) composers and authors and publishers are members of one of these agencies. The lowest fee is $500/year and goes up to $5,500/year. A disadvantage from a moral standpoint is that these fees really don’t make it back to the composers because of their reporting system.

A more reasonable option is the OneLicense.net Podcast/Streaming license, which covers your Facebook Live broadcasts, the archived Facebook videos from previous services, your YouTube channel, and broadcasting video on your church’s website. This covers copyrighted hymn text and tunes from their member publishers AND the performance of any of the member publisher’s organ/choral/instrumental copyrights. If you use them for permission to reprint copyrighted hymns or service music or other congregational music in service leaflets you can add the Podcast/Streaming license with a simple email or phone call to them. The fees begin at $67/year and go up to $655/year (for those churches with weekly attendance up to 30,000). You would need to do this as an add-on if you were providing a PDF of your bulletin with the copyrighted hymn texts or tunes, or if you are scrolling the lyrics during the video.

If you never reprint copyrighted congregational hymns for use, they have a new “Limited Podcast/Streaming License.” The title is misleading: it’s not limited in what you can use from their member publishers, it’s limited to only Facebook Live, YouTube channel, and website videos. And that license is the same price as the add-on, $67/year up to $655 a year.

OneLicense has also said they can make arrangements with churches if you would never stream a service but now are for the time being, but you’re not printing any bulletins or providing a PDF with copyrighted hymns at the moment, they can toggle you back and forth between one or the other option. And if you stop streaming at some point mid-license, they can remove that and prorate the fee.

A caveat: to keep these resources online or available through YouTube or Facebook or on your website, you need to pay for the annual license, and if you don’t renew, you must take them down.

Publishers from OneLicense.net covered under both congregational reprints AND Podcast/Streaming include Augsburg Fortress, Church Publishing, Celebration, Concordia Publishing, ECS Publishing, Fred Bock (including Hinshaw), GIA (including Iona Community, Taizé, RSCM), Hope Publishing, Kjos, MorningStar, OCP, Oxford University Press, Paraclete Press, Selah Publishing, and hundreds more. So if you would be performing copyrighted hymns, choral music, organ or keyboard music, or instrumental music from one of these publishers, you would be covered with this Podcast/Streaming license.

CCLI has a similar arrangement at similar costs you can add if you already use their services. There are many publishers that are members of both (including Selah), but the majority of what they represents tends towards the more evangelical/Pentecostal repertoire, just as OneLicense tends toward the more liturgical traditions.

I was remiss in the original post to not mention that an important part of this is reporting your usage. You do not just sign up and are then fine forever, you have to tell the licensing agencies what you are using. This provides income to the composers, authors, and publishers, and is the fair and right thing to do.

Note, these licenses DO NOT cover the broadcast of pre-recorded music by other artists. You can’t take your favorite organ music or choral music CD and play a track for a prelude on your Facebook Live broadcast with any blanket license: this can only be arranged by contacting directly the copyright holder of the recording (usually a label).

Membership Questions

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
April 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

We are anxious; some of us are ill; and many of us are grieving. Some of us have lost our jobs, while others are required to continue working, even though it is unsafe. At a time when we most need to feel the touch of a friend, the hug of a grandchild, we cannot – we must not – touch.

Some are crowded together, trying to work from home while taking care of children. Some are isolated and alone. Some are living with abuse or addiction: unable, literally, to escape.

We do not know how long it will last. We ask ourselves frightening questions: will it ever end? Will we ever see distant family members? Will my friends ever come to visit me in my new home? Will we ever feel normal again?

While your CHVAGO Board cannot answer these questions, but we do want you to know that we are thinking about all of you. The Board met via computer earlier this week in a Zoom meeting to take stock of what was happening, to hear how each of us was doing, and to think about what ways we could be of help.

It was sobering to note that all our Chapter programs through October have either been canceled or postponed indefinitely. During this special holy time, none of us were able to meet with our choirs, or play preludes or postludes for our congregations. We know that this is but a small part of the larger musical and religious cancellations all over the world!

However, even though we couldn’t be physically together, we found great meaning and took surprising pleasure in being together in our virtual meeting! In whatever way we can, we want to be sensitive and responsive to your needs and to what is going on in our musical community.

What we discussed mirrors what the AGO National Council and AGO Headquarters said in their email from April 3. In terms of membership, we agreed that, like AGOHQ, we would extend the grace period for three months, and longer if needed, so that nobody would lose their membership during this difficult time. Please contact Susan LaGrande if you would take advantage of this.

We would like to serve in some small way as a resource for online streaming information, music blogs, and websites that may offer help and hope to musicians. We have a private Facebook page where we can share suggestions, or post your latest efforts at a new hymn harmonization, a challenging postlude, a new composition, or even an impromptu pop-up concert. Many of us struggle with new technology as we try to help our clergy post services online. I know that some of us are totally lost in this realm, while others have significant skills technologically. Let’s help each other as we tread through this uncharted territory! If you aren’t already a member of our private Facebook page, let Susan LaGrande know, and she will invite you to join.

The Board has decided to reach out to every member, both current and recently lapsed, to see how each person is doing, and to find out from you what your needs are, or whether you have areas of expertise you can share to help others. Now, more than ever, we need to be there for each other!

I wish you a joyous and meaningful Passover, Holy Week, and Easter. Now, more than ever, I find deep comfort in the words of this medieval French carol:
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
thy touch can call us back to life again.
Fields of our hearts, that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

In hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Do You Need a Mask?

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Newsletter
March 2020

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Any specifics I write about the virus will be out of date immediately, given the rapidly changing situation, so I will instead take a look at the issues from the “10,000 foot level”. Mostly I will raise issues for us all to think about, and I hope to offer support and encouragement. I definitely do not claim to have any answers or solutions!

Music, Age, and the Virus – this virus, which appears to be mild in children and in young, healthy adults is hitting older people, and those with underlying health issues, terribly hard. Most classical musicians, and most of our AGO membership are older, so this hits us where it hurts. Our desire for organ and choral music to continue into the future is just one of many reasons why it is crucially important to continue welcoming and encouraging younger organists and musicians into our Chapter and into classical music!

Preparing for alternatives to live music-making – The essence of our art, as choral directors and as organists – is actual and physical (NOT virtual): individual practice and group ensemble rehearsal; live performances and religious services. Yes, virtual choirs do exist, and yes, many of us have a midi option on our organs whereby one can pre-record a prelude or postlude and play it back, without the organist being present – BUT the essence of our art is interaction, spontaneity, and direct communication in real time with our ensemble, our congregation, or our audience. Ironically, the very group that is most in danger from this virus – older individuals – is in general the least likely to be well-versed in live-streaming and other virtual technologies! A house of worship can make their services available by live-streaming, but their elderly parishioners in many cases may be less proficient in the technology needed to use it. All the more important, then, that there be communication between older people and younger people, who have grown up with such technologies!

Ethical Questions about continuing to hold choir rehearsals, concerts, and religious services. Do we have a moral obligation to cancel these events? If we have elderly or health-compromised individuals in our choirs or in our congregations or audiences, should we continue to present events to which they will be drawn? Should we ourselves show up at rehearsals/concerts/services if we think we might have been exposed to the virus? [As I write this section, many of the counties in the Central Hudson Valley have closed all schools and cancelled large public gathering of all sorts, but I think the ethical questions are still worth pondering.]

Is there anything that we can do to prepare our ensembles and our houses of worship for the impact of this virus – and of future crises to come? There is an excellent blog online from Chorus Connection that lists many things that choruses (and by extensions all musicians) can do. I encourage you to go to this web site and read all the suggestions: https://blog.chorusconnection.com/coronavirus-and-community-choruses-what-can-you-do-to-prepare.

Part-time, non-salaried Musicians and the Gig Economy – Most of our CHVAGO members are employed as part-time organists/choir directors, or on a per-service basis. Even those who receive a salary may also depend on private teaching, accompanying, and music “gigging” whenever and wherever they can. What about musicians who don’t receive a salary – who are paid by the gig – by the rehearsal or service? Is there any way we can be helpful to them? They get no sick leave; they don’t get paid if the event for which they were contracted is canceled, due to no fault of their own. Some houses of worship have clergy “discretionary funds” that help members and staff during times of financial difficulty. Some colleges may be able to offer musicians who work on a “per-service” basis a portion of the money they would have earned.

Our Chapter does have a Scholarship Fund to help those just starting out as organists. Detailed information about this Fund is listed on our website at http://www.chvago.org/CHVAGO_About.html#Scholarship. I strongly encourage you to look at it – either for yourself, or for a young organist you may know.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my Letter – I have no answers, and I offer no magic solutions. I can, however, encourage each of us reach out to our friends and colleagues in this field, and to offer support and encouragement. Take care of yourself and those you care about during this frightening and stressful time. Hopefully we will all come through this time of trial, and once again enjoy making music together in joy and worship.

Be well!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Mack Caldwell, JD
  39 East 19th Street, Apt. 8
  New York, NY 10003
  347-633-3115
  cald284@aol.com
  Since 2005 Mack has been the organist at the Episcopal Church of the Regeneration in Pine Plains, NY. He studied piano and organ with a number of teachers in Athens, GA, Boston and New York City. In his 25-year career as an attorney he practiced structured finance law.
• Joseph M. Pearson
  42 Reservoir Road
  Highland, NY 12528
  845-399-2411
  Pearsonjoey@rocketmail.com
  Joseph, who holds a BMus degree, joins us as a Young Organist.

Membership Questions

Organs Available

For the first three instruments please contact Donna Rusack at 860-798-2155 or d28rus@gmail.com. Photos are available on our Facebook page at facebook.com/CHVAGO. Click the Photos menu item and scroll to the album titled "Instruments Offered by Donna Rusack." Note that you do not need to be a Facebook member in order to view the photos.

• Ludwig & Co. piano which probably dates from the early 1900's. This instrument, depending on condition on examination, may be quite valuable after restoration.
• Lowry Heritage Organ (model or serial number unavailable) with a Leslie Organ Speaker Model #125, complete with bench.
• Yamaha Electone Organ Model E50, Serial #1717, with bench.

• Story & Clark piano
• Wurlitzer Omni 1000 organ

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
February 2020

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

The CHVAGO Board and I am thrilled to tell you that our Chapter, one of four chapters selected nationally to be field testing sites, is the first one in the NATION to have members study for and successfully complete the new AGO Achievement Awards!

At our annual Spuds & Sundaes event on January 26th, three teen-age organ students were presented with official AGO certificates of completion of portions of the Achievement Awards. LeeAnne Andrew and Patrick Meaden (both students of Eric Hepp) successfully completed the Console and Registration portions. Carl Geiselhart (student of Janet Nelson Nickerson), completed the same two portions, as well as the three remaining portions of the Awards: Technique, Harmony 1, and Transposition. A photo and description of the event is available on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CHVAGO/.

AGO Headquarters has been in touch with us to find out how the program was going, and will be making this program public later this month. More information about the Awards will soon be available on our web site and on our Facebook page.

A bit of background, and a look to the future:

Why develop these Awards?
About two years ago at our annual summer picnic I spoke with Jonathan Hall, who has overseen the AGO Exam Certification process. We discussed the fact that for many of our CHVAGO members, the traditional Certification Exams were either intimidating or off-putting, others didn’t see how the traditional Certification process was relevant for their own situation. As we talked, it became clear that what we really needed was a process whereby members could work on improving their skills, as general musicians, and as organists, no matter what their skill level was currently.

In April 2019 Jonathan Hall approached me again with a concept that he and Don Cook (Councilor for Education) were developing that was completely Chapter-centered. The new Awards are administered at the Chapter level. They are available free of charge to any current Chapter member. Each Chapter selects a pool of mentors, who are Chapter members with an AGO certificate and/or music degree. These people serve as mentor (free of charge) to people working on portions of the Awards, helping them work at their own pace on the skills needed to complete each of the sections. A person may work on one topic at a time, or on all of them at once. They may take them as many times as they need to. Once they have completed a section of the Achievement Awards, they will receive an official Award document and National AGO will be notified of their accomplishment.

Who stands to benefit from working on these Awards?
Students are an obvious and correct answer, but others can benefit as well. Right now, there are several of our members who have worked as church organists for years, or even decades, who didn’t study organ on the college level, or maybe at all. Many of them are pianists-turned-organists who have learned on the job, but who may have holes in their backgrounds. For example, some excellent pianists and organists may never have studied music theory, which makes it more challenging to harmonize melodies or to transpose.

What’s Next?
We have only just begun! We will find mentors for new student organists and for more seasoned players who want to improve their skills or to fill in holes in their musical backgrounds so that they can become more accomplished, knowledgeable, and effective musicians. Please be in touch with Susan LaGrande if you want more information, or if you would like to find a mentor to help you start on your way to completing one or more of the Achievement Award topics. We are finding that it is gratifying to both the mentor and the mentee. There is no deadline; no intimidating application to fill out – just the opportunity to work on developing and improving your skills. Our Board has already come up with a list of several additional topics not yet included in the Awards that we have suggested to AGOHQ, including Hymn Playing, Adapting/Transcribing a piano accompaniment to the organ, and Basics of Conducting – just to start.

On another topic: we have some exciting organ concerts coming up in our community:

February 9th at 3:00 PM Bruce Xu gives an organ recital at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie.

March 1st brings the return of Craig Williams’ exciting West Point Organ Recital series at the Cadet Chapel.

On March 21st at 4:00 PM you are all invited to a Bach’s Birthday Bash for our annual Members’ Recital. This year it will be held at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie.

On June 6th, for the second year our Chapter is helping underwrite the BachFest Keyboard Concert, to be held at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls. Craig Williams, Anthony Rispo, and Justin Foster will share the concert of Bach organ works.

Make sure to check our online calendar regularly because new events are added almost every week!

So, give a cheer to our three Achievement Award recipients; give a cheer to AGOHQ for developing this new program and for encouraging our chapter to be part of its beginnings.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

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Newsletter
January 2020

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This poem was written by Howard Thurman (1900-1981), who spent most of his life engaged in the work of Christmas. In his early professional life, he was professor of religion and director of religious life at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, and later was dean of Howard University. In 1944 he moved to San Francisco to co-found the first integrated, multi-cultural church in the United States, The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. In 1936 Thurman led the first black delegation to Southern Asia, where he was profoundly affected by his meeting with Mohandas Gandhi. His 1949 book, Jesus and the Disinherited, inspired nonviolent civil rights movements in the United States and throughout the world.

As organists and choir directors, our Christmas work has now been completed. We are taking a much-needed breather before regathering our strength for the coming year. Even though I am on vacation, I find myself reflecting on how the Advent season and Christmas went at my church. Even though I am so very glad to get away for a few days, I find myself thinking about planning for Epiphany, Lent, and Easter, which will be with us before we know it! Thurman’s poem calls us to commit ourselves to the “Work of Christmas” even, or especially, after Christmas is over. That work, and our work continues!

‘Tis the season of Resolutions. Thurman lays out some really compelling goals, and for me, the poem raises the perpetual issue of making and then breaking resolutions. Can we ever really start with a clean slate? Don’t we bring with us into the future our past hopes and fears; our sins of omission and commission; our strengths and talents? Doesn’t society bring with it all the problems and opportunities it had in 2019? We can’t all just “reset” at the end of a year, or of a decade.

So what does it mean to start afresh? Perhaps we can try to bring a new attitude or perspective to the coming year. We can certainly reflect back over the past year and weigh the pros and cons of our attitudes and actions. I find myself reflecting on many different levels – on the personal/emotional/spiritual level; reflecting about my extended family relationships; about relationships with my friends and colleagues; reflecting on my professional activities; on my civic and community obligations and concerns.

I encourage each of you to see what you want to bring forward from the past into this New Year – on the multiple levels of personal, collegial, and community-oriented. Our AGO National Conference is coming up in July in Atlanta and presents opportunities for professional growth, the rekindling of collegial ties and creation of new ones. I plan to attend, and I hope we will have a group of people from our Chapter who attend as well.

CHVAGO has a number of events planned for 2020 – some already set, and many still in the planning stages. Please check our online calendar regularly for details. This calendar also includes non-Chapter regional musical events. Attending these community events is another way to learn new music and to bring your AGO skills and experience out to the wider community. You may contact Susan LaGrande directly to ask her to add your community events to our calendar.

Here is a snapshot of events that I find exciting and plan to attend:

• Sunday, January 26th at 6:00 PM – the annual CHVAGO Spuds ‘n Sundaes social at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie (snow date = Saturday, Feb. 1st, same time). The popular gathering also features a music sale to benefit our Scholarship Fund. I hope to see many of you there!
• February 9th at 3:00 PM – Bruce Xu presents an organ recital at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie.
• Saturday, March 21st – time and venue TBD: Bach’s Birthday Members’ Recital. Watch the Calendar for updated information.
• Saturday, March 28th at 8:00 PM – Hudson Valley Philharmonic and Cappella Festiva join together at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie to present Requiem for a New Morning – a dramatic musical celebration of American composer Joseph Schwantner’s “Daybreak of Freedom” with words of Dr. Martin Luther King, as well as Mozart’s stirring “Requiem” K626.. Several of our CHVAGO board members will be singing in this concert!
• The West Point Cadet Chapel Organ Recital series continues in 2020, with Sunday afternoon recitals at 2:30 PM on the following dates: March 15, 22, and 29; April 19, 26; May 3 and 10. This last one features our own Bruce Xu, who grew up in our Chapter, and who recently won the First Place Southeast Regional AGO Competition. Check our Calendar for details on the concerts.
• Sunday, May 17th at 3:30 PM – Reilly Xu presents an organ recital as part of the Tower Music Series at the Reformed Church on Hooker Avenue in Poughkeepsie.
• Hudson Valley BachFest Concerts: Saturday, June 6th Keyboard Concert – Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls; Sunday, June 7th Choir and Orchestra Concert at Vassar College. Check back for more details.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year as each of us takes a brief break to rest, relax, and reflect; and to resolve to make 2020 a year of commitment to sharing our many gifts with our family, friends, profession, and greater community.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

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Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
December 2019

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What words of wisdom can I say to all of us in the midst of this busy season? I have looked for inspiration from my previous Dean’s Letters, hoping to glean some words of wisdom or at least perspective from my earlier self. Are there common themes or patterns? Am I just spinning my wheels, or is there meaning to be found in the repetition of past themes; can I discover recurring patterns? The December holiday season involves looking back to past traditions – sacred, secular, family-centered. Can we try to figure out what of value to bring forward from our past, and what is no longer of value to us?

Here are a few passages, along with some tweaks, from my December Deans Letters, since 2016. I hope that you and I find some inspiration, hope, and wisdom from them!

From my December Dean’s Letter of 2018:
During this month it feels that the secular and sacred have a tense interrelationship.

• December brings end-of-semester concerts, and music plays a prominent role in many seasonal secular and sacred celebrations.
• December features many secular traditions: some with deep, meaningful cultural roots, as well as other reinterpretations of these traditions that often are crassly commercialized, but remain compelling to us, nonetheless.
• December is also the month of three great religious traditions, all of which feature gift-giving: Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.

From the December Deans Letter of 2017:
Welcome to December – a month of striking contrasts, often on a collision course with each other:

• darkness and light
• the joys of family and the stresses of family
• hectic busy-ness and quiet awe
• the secular world of shopping-on-steroids and the coinciding of several great religious traditions

In the December, 2018 issue of The American Organist magazine AGO Chaplain Don Saliers discusses how music can help in a time of war, crisis and division – what we are doing as musicians really DOES matter! Quoting Leonard Bernstein: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, and more devotedly than ever before.”

From the December Dean’s Letter of 2016
As we move from November into December, we move from the ‘Gratitude Season’ that surrounds Thanksgiving to the ‘Season of Expectation’. Expectation can bring excitement, but also anxiety. During this season we feel hope and fear; excitement and trepidation. This time of year is full of symbolism and tradition: the ancient celebrations surrounding the Winter Solstice – many of which have been incorporated into our faith traditions; the end of one political regime and the beginning of another; the transition from the old year to the new – both in terms of our secular calendar and our religious calendar. There is loss – of the light, of leaves and greenery - and there is the hope - as manifested in the oil of the Hanukkah lamp that unbelievably stays lit; as we celebrate the birth of a young child; as the days gradually lengthen once more. The Christmas hymn says it so poignantly “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight”.

Our new President of the American Guild of Organists Michael Bedford remarks in the December issue of TAO – “This year [2016] we will celebrate a unique and infrequent occurrence: Hanukkah and Christmas will begin at precisely the same time. December 24th at sunset will mark the start of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, as well as the eve of the twelve-day Christmas season.” The symbolism of the convergence of the festivals of these two great faith traditions is indeed comforting – especially this year, when both nationally and globally many are feeling anxiety over what seems to be an increasingly polarized and fractured social, political, and religious world.

So I encourage all of you to take heart and know that your work helps to bring people together. Know that you are not alone in all your musical preparations for the season. Music can connect us to each other on so many different levels, and you make more of a difference in the harried lives of those around you than you may ever know!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

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Newsletter
November 2019

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It’s not only the holidays that are creeping up on us – or, make that careening past us – it’s also the season of “concert creep,” where every week seems to feature extra music rehearsals, and each weekend holds the promise of several concerts – each one more compelling than the last.

The Hudson Valley has a wealth of concert opportunities: Craig Williams hosts (and performs in) organ recitals in the Cadet Chapel at West Point just about every Sunday afternoon! Make sure to stop in at the Visitor’s Center to pick up your season concert pass. Don’t let too many more Sundays go by before you attend at least one concert on this treasure of an instrument! Just this week alone, there is an Interfaith Concert, a Choral Evensong, and a concert of choral music performed by Cappella Festiva.

Many of our members’ churches and schools have ongoing concert series with excellent performers and very low ticket prices. Make a point of getting to know a new concert venue, supporting your colleagues, and hearing performers you haven’t heard before! Our Chapter is sponsoring a special trip down to the Cloisters to hear an early music concert just before Thanksgiving – check out our calendar and hitch a ride down there with Eric Hepp! Is your concert holiday plate too full yet?

Some of us have already celebrated Reformation Sunday; some are gearing up for All Saints services. Community and church Thanksgiving services, Christ the King, and Advent will follow right along. Is your religious service holiday plate too full yet?

I am writing this letter on Halloween, and just realized that in exactly two months it will be New Year’s Eve – how is that even possible? I know that I will need to make sure to practice some intentional self-care in order to make it safely and productively, and even joyfully, through the next several months. Do you have activities that feed your sense of well-being? Is it going for walks? Listening to live or recorded music? Reading? Going to the gym? Cooking? Meditation or prayer? In the busy-ness of the upcoming holiday rush, it is so important to maintain our sanity and inner well-being – all the more so because we are called to inspire others with our music-making.

Let us make sure to replenish THAT holiday plate!

In Peace,

Membership News

• Joseph Bertolozzi has accepted the position of Music Director at the United Presbyterian Church of Middletown. He continues as Music Director at Vassar Temple in Poughkeepsie and St Joseph's RC Church in Middletown.
• Welcome to new member Kathleen Bandel. Her contact information is:
  20 Rocky Point Road
  Hewitt, NJ 97421
  973-506-6180
  bandel@optonline.net
  We hope to get to know Kathleen over the next few months!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

Editor’s Corner

Membership Questions

Newsletter
October 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Change is in the air – we all know it, but there is nothing like the perspective of ones almost-four-year-old grandson, who is trying to understand how language works, and how the world works. Oliver loves telling me, with a twinkle in his eye, that Harvard Square “isn’t really a square”, and that “WE don’t fall down in the fall; the leaves do!”. “Equinox” becomes ‘equal ducks’ that fly south because it’s getting cold, and so forth. But I digress –

Change is in the air at AGO Headquarters too, and our Chapter has been asked to be a part of that change. As you have probably read in recent issues of TAO, AGO Headquarters is really making an effort to be more supportive of local Chapters in lots of ways – by providing technical support in dealing with financial issues; by reaching out to young and new organists with the AGOYO; by making it easier for new members to get in touch with their local chapters – just to name a few that immediately come to mind.

Another recent initiative to support and strengthen Chapters is to create “Achievement Awards” – not to replace the Certification Exams – but to reach organists who need encouragement at a different level to develop and improve their skills. Our Chapter has been selected to be one of four sites nationally that will field test these Awards and report back to Headquarters on how the process is working.

The Awards are currently divided into five subject areas:
1.Organ Console
2.Harmony I
3.Registration I
4.Technique
5.Transposition
More topics will be added as the Awards are field tested.

Who might be interested in these Awards? All of us, I think! Some of us may have students who would benefit from learning or improving their skills. Some of us may be pianists who have been pulled into service as organists at houses of worship, and who could really benefit from some organ-based skill development. Some of us, whatever our training, may have gaps in our backgrounds and could benefit from a systematic approach to start to fill those gaps.

I’m sure some of you have had friends or colleagues who say: “Why should I bother joining AGO – what’s in it for me?” By offering these Awards free of charge to any AGO member, we may give those people a reason for joining an AGO Chapter and making an investment in their own and in AGO’s future!

The Awards are administered completely at the Chapter level, and they are offered free of charge. Selected Chapter Mentors will be available to help applicants prepare for the Awards. The Awards may be taken at any time of year, and they may be repeated as many times as the applicant wishes. Once the applicant passes one of the Awards, they will receive a certificate, and if they want, their name will be sent to AGO Headquarters to be included in a data base that is being developed of all of the Certificates and Achievement Awards.
The complete list of Achievement Awards is available by clicking on the following links:
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-guidelines-candidate.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-guidelines-chapter-mentor.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-console.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-harmony1.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-registration1.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-technique.pdf
2019_0426-cpc-achievement-award-transposition.pdf

Please be in touch with Susan LaGrande if you have a student who might benefit from tackling these Awards, or if you are interested in pursuing them yourself. Finally, if you have friends or colleagues who would benefit from honing their music and organ skills, encourage them to join our Chapter where we can help them find a Mentor to lead them on the journey!

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

“Bach to Broadway” Concert a Big Hit!

The evening began with a tribute to chapter member Lois Hoger, who passed away in August. Lois and her late husband the Revered Donald Hoger shared a love of organ music of all kinds and were instrumental in getting the first of these “Bach to Broadway” concerts established.

Nathan and James opened the program together with an arrangement of Paul Simon’s Sound of Silence, followed by a medley from 42nd Street by Nathan and the Prelude and Fugue in E-flat BWV 552 (St. Anne) by James. Then they were joined by Nancy Vanderlee (flute) and Edwina Pratt (bassoon) for a fun take on Dance of the Reed Flutes from the Nutcracker Ballet. The first half of the program ended with Nathan and James contending over “Halloween Selection”, which combined Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor with themes from Phantom of the Opera. A real battle of the organs!

The second half of the program began with Nathan playing Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars, a current pop hit. Then James hosted a mini-game show similar to “Name That Tune;” he explained that in Bach’s time congregations sometimes complained that they could not tell what tune was the basis for an ornate composition. He challenged the audience to identify the well-known tunes buried in three short improvisations. We were all stumped, so nobody got the promised prize, but everybody had fun.

Next Nathan and James got into a slight altercation and stormed off to settle their differences, so Dean Laura Russell pleaded for someone in the audience to save the day by playing something. Mary Zhang and Hanji Xu to the rescue! They came up to the piano and played Brahms’s Hungarian Dance #2, for four hands. Brilliant! By the time they finished, Nathan and James had settled their differences and returned to play a fantastic Happy Feet Pedal Suite (Look Ma, No Hands!).

In his capacity as resident organist and composer for the International Youth Silent Film Festival, Nathan presented and accompanied three prize-winning short films. These are created to illustrate the three-minute score provided, a process that is upside-down from what we usually think of in relation to accompanying silent films.It is fascinating to see what creative young minds can do.

The final piece listed in the program was Bach’s Gigue Fugue in G Major, BWV 577, done on both organs against a rhythm track in “Hooked on Classics” style. I wouldn’t mind having a metronome like that! But the crowning touch was their encore, in which Nathan and James were joined by Nancy on flute, Edwina on bassoon, and Mary on piano for a wonderful arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody. Altogether a terrific evening!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in November 2019, is October 23.

Editor’s Corner

Membership Questions

Newsletter
September 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Our CHVAGO Board members have not taken the summer off. In addition to attending three music conferences, which were reviewed by me, John Vanderlee, and Susan LaGrande in the August Newsletter, you will read a review of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians written by Susan Guse in this newsletter.

Here are some of the actions that your Board took over the summer months:

1. We were approached by a redevelopment organization who had purchased a closed church in the Union Street Historic District in Poughkeepsie, with the object of turning it into an arts venue. Their request to us was to write letters of support to help them apply for a grant to restore the 1858 Ferris & Stuart Company organ at 3 Grand Street, Poughkeepsie, in the nave of the former German Lutheran Church. After agreeing as a Board to support this project, four of your colleagues, Susan LaGrande, Joseph Bertolozzi, John Vanderlee, and myself wrote detailed letters documenting why this historic organ was worthy of protection. We will let you know the results of this project as we find out more.
2. This year the Board agreed again to collaborate with ENYAGO to help underwrite WMHT's weekly "Pipe Dreams" organ program. One of the perks underwriters get is a weekly mention of our organization during breaks in the program, as well as special advertisement of particular Chapter programs from time to time.
3. We made a donation from our Chapter to the AGO Annual Fund.
4. We made a donation to support the Buffalo Regional AGO Convention, and a quarter-page ad about our chapter appeared in their program booklet.
5. We made a donation to support the regional Pipe Organ Encounter on Cape Cod.
6. We agreed to have CHVAGO serve as one of four regional test sites for new upcoming AGO-HQ awards -- more info to follow soon.

This summer (and all year long) Board member Susan LaGrande has been welcoming new members to our Chapter; helping current members with their renewal process; and keeping in touch with members who have illnesses or other challenges. Each month, in addition to putting together the electronic version of our Newsletter, she mails out hard copies to a few of our members who do not or cannot use the internet. Finally, Susan maintains our online Calendar, keeping it up to date and full of exciting music events in our area. The calendar is a great resource --don't forget to check it regularly! She also maintains the online list of Organ Subs and the online list of Job Opportunities on our chvago.org website. From time to time she sends out letters of condolences or of congratulations to members as well. The work Susan does behind the scenes every month of the year is phenomenal, and I deeply appreciate it!

If you have news of accomplishments and adventures, or of milestones in your life that you would like to share with your AGO colleagues, please contact Susan LaGrande to let her know. We will make mention of them in our monthly Newsletter, and we might even ask you to write a short article about them!

Come September our Board will be gearing up for a busy autumn season. Please enjoy this long Holiday Weekend, and I look forward to seeing you at our music events in the coming season.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Owen Borda is a dual member with Westchester County. He is interim organist at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Mount Kisco, NY. His contact information is:
  Owen Borda
  56 Doris Lee Drive
  Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567
  914-734-2456
  owenborda@mac.com
• Emily Gelman has joined us as a Young Organist. Her contact information is:
  Emily Gelman
  78 County Route 1
  Warwick, NY 10990
  845-238-2432
  gemily1of3g@gmail.com
• Ed Palange is currently organist at St. Mary's Church in Washingtonville and North Congregational Church in Middletown, but will be relocating to Ocean County, New Jersey. However, he plans to maintain his membership in CHVAGO and we hope to meet him face to face soon. His contact information is:
  Edward T. Palange, Jr.
  5 Potomac Court
  Washingtonville, NY 10992

Award Recipient Luca Cantone Featured in TAO

Somewhere between the years 2002-2012, when as I was minister of music and organist at St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson, Luca Cantone and his mother Cathlyn visited the church. I would say our meeting was a brief encounter. I noticed that Luca was very excited about all aspects of the organ. Even the old electronic Allen organ that served St. Nicholas parish for more than 30 years excited him! He was extremely inquisitive and had a burning desire to learn as much about the organ as possible.

Even when I moved on the Church of the Holy Cross (Episcopal) in Kingston, Luca and his mother came to hear me play in that wonderful space numerous times. I had him sit at the (then) new Johannus organ. That is when I realized there was a diamond in the rough sitting on the bench. I asked him if he was interested in lessons. The answer was of course a resounding Yes!

At that same time he was attending St. Thomas Choir School in New York City. He was singing under the direction of John Scott. Luca had a very strong choral background which included hymns. He began his studies with me by playing hymns and quickly moved onto learn a few of the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues attributed to J. S. Bach. I asked him to please consider playing a prelude and postlude as a guest at Church of the Holy Cross. He took up the challenge and he deservedly received a rousing round of applause at the end of his postlude.

In 2015 I was invited to attend Luca's graduation from St. Thomas Choir School. He and I worked on preparing him to perform Bach's famous choral prelude Wachet auf! I remember sitting in a pew in the congregation. Luca walked up to the former organ at St. Thomas known as the Arents Memorial Organ. He sat at the four manual console and played most beautifully, and from his heart, that wonderful choral prelude! I was very proud of him that day. That is when I knew the diamond in the rough was being polished and beginning to sparkle.

Soon Luca was off to Exeter Academy (High School) in New Hampshire on a full scholarship. He was an organ scholar while at Exeter. On his summer break I could always find him at my present position serving as Minister of Music and Organist at Zion Episcopal Church in the Village of Wappingers Falls. He would be practicing on the 3 manual Austin organ whenever he wanted. Luca would call me early into the new year, right after January 1st. He would ask me enthusiastically if he could substitute for me while I was away on vacation. Of course it goes without saying that indeed I was happy to have Luca sitting on the bench. He has many friends and fans at Zion. He is always received like one of the family.

Again Luca has done himself proud by receiving a very handsome scholarship to study organ at Oberlin Music academy! I have already encouraged Luca to consider doing an organ recital at Zion when he comes home on semester break from Oberlin. Zion church and I are always happy to have talented and enthusiastic students give an organ recital. Not only do they gain experience, but they also gain an audience as they grow in their journey through this wonderful craft many of us do regularly.

Luca will no doubt study hard and long hours while at Oberlin. I know too, he will be very excited to play many of those wonderful instruments at Oberlin. He will no doubt keep his enthusiasm and excitement about the organ and music going forward. My best wishes go out to Luca as he continues his musical journey. I am very proud to call him a friend and colleague.

Gregory J. Citarella, Minister of Music
Zion Episcopal Church Wappingers Falls

Summer Music Conference Reports, Part Two

Portland, Oregon was the setting for the biennial gathering of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, which took place June 23rd - June 26th, 2019. Each day began with morning prayer, followed by a plenary presentation: The theme of the event was Leading the Church's Song and each day's presenter offered a different perspective on the topic.
The speakers were:

• Day 1- hymn writer Susan Briehl
• Day 2 - Composer/Musician Robert Buckley Farlee
• Day 3 - Author/Professor/Priest Samuel Torvend

The opening event Sunday evening was a Hymn Festival led by Bruce Neswick and Benjamin Kolodziej; Wednesday late afternoon featured a moveable hymn sing starting at Zion Lutheran, going to St. Mary's Roman Catholic and ending at Temple Beth Israel. Dinner was held at the Jewish Center and Wednesday evening events concluded with a concert by The Ensemble of Oregon in the chapel at Grotto (a park located in Portland). All in all, the ALCM gathering was a busy four days in the beautiful city of Portland. This reviewer had reservations on Mount Rainer for the remainder of the week, and left the conference early missing the post conference wine tasting. I heard it was fabulous!

Organ for Sale

All proceeds benefit the Organ Teaching Program at FDR High School in Hyde Park.

For more info and exact specifications, please contact: jovanderlee@vassar.edu

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in October 2019, is September23.

Membership Questions

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
August 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

All of us look forward to the change of pace that summertime brings. For me it means time to enjoy my garden; time for travel; time to select music and plan for the coming year. It is also the season for summer music conferences! You will find links to reports about music conferences from three of your CHVAGO colleagues below in the body of this letter. Please click on those links and enjoy hearing about three very different, but excellent conferences that took place recently.

The two big summer music conferences for me are the AGO Conference (National or Regional), and the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) Conference. Some years I attend both of them — that's the dream! That was my plan this year, but, alas! They were scheduled for the same week. Maybe one year we will have perfected the cloning of organists and choir directors, and I will be able to attend two conferences at once, but this year I had to make the difficult decision to attend either the Buffalo Northeast Regional AGO Conference, or the Boston AAM Conference. I was really torn about what to do. As Dean, I wanted to support our Buffalo colleagues, and the programs and venues in Buffalo looked great. As Minister of Music in an Episcopal Church, I wanted to gather with those colleagues and get more ideas for choral anthems and liturgical music. Ultimately the practicality of the AAM conference for my Episcopal Church work, and the pull of a cute grandson (and his parents) in Cambridge made the decision for me, and I went to Boston! To read my report about the Boston AAM Conference, click here.

Susan LaGrande, who worked in Buffalo for a while before moving to the Hudson Valley, attended the Buffalo AGO Regional Conference, where she encountered several CHVAGO colleagues! She will delight you with her descriptions of gorgeous organ music and interesting venues. To read Susan's report about that conference, click here.

John Vanderlee, who is both a member of CHVAGO and Chair of the New York Theatre Organ Society, attended the annual American Theatre Organ Society Convention, based in Rochester, NY. That conference also shared an event in Buffalo with AGO Regional. To read John's interesting report, please click here.

I hope each of you has had an opportunity to enjoy a change of pace this summer. As we move inexorably toward Labor Day, I suggest we try think about the possibility of maintaining some special "margin" of time and space during the busy months to come when we can reflect back on the summertime "when the livin' is easy" — or at least perhaps goes by at a slightly different pace! Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I'll be back in touch around Labor Day to tell you about our special plans for CHVAGO in the coming year.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

Lois Joan Hoger was born on April 22, 1932 in St. Joseph, MI. She was the youngest of 11 children of Pastor Louis and Gertrude Nuechterlein. After her high school graduation, she was employed as the secretary to the Superintendent of Berrien County (MI) Schools. She returned to her love of education and young people, serving as a secretary in the FD Roosevelt High School guidance office for 22 years before she retired in 1997. Her passion for young people was rewarded when students dedicated their yearbook to her, saying "She knows every student from A to Z."Â For 59 years, she was married to Pastor Donald Hoger (died 2014). Together they served congregations in Rapid City, SD; Greencastle, IN; Crawfordsville, IN and Hyde Park, NY (1965-1993). Lois loved music, especially church music. A member of the American Guild of Organists, she was a faithful church organist for most of her life, and volunteered regularly at the Lutheran Care Center in Poughkeepsie. The AGO recently recognized her lifetime of service. She also directed and sang in church choirs, was a member of the Camerata Chorale and BachFest choir for years, and helped establish the Northern Dutchess Symphony. Her warmth and leadership made her a valued listening ear and board member. She was active in the Mid-Hudson Advisory committee of the Wartburg Lutheran Services (now the Lutheran Care Network) which laid the groundwork for the Lutheran Care Center. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Kings Apartments in Pawling and Castle Court in Poughkeepsie for years. She found immeasurable joy in her friends and family; she provided help, joy, and comfort to all she knew. Many were also graced with homemade cookies, usually baked with full knowledge of each person's favorites. She is survived by her sister Eunice Spurgat of Oak Park, IL; her brother Pastor Louis Nuechterlein (Gloria) of Cheshire, CT; daughters Beth (Lisa Swem) of East Lansing, MI, Sue (Julie Greenwood) of Woodstock, Sarah (Glenn Watson) of Hyde Park; son-in-law Bill Kerr; grandchildren Derrick Hoger, Kate Watson, Carly Watson, and Timothy Kerr; and many nieces, nephews, in-laws, and their families. Her daughter, Grace Kerr, pre-deceased her in 2018. "¦ [Funeral arrangements were by Sweet's Funeral Home in Hyde Park.]  In lieu of flowers, send memorial donations to the Lutheran Care Center ; RCAL; St. John's Lutheran Church; and First Lutheran Church.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in September 2019, is August 23.

Membership Questions

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
June 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

For me it has also been a time to remember and give thanks to those who have guided and mentored us, and to those who have made contributions to music in our Hudson Valley over many years, and sometimes decades. We did just that at our Members' Recital on May 19th when we inducted five long-time CHVAGO members into our League of Distinguished Service. Presented with awards were: Nancy Brown, Charles Faverio, Richard Ehlenberg, Janet Nelson Nickerson, and Margaret Small. We can all be proud of their accomplishments in the region. (See below for a brief biography of each inductee.)

The Members' Recital drew over 50 people and featured ten organists from our Chapter, playing French music that included organ works by Vierne, Guilmant, Saint-Saëns, Boëllmann, Dupre, and Messiaen, as well as orchestral transcriptions and improvisation in the French style. (See below for the complete recital program.) The recital raised $200 for our newly-revised Scholarship Fund.

Your CHVAGO Board has been hard at work this season. Here are a few projects that we've been involved in:

• Ongoing support of WMHT's "Pipe Dreams" program by joining together with Eastern New York Chapter to be joint underwriters of that program.
• Financial support of Buffalo Chapter's Northeast Division AGO Convention in late June
• Support of the Cape Cod POE (Pipe Organ Encounter)
• CHVAGO co-sponsorship of the two concerts of the 20th Anniversary Hudson Valley BachFest:
  - the June 8th Keyboard recital — featuring our own Craig S. Williams, Bruce Xu, and Reilly Xu
  - the June 9th concert in Skinner Hall at Vassar College, featuring James Fitzwilliam performing Bach on the Fritts Organ
• I was invited back for the 20th anniversary concert to conduct Bach's magnificent Magnificat, the piece that I first conducted 20 years ago when I founded the BachFest Choir. Several other CHVAGO members are participating in the weekend's events as well.

In a new, exciting development, CHVAGO has recently agreed to one of four AGO Chapters nation-wide that will serve as field stations for the new AGO Education Program of Chapter-driven Achievement Awards that will focus on basic musicianship and organ playing skills. They will not replace the current AGO Certification, but rather, because they are Chapter-driven and administered on the Chapter level, they will be tailored more directly to our own members' needs. As this program takes shape, I will be sharing more information with you in future Dean's Letters.

Upcoming events this summer and fall:

• July 14th Annual CHVAGO picnic at the home of Susan Guse
• Sixth Annual "Bach to Broadway" Duo-Organ Extravaganza — Saturday, October 5th at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie. James Fitzwilliam and Nathan Avakian.
• Choral Evensong themed around "finding common ground" — Saturday, November 23rd at the West Point Cadet Chapel — hosted by Craig Williams.
• Some autumn trips to NYC, including a visit to the Cloisters and to St. Thomas' Evensong — specifics to come later.

Looking further ahead into the 2019-2020 season, we are working on the following events:

• Presenting a "Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza" event — hosted by Anthony Rispo — date TBD.
• Eric Hepp is meeting with his committee to plan a Hymn Festival — stay tuned!
• Annual Spuds & Sundaes event early in 2020.
• Co-sponsor an organ recital by Bruce Xu on February 9 at 3:00 PM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie.
• An organ recital featuring young/rising organists — talk to Anthony Rispo if you have ideas and/or want to participate.

So as summer is about to begin, let's member those who came before us, who have inspired us and given so much, and let's get a bit of rest and relaxation so that we can emerge energized and inspired for the future.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Members' Recital: Program

Westminster Carillon by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937) - Boyd Herforth

Communion Opus 82 No. 1
Contemplation Opus 82 No. 2 by Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) - Susan LaGrande

Le Cygne (the Swan) From Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) - Larry Hazard

Cortège et Litanies by Marcel Dupre (1886-1971) - Eric Hepp

Verset de Procession sur l'Adoro Te by Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) - LeeAnne Andrew

Prière à Notre-Dame and Toccata (from Gothic Suite) by Léon Boëllmann - Nancy Brown

Alleluias sereins d'une ame qui desire le ciel (L'Ascension)
Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle by Olivier Messiaen (1908—1992) - Craig Williams

Finale (fr. Sonata no. 1) by Alexandre Guilmant - Anthony Rispo

League of Distinguished Service Inductees

• Charles Faverio is a medical doctor whose specialty is Occupational Medicine. He began his association with the AGO many years ago in New Jersey when he was Medical Director of AT&T Bell Labs, and served several terms as Dean of the Northern New Jersey chapter. When he moved to the Hudson Valley to direct the WorkPlace at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, he joined our chapter as a dual member, soon taking an active role in leading the chapter. He served on the planning committee for the 2005 Regional Convention, and recently retired from the CHVAGO Board. Though he would not describe himself as an organist, Charles loves organ and choral music, and is currently a member of the choir at St. James Church in Hyde Park.
• Nancy Brown began her musical career as a pianist and choir director, receiving Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Choral Music Education from the University of Michigan, followed by several years of piano study at the Hartt School. Her introduction to the organ came at the age of 35 when she volunteered to play at a church camp and was asked to return the following season. From there she started taking lessons on the organ, first with her local church organist and then at the Hartt School. She served several churches in Connecticut and New York state as organist/choir director, spending 18 years at the Congregational Church in Kent, Connecticut, from which she retired this past December.
• Richard Ehlenberg has been playing the organ for 65 years, starting as a 12-year-old"Sunday School Organist" for $25/month at the Irving Square Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn. While attending Guilmant Organ School and City College of NY, he played at Christ Baptist Church in Brooklyn. In 1957 he came to the Hudson Valley, where he played at the First Congregational Church until 2001, and oversaw the rebuild of the 1902 Midmer organ in 1974. During those years, Richard also taught organ, piano, and voice at the Southern Dutchess Music Studio in Wappingers Falls, Hammond Organ Studios in Red Oaks Mill, and Vincitore/Poughkeepsie Music, as well as at the First Congregational Church. Following his retirement in 2001, he continued to serve as interim organist at various churches in the Hudson Valley.
• Janet Nelson Nickerson presides at the console of King of Kings Lutheran Church in New Windsor and serves at other venues for weddings and funerals. She studied sacred music at the Guilmant Organ School in New York City. Other teachers included our own Jack Davis. and theatre organist Rosa Rio. In addition to presenting concerts in Orange County and New York City, Janet has served as organist for various local churches and has accompanied many groups and soloists. She lives in New Windsor where for over 50 years she has taught students of all ages in her private studio, teaching the basics as well as classical and religious music, and providing encouragement while expecting excellence.
• Margaret Small began her musical career as a pianist, receiving BM, MM, and, later in life, DMA degrees in piano. She also took organ lessons at the University of Connecticut and for 50 years has played the organ at various institutions, including 24 years as Chapel Organist at Colby College in Maine, and 25 years at her current position at Union Presbyterian Church in Newburgh. As a teacher, her goal is to help students enjoy learning music and giving it to others. In this spirit she developed the chapter's Pipes, Pedals and Pizza program to spark an interest in young students to explore the Organ.

Membership News

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in July 2019, is June 23.

Membership Questions

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
May 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Many of us have been glued to images of the destructive fire that engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris at the beginning of Holy Week. For some of us it also brought back the destruction wrought by the attacks much closer to home on September 11, 2001. Edifices like the World Trade Center and Notre Dame represent so much more than mere bricks and mortar — no matter how grand or how beautiful.

Both events involved the destruction or damage of major iconic symbols — in one case an iconic symbol of the worldly power and might of the United States; in the other case, an iconic symbol of spiritual power, and a beloved building that came to represent the essence of Paris, of France, and even of Europe.

In one case the destruction was an intentional act of aggression in which thousands of lives were lost. In the other case, it appears to have been accidental, and thankfully no lives were lost. In both cases, firefighters and first responders rushed toward danger, NOT away from it.

The timing of the Notre Dame fire, at the start of Holy Week, indeed felt symbolic. Events like these make some of us ask: Where is God in the midst of such tragedy? As Psalm 22 so starkly states: "My God, my God — why has thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far? For there is none to help."

I believe that God did not cause these events, and that a compassionate God grieves with us. God shares our pain and feels our suffering. As the iconic Mr. Rogers says to children dealing with frightening events like these: "always look for the people who are helping." He wanted children to know that in the face of disaster, there are many people working really hard to make things better.

There is much financial aid rushing in to rebuild the cathedral. These billions of dollars represent world-wide love and valuing of the cathedral, AND they represent lots of Wealth. I am grateful for this response to the damage of Notre Dame, but I also ask: Where is the money to rebuild Black churches in the States burned down by arson? To rebuild mosques in New Zealand; to rebuild churches in Sri Lanka; to rebuild synagogues in Pittsburg? Where is the money to compensate the 9-11 first responders and construction workers and other volunteers for the health problems resulting from their exposure to so many hazards when they rushed in to help? These questions about priorities go on and on, and they are important ones to ask.

For us as organists, there is much good news: miraculously the Notre Dame organ was not destroyed! It will be refurbished and live on to play again in a newly restored Cathedral. (A copy of the NY Times article featuring Olivier Latry is available here.)

Here in the Hudson Valley, we have a local connection with the rebuilding of Notre Dame: Vassar Professor Andrew Talon made digital scans of the entire structure of Notre Dame. He died a few short months before the fire, yet he and his work will live on as the Cathedral is rebuilt over the next months and years! Twenty-first century state-of-the art technology will be used to restore a building over 800 years old.

Coincidentally our May 19th Members Recital has long been planned to feature French Music — and I know that we will all be thinking about the fact that much of this music was played, perhaps even premiered, on the organ at Notre Dame. It will be performed in a few weeks on the Diane Bish Signature series Allen Organ at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in LaGrangeville: a twenty-first century state-of-the-art digital organ playing French organ music from the 16th through the 20th centuries!

Sprinklers "infiltrating" historic structures to save them for future generations? Digital scans of the ancient structure of historic buildings leading to a successful rebuilding of Notre Dame? Digital organs playing iconic pipe organ repertoire and bringing it out to new, emerging audiences?

A mixture of the best of the old and the best of the new. Valuing traditions and using modern technologies to bring them forward into the future. Something to feel hopeful about in this spring season of rebirth and renewal!

In Hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Alice Cann has been in the hospital with pneumonia. We wish her a speedy return to good health!
• Our sincere condolences to Meredith Baker, whose mother passed away on April 24, 2019. Memorial contributions to The Long Island Choral Society (visit the web site at www.LICS.org) will be most appreciated.
• Welcome back to former member Nancy DeMilio. We were sorry to see her go more than ten years ago, and we are happy to have her among us again. Her contact information is:
  Nancy DeMilio
  615 Chelsea Cay
  Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
  845-381-8445
  Ndvoice@aol.com

Annual Members Recital - Information for Performers

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in June 2019, is May 23.

Membership Questions

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
April 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Speaking of change, I urge you to look at the timely article in the April TAO written by AGO Executive Director James E. Thomashower. He talks about the complaints from some of our younger members that TAO is outdated. As part of the changes coming out of the Strategic Plan, they are going to make substantial changes in the magazine going forward! I'm sure many of us "older folks" have also had similar gripes about the usefulness of aspects of that magazine.

Last month in my Dean's Letter I discussed the need to bring the organ (in all its forms) out from its historically limited venues into the community to reach out to new audiences and to inspire new performers. This month I want to talk about ways of reaching out to young and new organists — a group I will call "rising organists."

CHVAGO board member Anthony Rispo attended the AGO National Leadership Expo Conference last month. He came back with sobering statistics AND exciting ideas. At our recent board meeting we began to formulate some ways to put these ideas into action. First the sobering statistics, but remember: distressing information can lead to self-reflection, which can lead to strategies for change!

Between 2013 and 2017 the number of Regular AGO members dropped by 20% - a loss of 1,670 people! The number of Student members, however, has increased by 7%.

What are some of the general characteristics of those under 40? According to the AGO Leadership Survey results, Gen X and Y's are perceived, and perceive themselves, to be "less stuffy" and "more fun". This generation owns less stuff, and they share more. They tend to be more urban and less suburban; more individual and less traditional. They are more detached from institutions than earlier generations, but they are closely networked with friends. They are driven by a desire to make a difference, and they can "self-organize" friends for activities and activism. (A comprehensive report on the findings of the conference, entitled "Strong AGO Leadership Matters.PDF," can be viewed on our Closed Facbook page at https://www.facebook.com/download/preview/422554871845364.)

What do these general traits mean for us as a Chapter in thinking about how to attract and support these rising organists? We've actually been talking about this for a while as a board, and we've tried several different things, frankly with mixed results. Here is a list of some of the things we've done in the past year.

1. We have reached out to local organ teachers, both private and university-affiliated, to ask them to encourage their students to attend CHVAGO events and to consider becoming a member of AGO. We've also let these teachers know about the Scholarship our chapter offers.
2. We've let local college students try out our church organs, and we've had them play a prelude or postlude from repertoire they been working on with their teacher. Several have also served as subs for a service or two.
3. We've tried offering Pedals, Pipes, and Piano (with Pizza too, of course) — A Young Person's Introduction to the Organ - to encourage young piano students to try out the organ.
4. We held a BYOP* (*Prelude/Postlude) — an informal social hour and music sharing with snacks, drinks, and music to try out, in hopes of attracting a younger crowd.
5. Former CHVAGO Dean Craig S. Williams has included rising organists on a regular basis in his wonderful Sunday afternoon organ recitals on the organ at the West Point Cadet Chapel. Many of you regularly reach out to young people in your community.

• We raised the age limit from 21 to 30
• We removed the requirement that a scholarship applicant be enrolled in a degree or diploma program.
• We expanded the purposes for which the scholarship stipends may be used to include paying for conferences or workshops as well as organ lessons.
• We no longer limit these stipends to college organ students.
• Scholarship funds are now awarded throughout the year, on an 'as-needed' basis.

The Board is open to feedback and suggestions for ideas of involving and supporting rising organists. Please be in touch with any of the board members to share your thoughts.

A story to leave you with: at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie we are offering a special Lenten program. Each Thursday evening, we share a home-cooked meal with the guests of our Code Blue Shelter, who stay in the downstairs classrooms of our building during the colder months of the year. After sharing the meal, we go into the Sanctuary and each week we share a different kind of musical or fine arts experience together.

Two weeks ago, a young punk rock band was invited to come and perform some of their more mellow selections for us. The vocalist and keyboard player came over to the church to check out the acoustics of the Sanctuary. The keyboard player was excited to have an opportunity to play our Steinway piano, and he marveled at the lovely tone, saying that he didn't have to "bang it" to get a good sound. I sent a silent prayer of thanks at that comment, and proceeded (much to my surprise) to ask him if he had ever played a pipe organ (what was I thinking, I worried, but it was too late). Not only had he never played a pipe organ, but he'd never even heard one! So, I gave him a brief tour of the instrument, suggesting that he remove his work boots and play the pedals in his socks. He quickly figured out which stops provided the sounds he wanted, and he was very excited about the variety of colors and ways of combining them.

Then he asked me if the organ had a rhythm track! When I answered no, he said, "OK, I'll figure out some rhythm licks with my feet then." And he did just that. I had already showed him the Swell pedal, but he asked if there was a way to make the whole instrument get quickly louder and softer. I showed him the Crescendo pedal (which I rarely use), and he was thrilled. After about 30 minutes he was really rocking the place with quite a nice variety of sounds and colors. I asked him if he wanted me to show him how to use the Transposer (which I never use), and to my astonishment he said "That would be sort of cheating, don't you think? I should be able to transpose my music without that." And so he did. He came back several more times to practice and set pistons before his band's performance, and in parting, he said that he thought he'd come back to the church, just to hear the organ play, on Easter Sunday. I hope he does.

I never would have expected his intense and immediate reaction to the glories of the sound of the pipe organ. I expect I may hear more from him in the future, and I hope I do! Change is inevitable. It can be frightening and disorienting at times. However, it is the only way we can grow and change, and if we embrace change, we can also have a role in shaping that change and can participate joyfully in it.

Finally, the CHVAGO Board and I wish you a joyous Easter and Passover!

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Andrzej Lisiecki! Andrzej is the new Organist at First Presbyterian Church in Wappingers Falls, and has joined our chapter in the Young Organist category. His contact information is:
  10 Pleasant View Drive
  Marlboro, NY 12542
  845-236-2776
  andrzej.lisiecki@sunydutchess.edu
  We hope to meet him in person soon!
• Our condolences to Nancy Vanderlee, whose father  Charles Herbert Ryerson (Charlie), passed away on March 9, 2019 in Tucson, AZ. His obituary appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal and can be accessed [L=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/poughkeepsiejournal/obituary.aspx?n=charles-herbert-ryerson&pid=191846900&fhid=2500]here[EL].
• Patrick Walker, a former chapter member who has been pursuing his musical education in at Boston University in Massachusetts, will be returning to the Hudson Valley this summer. He will be available for sub work from July 7 - August 25. He writes: "I have my own transportation and am willing to travel a reasonable distance. I have experience with services in many different denominations and am comfortable playing in all." For more information about Patrick's activities and achievements, visit his web site or he may be reached at 845-464-9035 or patrick.walker.organist@gmail.com.

Chapter Scholarship Program

The Margaret Pecoraro Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to support and encourage young organists, in memory of chapter member Margaret Pecoraro, who died in November 2002. Born in Mainz, Germany, in 1931, Margaret was a church organist by the age of 12. She graduated from the Church Music Institute of the Diocese of Mainz as an Organist and Choir Master in 1941. She also obtained her degree as a Piano Teacher. In 1958 she came to the United States and married; she played the organ and gave piano lessons for many years while raising her family. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2001, she continued to play regularly until a few months before her death. Margaret is remembered as an exacting teacher who was at the same time encouraging and compassionate.

To qualify for scholarship awards, a candidate must be 30 years old or younger; must be studying organ in a school program, or with a private teacher; and must become a member of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (if not already a member, membership will be included in the scholarship grant).

References must be supplied. Anyone may apply for scholarship funds, but preference will be given to chapter members first and then to students residing or studying within the Northeast Region of the American Guild of Organists. Funds are awarded throughout the year, on an "as-needed" basis, at the discretion of the executive board of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter, AGO.

Scholarship funds may be awarded in the following ways:

• Free Chapter membership for one year may be offered to organ students who are being taught by members of the chapter. This offer applies to persons who have not formerly been members of the chapter.
• Tuition for a Pipe Organ Encounter or other AGO-sponsored educational program may be offered to qualified applicants.
• Modest stipends to assist in the cost of organ lessons or attendance at workshops and conferences may be offered to qualified scholarship applicants.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in May 2019, is April 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
March 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I have always been fascinated by the confluence of unexpected and seemingly unrelated events (see some of my previous Dean's Letters, which reflect this near-obsession of mine). Not only have I unexpectedly returned to Kansas City, but three other events have taken place recently that converged to create "food for thought" for this Letter.

• Joseph Bertolozzi sent me a fascinating article about the very first pipe organ arriving in Poughkeepsie in 1802 - at Christ Episcopal Church, where I work. (please read his article later in this newsletter) Before the pipe organ, choirs sang a cappella and were given their starting pitches by a cello or "church bass".


• Felix Hell came to Poughkeepsie to present a fabulous concert on the Casavant pipe organ at St. John's Lutheran Church, and we spent time together discussing ways of bringing the organ to new audiences — something Felix is doing with his "Music Across America" touring organ program. In addition to performing on the world's greatest pipe organs, Felix Hell has been concertizing with his portable Touring Organ throughout North America, contributing, in his words, "to the liberation of organ music from its historic confines and presenting it in spaces that do not house pipe organs." He uses a custom-built Rodgers instrument, and this state-of-the-art Touring Organ is able to fill large spaces with a breathtaking sound. He has performed as soloist with orchestras throughout the US and Canada, introducing the great music and the grandeur of the organ to audiences that otherwise may have never experienced it. As Felix says, "The King of Instruments can now be heard anywhere!" According to Felix, currently there are probably more high-quality organ programs, teachers, and performers than ever before in history. However there are not more full-time, well-paying jobs. What to do? Bring high quality organ music and excellent playing OUT to the people. Encourage composers to write for the organ — to think outside of the box and compose for an audience that may not have a history and background of religious organ music.


• A Letter to the Editor in the March TAO about electronic instruments grabbed my attention, especially in light of my conversation with Felix. (see Brent Nolte's Letter to the Editor on page 10 of TAO). In this letter Brent discusses his use of an electronic instrument to bring the music of Bach and Widor to an audience that would not otherwise have heard that great music. He admits to being conflicted about seeming to champion electronic instruments, but as he writes:
  
  • "As I've gained experience and dealt with "challenged" pipe organs as well as the increased quality of digital organs, I have wrestled with my own views regarding pipe organs and digital organs. In my younger years, I was undoubtedly more idealistic and cut-and-dried with a preference for pipes and a perhaps dismissive attitude toward electronic substitutes. In my ideal world, every congregation would be able to afford a pipe organ with sufficient ranks to serve the musical needs for worship and perhaps recitals. I certainly advocate that congregations with sufficient resources continue to see the value in the pipe organ. As experience and reality have bucked the ideal, the question for me has become this: Is a congregation better served by a poor pipe organ or a sufficient digital instrument, if these are the only choices, and the congregation lacks the resources for a quality pipe organ? I have modified my view over the years, and believe that my experience with the recital at Our Savior (and others prior) lead me to prefer, justifiably, a good digital organ to a "challenged" pipe organ in a small congregation. My "philosophy," as it were, regarding digital and pipe organs is based on some advice wisely handed down to me during my graduate study, which is to "bloom where you are planted." In two prior situations, I was blessed to aid congregations in expanding and upgrading existing pipe organs. Rather than "throwing the baby out with the bathwater," in both cases I worked with the congregations to keep existing pipework and to blend in much-needed additional ranks and tonal colors, as well as upgrading console technology. I believe that "blooming where we're planted," whether with a pipe or digital instrument, is in the best long-term interest of our profession. While I don't have a pipe organ in my current congregation, utilizing the digital instrument's capabilities for a recital allowed congregation members and guests to experience recital literature such as a complete Widor symphony and to gain appreciation for the art of organ playing. Let's utilize every opportunity we have to bring positive attention to the organ and the depth and breadth of its repertoire."

It is worth noting that our upcoming Members' Recital in May will take place at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Roman Catholic Church in Lagrangeville, NY, where the organ is an 80-stop, 3-manual Allen digital organ (Diane Bish Signature Series).

I also want to give a "shout-out" to our own John Vanderlee, who is a member of CHVAGO and also heads up NYTOS (New York Theatre Organ Society). He embodies much of what I have been discussing, because he is largely responsible, with the help of many other local theatre organ aficionados, for returning the scattered pieces of the Wurlitzer Pipe Organ to working order on site in the Bardavon Opera House. Since its restoration, the organ is used regularly to accompany films and to play pre-show music. The Hudson Valley Philharmonic also uses the Wurlitzer when an organ is called for in their concerts. If you attend the April concert of Bach's Mass in B minor, you will hear it accompanying and playing continuo!

John has also worked with the Hyde Park School District to bring a state-of-the-art electronic organ to the high school where students receive organ lessons. The instrument is also used in school concerts and dramatic productions. In addition, John and his colleagues at NYTOS have been providing holiday music on the group's Touring Organ at the Galleria Mall in Poughkeepsie. For many members of the public, these instruments are the first and perhaps only organ they have ever heard.

To close, I quote from the CHVAGO Mission Statement:
We welcome musicians of all skill levels and those who play on all instruments, including pipe organs, electronic organs and theatre organs.

Bringing the organ out of its historically limited venues, especially in an increasingly secular culture, and when some houses of worship are not be using organs of any kind, will be necessary if the organ is to survive into the future and thrive. "Bringing the instrument to the people" if you can't draw the people to the traditional instruments while at the same time valuing the past and encouraging institutions to maintain, and improve their existing pipe organs are, in my opinion, both necessary elements of a successful strategy.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

The First Pipe Organ in Poughkeepsie, NY

This article draws heavily from the book "A Century of Music in Poughkeepsie 1802-1911" by Helen Andrus and "The Records of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, NY 1755-1910," edited by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds.

In 1802 there were only two churches in Poughkeepsie, The Dutch Church and the English Church. The English Church, as Christ Church was then known, had no organ, like nearly all American village churches at the time (Poughkeepsie was founded as a village in 1799 and only became a city in 1855).

At least by 1802 the English Church had an organized choir directed by Joseph Parker. The term for his position in those days was "chorister," which in time would evolve into the commonly used "choir director" or "choirmaster" that is in use in our present day. It is possible the choir received their starting/accompanying notes from a cello, "church bass," or other instrument, a common practice at the time.

In October of 1808, a Poughkeepsie-bound wagon containing a pipe organ arrived from Hartfrord, CT to Christ Church, located at that time on the NE Corner of Church St, & Market St., the later site of the New York State Armory building. It was likely built by John Meacham, Jr.. Orpha Ochse mentions that Meacham built an organ in 1808; it is probably this one.

It seems that it was built in Hartford and sold to Christ Church based on the recommendation of Col. William Blodgett, an organist from Hartford who came to Poughkeepsie with the instrument to set it up, demonstrate it and give lessons to Poughkeepsie area musicians. He also seems to have been the church's first organist, as he submitted a bill on May 1, 1809 to the vestry for "playing the organ in Church" and "tuition" (lessons) to students.

The organ's disposition is as follows:
John Meacham, Jr. (1808)
Hartford, CT

One Manual, three ranks, no Pedal
Stop Diapason (presumably 8')
Principle (sic) (presumably 4')
Twelfth

The organ was 8 feet high and 4 feet, 4 inches wide, "handsomely" encased with ornamental pipes in front, four gilt urns on the top, a faux mahogany finish, and doors for interior access. It was probably placed in the gallery, based on comments in "The Records of Christ Church." The cost of this instrument totaled $300. The organ is no longer at this location and is presumed destroyed, dispersed or relocated. It can be found on the Organ Historical Society Database ID 64064.

Sources:
- Andrus, Helen Josephine, A Century of Music in Poughkeepsie 1802-1911, pp. 2-4
Published by Frank B. Howard, Poughkeepsie, Copyright 1912 by Helen J. Andrus
- Reynolds, Helen Wilkinson, editor, The Records of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, NY 1755-1910, pp. 126-128
Published by F.B. Howard, 1911, Poughkeepsie, Copyright 1911 by The Wardens & Vestrymen of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, NY.
ALSO
The title page reads "Published by The Wardens & Vestrymen upon the Tenth Anniversary of the Institution of the Rector The Reverend Griswold, Cummins."
Organ Historical Society Database
- Ochse, Orpha, The History of the Organ in the United States, p. 79
Published by: Bloomington: The Indiana University Press, 1975.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in April 2019, is March 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
February 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

"He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names." Psalm 147: 4
To be named is to be known, acknowledged, recognized!

More in a moment about this.

As I write this letter, we are still definitely in the throes of winter, but the sun is staying up longer, and the angle of its light is starting to change. This brings us hope of spring arriving — eventually. It is easy to become socially isolated in these weeks of deep freeze, when we are told to "stay inside," "keep off the roads," and when rehearsals, concerts, and even religious services are canceled! Yes — of course we can connect on social media, and on the telephone, but there is something special and unique about real, in-your-face physical interactions with friends, family, and colleagues.

During January CHVAGO sponsored two such "in-you-face" events that brought many of us together to celebrate music and friendship: On the 25th our former Dean, Craig S. Williams, presented an amazing organ recital entitled "Musical Portraits of Consolation, Courage, and Triumph" on the Gress-Miles organ at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. Introducing each piece with pithy historic and social commentary, Craig played works of Mozart, Bach, and Dupre, and a set of patriotic selections arranged by Calvin Hampton and Dudley Buck. He also included works composed or arranged by three women (somewhat of a rarity on organ programs) Florence B. Price, Marilyn Rinehart, and Nancy Plummer Faxon, mother of local violinist Emily Faxon. A lovely set of African-American Spirituals arranged for organ closed the program. The program was beautifully crafted, and Craig's sensitive and intelligent playing brought out many colors of the organ. The concert brought excitement to over fifty people — several of whom had never attended an organ recital before. One young man told me that he'd never heard an organ playing anything except hymns, and he had no idea the instrument could "do that kind of cool stuff!"

Two days later we held our annual Spuds and Sundaes gathering at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie, which had been postponed from the previous weekend because of the weather. It was a small, intimate gathering because of the schedule change, but it was a lovely opportunity to spend some in-your-face quality time with colleagues. We also perused the extensive collection of piano and organ works donated to the Chapter by Don Filkins' family. There is still a lot of music left, and we will bring it out again for all to look through at the annual summer picnic, and perhaps at the members' recital as well. All music proceeds benefit our scholarship fund.

Now back to the message of Psalm 147: We all need to be counted, to feel valued, to be seen, heard, named, and KNOWN. Throughout much of the historical records, not all people have been valued. In historical texts, and in the Bible, most of the women mentioned are not named. In historic records, enslaved peoples frequently were not mentioned by name — they were considered to be "merely chattel."

Shifting to today, and specifically to the Central Hudson Valley: a much less extreme case, but nonetheless a reflection of the value or lack thereof placed on them, is the lack of mention of musicians on many church websites. Susan LaGrande has done a detailed survey of churches in our region and has come up with some sobering statistics and conclusions. Her article follows this letter. She sent a draft of the survey to AGO Executive Director James Thomashower (a member or our Chapter), who encouraged her to publicize it further. I encourage you to read it carefully!

I close as I began: "He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names." Psalm 147: 4
To be named is to be known, acknowledged, recognized.

I look forward to meeting you "in-person" in upcoming months at our programs. We all need to recognize and name each other as worthy and of value!

In hope,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Are Organists Recognized by the Churches They Serve?
A Survey of Church Web Sites in the Central Hudson Valley

In addition to editing our chapter's monthly newsletter, I also maintain the Calendar and Position Openings pages on our web site on a daily basis. This usually involves getting some information about a church, either as a venue for a concert or as a potential employer. I get this information by doing a lot of Google searches.

After viewing dozens of church web sites, I began to notice certain trends, and I wondered if these trends might be consistent over a wider sample. So I began conducting an informal survey.

The research is totally based on information available through Google. I searched for churches in the area served by the Central Hudson Valley Chapter (Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Putnam, and Rockland counties). My specific search parameters were: "[denomination] churches in [name] county," for example "Catholic Churches in Dutchess County."

I recorded the following information for each church which appeared in the list of search results:

1. Name


2. Address, phone number, and web site URL. I wanted this information so I could contact a church later for further information if necessary.


3. Name of Organist/Music Director. Names of current chapter members were highlighted in red.


4. Assumed gender of Organist/Music Director. This was highly subjective, since there are names which are often used by either sex such as Dana, Chris, and Leslie. There are also cases where a position is shared by two or more people who may not share the same gender.


5. CHVAGO member? Yes or No. I wanted this information so that our chapter would have a better idea of who we might want to recruit in the future.

1. The total number of churches surveyed was 339.


2. Of that number, 263 churches have a web site of some description. The remainder, 76, or 22%, do not.


3. Of the churches which do have a web site, 121, or 46%, do not name the organist on the web site (even though nearly every other church position, including the custodian, is likely to be mentioned).


4. Of the 155 churches which do have a web site and do mention their organist, 31, or 20%, are members of CHVAGO. (Note, however, that in our chapter of about 65 members, many are inactive, retired or play in churches outside the survey area.)


5. It is worth noting that 5 organists who are chapter members, including myself, are not named on their church's web site. An additional organist, who is known to me but not a chapter member, is not named on his church's web site.


6. There is a strong correlation between the church denomination and the recognition afforded to the organist. For example, of the 36 Episcopal churches, all of which had web sites, only 7, or 19%, did not mention the organist on the web site. Also, more than half of Episcopal organists are members of CHVAGO. By contrast, of the 76 Catholic churches having web sites, 22 organists, or nearly 30%, were not mentioned on the church web site, and only 6 are members of CHVAGO.


7. Of the 147 organists mentioned by name, 66, or 45%, are assumed to be male; 56, or 38%, are assumed to be female, and in 10 cases, or 15%, the gender was unclear from the name, or the position was shared between a male and a female. The only denomination in which there was a clear majority of one gender was Episcopalian, where there were 18 men versus 6 women and only 3 whose gender was unclear (see above).

1. If an organist is featured or mentioned on a church's web site, that church is more likely to place a high value on traditional music.


2. Organists who are highly valued by their churches, as evidenced by their mention on the church's website, are more likely to be AGO members, whereas those who are not deemed worthy of mention are less likely to be AGO members.

1. CHVAGO members and board should make an effort to reach out to churches who do not list music or musicians, to persuade them that music and musicians, especially organists, are valuable and should be included on the church's website.


2. We should be especially supportive of CHVAGO chapter members who are not named on their church's web site.


3. Since we now have contact information for 124 organists in the Hudson Valley who are not already members of our chapter, we should do our best to recruit them as potential new members.


4. We should publicize the concept of this survey, along with its results to other AGO Chapters and to AGO Headquarters, encouraging them to do similar research. 

This is what I have gathered so far. If anyone has a suggestion about other ways in which this data could be mined or augmented, please let me know.

Membership News

• Welcome to two new members, Carl J. Geiselhart and LeeAnne Andrew! Both are joining as Young Organists. Carl is a student of Janet Nelson Nickerson and LeeAnne is a student of Eric Hepp, and is a dual member with the New York City Chapter. Their contact information is:
  Carl J. Geiselhart
  379 Comfort Trail
  Montgomery, NY 12549
  845-457-4830 (h)
  646-281-9552
  cjgeiselhart@gmail.com
  LeeAnne R. Andrew
  412 Cedar Hill Road
  Fishkill, NY 12524
  845-249-8125
  leane.ontheg0@gmail.com
  We are very happy to have these two young organists in our midst!


• Joe Bertolozzi will mark his 60th birthday on Monday, February 4 when WMHT-FM will broadcast his work "Suite Poughkeepsie" for orchestra, which was originally premiered in 1999 by The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, conducted by Randall Fleischer. In this performance, Joel Eric Suben conducts SeattleMusic. Celebrate with Joe by tuning in to 88.7 FM at around 1:40 PM. The program will also be streamed on wmht.org/radio/classical/. Happy Birthday, Joe!


• In our December newsletter, Joan Petersen Kopp's name was misspelled. All other information provided was correct. Sorry for the error, Joan!

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in March 2019, is February 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
January 2019

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Some of us use this "in-between time" to get a head start on planning and practicing for the upcoming year. Some of us take a much-needed break to visit family, friends, or warmer regions. Some of us take some personal time to hibernate and catch up on sleep, or to recharge our bodies and spirit with exercise and activity.

Let's take a brief look back at CHVAGO programs for 2018 and then forward into 2019.
Our Chapter presented and co-sponsored many exciting projects, workshops, worship services, and concerts in 2018. Here is a quick glimpse:

The Year in Review 2018:
January: Our Chapter hosted the annual Spuds & Sundaes Social Event at Hyde Park's Roosevelt High School, combing our signature comfort-food meal with an organ concert and demo by John Baratta. This popular event continued our collaboration with New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS), which has benefits both groups and creates new friendships and new audiences.

February: Susan Guse presented a very successful "Bells in Worship" hands-on workshop that involved all the participants.

March: Laura Ramsey Russell presented an Organ-Plus Reading Session and Workshop which focused on music appropriate for worship composed or arranged for organ plus another instrument. Several organists and other instrumentalists performed, and comprehensive lists of Organ-Plus music were distributed to participants and audience members.

April: The annual Members' Recital continued the theme of Organ-Plus by featuring a wide variety of instruments and the Wappingers Falls Zion Episcopal Church's Austin organ. The recital freewill offering benefited our Chapter's Margaret Pecoraro Memorial Scholarship Fund.

June: Steven Rosenberry and Ed Myers, organ builders and technicians from Albany, presented an Organ Repair and Maintenance Workshop and Demonstration on the organ they had recently rebuilt at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. The workshop was followed by an Organ Dedication Concert.

July: The Annual Chapter Picnic took place at the home of Eric Hepp. All present enjoyed an afternoon of good food and conversation.

September: This month saw two events:
1. Hymn Festival Planning Workshop hosted by Eric Hepp. This was an exciting initial planning session which will continue in 2019.
2. Our first BYOP* (*prelude/postlude) "Happy Hour" event — combining appetizers, conversation, and informal music performances.

October: This month also saw two events:
1. Our Annual "Bach to Broadway" collaboration with NYTOS at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, presenting Nathan Avakian on the Allen traveling theatre organ, and James Fitzwilliam on the Gress-Miles pipe organ.
2. A Choral Reading Workshop led by composer and conductor Philip Stopford who presented a variety of his choral works.

The National AGO Convention took place in Kansas City in 2018, and at least eight of our Chapter members attended!

The New Year 2019:

There is still much planning work to be done by our Board for the New Year, but here is a snapshot of both already-scheduled and tentative programs. For more detailed information, please go to our online Calendar page at chvago.org

January 20: The Annual Spuds & Sundae — at St. John's Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie.

January 25: Organ Recital by Craig S. Williams — at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie.

February 1: St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys — concert at Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls — co-sponsored with our Chapter.

Winter TBD: continuation of Hymn Festival Planning with Eric Hepp.

Winter/Spring TBD: Young Organist events co-sponsored with AGOYO by Anthony Rispo.

May 19: Annual Members' Recital — at St. Kateri Church in LaGrangeville.

June TBD: Collaboration with BachFest 20th anniversary concerts.

Autumn TBD: possible organ crawl at West Point Cadet Chapel.

The Northeast Regional Division of AGO will present its convention in Buffalo, NY this year, and I hope many of our Chapter members will again attend.

Our collaborations with NYTOS and with ENYAGO Chapter have continued this year. We have begun a collaboration with the Northeast region of AGOYO (our Board member Anthony Rispo is co-director), and we look forward to lots of exciting possibilities!

To sum up our goals for 2019:
~we will continue to look for new opportunities to collaborate with other musical organizations
~we look for ways to attract new CHVAGO members and new audience members
~we seek ways to continue to promote the Organ (in all its varied forms) in many venues and contexts
~we welcome musicians and music lovers at all levels of experience and expertise to participate in and enjoy our programs

Sending all of you wishes for a joyous New Year, full of hopes and dreams, and wishing each of us the energy and determination to work toward their achievement.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in February 2019, is January 23.

Editor's Corner

Membership Questions

Newsletter
December 2018

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During this month it often feels that the secular and sacred have a tense interrelationship, and although there are many aspects they share, their underlying focus is quite different.

• December brings end-of-semester concerts, and music plays a prominent role in many seasonal secular and sacred celebrations.
• December features many secular traditions: some with deep, meaningful cultural roots, as well as other reinterpretation of these traditions that often are crassly commercialized, but remain compelling to us, nonetheless.
• December is also the month of three great cultural and religious traditions, all of which feature gift-giving: Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.

Giving can be offered and received joyfully, with no "strings attached"; giving can engender a feeling of obligation and "being beholden;" or giving can be reciprocal.

As musicians, we are the recipients of glorious musical gifts from the past and present: of beautiful musical compositions; of grand instruments; of teachers who helped shape our musical development; and of family and mentors who encouraged us to pursue our musical dreams.

Those of us who work in houses of worship know the importance of lifting up our music to the Holy One and of enabling choirs and congregations to give their gifts of song in worship.

In the Christian tradition early December is season of Advent, a time of expectation. Many musical texts come to mind: "Savior of the nations, come!", "Lo, he comes with clouds descending", "Sleepers awake, a voice astounds us", "Prepare the way, O Zion", and "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight" — NO pressure. . . (smile)

In the growing cold and darkness of December, the many traditions of the season bring us hope of renewal and new birth, and we find joy in the amazing wealth and variety of music during this season.

I wish all of you joy and fulfillment during this season as each of you pursues your various musical vocations and callings. Give yourself the gift of a few quiet moments to enjoy the riches of music that we share, and the opportunities we have been given to share our musical gifts with others.

Wishing you joyous holidays!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Chapter News

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in January 2019, is December 23.

Editor's Corner

Membership Questions

Newsletter
November 2018

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What a lot of "celebrations" we fit into this short month! Holidays and Holy Days: Halloween; All Saints Day; Election Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving. Several of these special days involve remembrance: honoring those who have passed on; who have given so much to us and to our country. Then, of course, there is Thanksgiving, a uniquely American celebration, whose very name says what it's all about.

"Come, ye thankful people, come!" What a wonderful invitation the title of that hymn conveys — welcoming thankful people to come together! Gathering together in our places of worship; gathering together with family and friends. Giving thanks; expressing gratitude in our glorious organ music, hymns, and anthems.

But we don't always express gratitude easily or graciously. How easy it is to focus on the little (and big) things that are wrong with the people around us, wrong in our lives, and wrong in the world! Especially in this highly divisive political climate with social media magnifying every grievance — legitimate or not - it is so easy to find fault with things and with people. Correcting one's own faults, addressing injustice in our communities and around the world — these are indeed important. Yet it is also important to challenge yourself to find things that are going right: people who are doing good in the world; things for which we can be grateful — and to express your gratitude and support for their efforts.

To be grateful is to give thanks to and for something greater than ourselves, and to realize that we are part of a larger fabric of humanity and of life. How do we live into our gratitude? In part by expressing appreciation; by not taking things for granted; by giving to others from our abundance — an abundance of material objects; of joy; of hope, and of love. It's not enough to just say 'thank you'. How do we put our gratitude into action? During this month, I encourage you to find ways to "act out" your gratitude with your family and friends, in your community, and in the wider world.

The poet e.e. cummings wrote the wonderful poem: "I thank you God for most this amazing day", and composer Gwnyeth Walker set it as a joyful, awe-filled choral anthem, which really speaks to me in this season. May your November be filled with Holidays, Holy Days, lots of beautiful music, and much gratitude!

Gratefully yours,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Chapter News

• Joseph Bertolozzi has changed his primary phone number to 845-337-1216.


• Iouri Gritchichkine has accepted a position as Music Director at St. Anastasia RC Church, 1095 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. He continues as Choir Director at Temple Beth Am in Parsippany, NJ.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in December 2018, is November 23.

Editor's Corner

Membership Questions

Newsletter
October 2018

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Thus, I was relieved to see that the recent correspondence from AGO National Headquarters states at the top of their email that: "The AGO National Council has recently formed a task force to create an anti-harassment policy." I view this as a positive step, and one that should be emulated throughout all levels of the AGO organization. I plan to present a resolution to our CHVAGO board at our October meeting affirming that we support the National Council's creation of the anti-harassment task force. I will also ask for discussion at the meeting about how we can do our best to communicate as strongly as possible that harassment of any type will not be tolerated in our Chapter. The board will be in touch with our membership, following that discussion. Please bring any of your concerns about this issue to me or to any of the members of the CHVAGO board. We want to make sure that our members teach, perform, and worship in places that are safe and healthy for all!

The email from National Headquarters also affirms that the AGO National Council will create: "a Task Force on Inclusivity to foster stronger relationships and provide support for members playing digital instruments."

At the 2018 AGO National Convention in Kansas City I attended several workshops and informal discussions where concern over the lack of various types of inclusivity was discussed at length. These included:

1. The low percentage of women in AGO leadership, in competitions, and in concert performances and workshop presentations. Vassar College organist Gail Archer's 'Music Forum' currently has an extensive online discussion about the upcoming Eastman EROI Festival and the number of male vs. female presenters this year. I strongly recommend that you contact Gail to sign up for her "Music Forum" to see and participate in this discussion. Gail's email is garcher@barnard.edu.

2. The need to be inclusive and welcoming to those who play digital organs and who perform different types of music - including theatre organs and theatre music; silent film music; and popular music — just to name a few. For the past four years our Chapter has collaborated with the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS) in presented several events, ranging from our annual "Bach to Broadway" duo organ concert; to support of FDR High School's digital organ teaching program; to discussion and presentation of Silent Films. We are also collaborating with ENYAGO in the Albany area to cosponsor underwriting of Pipedreams on WMHT/WRHV.

3. The need to reach out to young organists to include them in our Chapters and in our programming. Anthony Rispo, co-founder of AGOYO and one of our newest board members, is working with the board to develop programs to appeal to young organists. Examples include: the Sept. 23rd "Happy Hour — BYOP* (Postlude), an evening of freewheeling music sharing, food, drink, and talk, that was very enjoyable and successful; the Oct 6th "Bach to Broadway" concert; and the Oct. 21st "Young Person's Guide to the Organ — Pipes, Pedal, and Piano". We welcome your ideas for programs that appeal to young organists. Please contact us with your suggestions!

At the Kansas City conference there were many conversations about how many fewer people are joining AGO Chapters because they either feel excluded and unwelcome, or because they don't see how AGO membership would be useful to their career. I would like to find ways to encourage participation in our Chapter and its programs — everything from inviting members to be on a programming committee to asking people to assist with handing out programs at concerts, to bringing food for concert receptions. We can also help each other with skills development — by sharing our collective knowledge about how to start a handbell choir, or how to develop a children's choir, or what teaching materials to use with organ students, or how to involve high school and college organists in our Chapter activities. We can also reach out to non-members and invite them to our events. There are many organ buffs out there who may not play organ, but who love the instrument and want to find a way to connect with like-minded folk.

We as musicians have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to support and encourage diverse, safe, and healthy work, school, and worship communities for people of all ages and backgrounds. We need to step out of our comfort zones to welcome those who play a variety of types of organs and perform a variety of types of music. I look forward to joining together in that effort!

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Sad News

• Christopher King was the organist at St. George's Episcopal Church in Newburgh. He died while swimming sometime around Labor Day. Details about his estate are still being worked out, so no obituary has been published yet.


• Jeffrey Lutz was the organist at Our Lady of Loretto in Cold Spring. He died suddenly at home on September 1, 2018. His obituary is available at https://www.clintonfh.com/notices/Jeffrey-Lutz

Chapter News

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in November 2018, is October 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
September 2018

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As I write this letter, we are coming up on Labor Day Weekend — the symbolic end of summer. We are on the cusp of a major change of pace — from the "lazy days of summer" to the hectic pace of autumn when both academic and religious calendars click into gear. Before you know it the stores will be focusing on Halloween, briefly give a nod to Thanksgiving, and then hurtle full steam ahead into Christmas!

Before all of that begins, let's take a moment to briefly reflect back on the summer that has just passed. Were you able to recharge your batteries with a less hectic schedule, or by going on vacation? Did you attend workshops or conventions? Have you visited with family or with old friends, or you made the acquaintance of new colleagues? Did you learn new repertoire?

Or did you take the summer off, unplug and unwind? Whatever you did or didn't do, it's all fine! It's important for all of us to change things up from time to time. "There is a time for all things under heaven": A time to relax and a time to challenge yourself; a time to try out new things, and a time to try NOT doing some of the things you usually do. A time to relax in familiar comfort zones, and a time to step out of your comfort zone to try something new. Summertime!

Your CHVAGO Board has met together over the summer and has enjoyed putting together some exciting programs for you for the coming year. Here is a glimpse of what's in store, but for more info, visit our online calendar at chvago.org.

• Workshop on Hymn Festival Planning led by Eric Hepp: Saturday, September 8th at 1:00 PM at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. See fuller description on our calendar.


• BYOP — Bring Your Own Postlude: Sunday, Sept 23rd at 6:00 PM at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. This promises to be an informal, enjoyable sharing of favorite organ pieces, along with food, beverages, and catching up with colleagues and meeting new ones!


• "Back to Broadway" Duo Organ Concert: Saturday, Oct 6th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church. Back for the fourth year, come and hear Nathan and James wow us with organ works for classic pipe organ and for theatre organ!


• Choral Reading Workshop led by Philip Stopford: Saturday. Oct 20th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Christ Episcopal Church. Come and experience this renowned choral composer as he works with combined choirs from our region.


• Organ Recital presented by Past Dean Craig S. Williams: Friday, January 25 at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church. The annual Spuds & Sundaes event will take place before the concert at 5:00 PM.

I hope to see many of you at these exciting events!

Finally, in reference to the recent issue of abuse in the organ world, it is so important that positions of power be viewed instead as positions of service. To quote Leslie Smith, Northeast Regional Councillor for the AGO, "Those who would flaunt their so-called power are doing the greatest disservice to those in their care. There is a duty to support, encourage, and provide a safe, nurturing environment to our young people" - and I would add, especially to young people to whom they serve as mentors.

To quote Leslie again, "It is my hope that over the next weeks and months, the AGO can be the best of itself: offering community and encouragement to our members."

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Concerts in the Capital District

Chapter News

• The latest membership roster is updated frequently and is available on our private Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHVAGO/files/. Please note that all information on this private page is available only to members of this closed group. If you are not already a member of the group, please contact Susan LaGrande or Laura Russell. If you would like to have a printed copy of the roster mailed to you, please contact Susan LaGrande.


• Welcome to new member Dr. Kevin Goin, who some of us may already know from his involvement in choral projects. Kevin's contact information is:
  Dr. Kevin M. Goin
  6 Underhill Avenue
  Poughkeepsie NY 12601
  845-473-4725
  niog@att.net


• Denise Bassen has a new email address: dbassen2@binghamton.edu.


• Meredith Baker has accepted a position as Organist/ChoirMaster at Christ Church, Manhasset, where she has enjoyed playing for several years. Best wishes, Meredith!


• Richard Ehlenberg has a new phone number, effective immediately: 845-687-6013.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in October 2018, is September 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
July 2018

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The focus of this Newsletter is the 2018 Kansas City AGO National Convention, which eight of our Chapter members attended. It was a fabulous event, and following my letter, you will see several reviews and descriptions of various aspects of the convention. Since not everybody has the resources or time to attend conventions, we hope that by sharing our experiences with all our Chapter members, you may have a glimpse into what these Conventions have to offer!

In my life I have experienced a few times when separate, unrelated events seem to resonate with each other across time and place. I found that reflected in major events at the Convention and then later the following week up at Tanglewood. The scripture that connects all of this for me is Psalm 133 v. 1: How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! For me this text reflects humanity's striving to find common ground out of our many separate beliefs and experiences.

A slight digression: the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection is called synchronicity. The concept was first introduced by psychologist Carl Jung, who held that unrelated events which occur with no causal relationship may nonetheless be connected in our minds. Jung called this a "meaningful coincidence."

Back to the Convention: the overarching theme of the Kansas City Convention was the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I — "the war to end all wars." The world-class World War I Museum is situated in Kansas City and many conferees visited it during our week there. Most of the Convention concerts, services, and workshops reflected issues and concepts arising from "the war to end all wars." The main services and concerts of the week were connected by this theme: The Opening Celebration "Remembrance and Reconciliation;" the mid-week Hymn Festival "Peaceable Kingdom;" and the Closing Ceremony and Concert "The Road Home" and "Gratitude and Genesis."

Somehow, quite miraculously, in this polarized political climate, these Convention events were able to make deep connections between the issues that arose from World War I and those issues that our nation and world face now, without evoking politics or alienating people. This was done using beautifully crafted and curated poetry, prayers, hymn and anthem texts.

The Opening Celebration interspersed excerpts from A Kipling Passion with WWI poetry, prayers, and familiar and newly-commissioned hymns and anthems. The Passion was written in 2017 and focused on the historical account of Lt. John Kipling's 1915 death at the Battle of Loos, and its impact on his father, author Rudyard Kipling. In a meaningful coincidence, the week of the convention coincided with the peak of the nation-wide concerns about refugee children being torn from their parents. The connection with Rudyard Kipling's words from WWI "But who shall return us our children?" were deeply moving and heart-breaking. This reading was followed by a hymn setting Finlandia to the words "May truth and freedom come to every nation, may peace abound where strife has raged so long; That each may seek to love and build together, a world united "¦ in its freedom, proclaiming peace together in one song." This was followed by moving poetry about the Christmas Truce during WWI, when each side stopped shooting at each other, and when they met in the "no-man's land" and sang Christmas Carols and shared food and drink with each other. At the end of the Opening Celebration, audience members were openly weeping, and strangers reached out and embraced their neighbors. It was an amazing and moving experience.

The mid-week Hymn Festival — "A Peaceable Kingdom" — was centered on the familiar text from Isaiah "And the wolf will lie down with the lamb," as secular and sacred readings alternated with familiar and newly-commissioned hymns and choral anthems. "The Road Home" was dedicated to honoring the contributions and sacrifice of millions of soldiers and civilians killed in World War I. The service was structured around "Letters from the Front," dramatic readings of actual letters from soldiers, which were interspersed with anthems and hymns, all related to the journey of returning home: to our God, to our Community, and to Our Calling. The Closing Ceremony "Gratitude and Genesis" was a concert of music for Organ and other instruments. The title refers to the Gratitude for all that had been accomplished that week at the convention; gratitude for our teachers, mentors, and for all who had come before us; gratitude for all who lived and died during WWI in the struggle for world peace; and to Genesis because we have been regenerated by performances, study, collegial exchange, and hope to be transformed by the week of experiences.

Shortly after returning from the Convention I went up to Tanglewood, which is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein to hear several wonderful performances, culminating in Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms." Bernstein, who was Jewish, was commissioned by an Anglican Church Choir to set Psalms, sung in Hebrew, to music written in a variety of styles: American Musical Theatre, including Jazz-inspired rhythms and harmonies, 12-tone serial dissonances, and chant-like passages. Bernstein masterfully combines and contrasts the different musical styles, creating a unified whole out of the combination of many disparate elements — a fitting metaphor for Psalm 133, the text which ends the composition!

The synchronicity of attending events celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Bernstein's birth and the 100-year anniversary of the ending of WWI was for me deeply meaningful coincidence. It has left me with a feeling of hope — that we can move out of disturbingly dangerous polarization, find our common humanity, and work to make peace break out on the earth. In the face of frightening world and national events, what can we as musicians do? Collaborate; find common ground; sing out our souls! I am in the very early stages of envisioning and planning for an event later this year that will reflect in word, in song, and in organ music the themes of remembrance, finding common ground, and hope for the future. I will involve singers and organists from our chapter in this project. Stay tuned!

The following is an Article written by Anthony Rispo, one of our new Chapter board members, taken from the August Newsletter of the Northeast division of AGOYO (of which he is co-chair):
"How can we help one another learn and grow? We are a community because we choose to be one, and a diverse one, at that; with this comes a responsibility to connect with one another in ways which nurture our shared passion for our art. It is through building healthy relationships with one another that we expand personally and artistically, without compromising our unique reason for doing what we do. I encourage you to remain steadfast in your journey: to stay true to your "why," but also consider how that journey can become enhanced through reaching out to others who've been around longer, or by seeking guidance of young professionals who have experience in a given skill or topic"” this can also be very valuable! 

"As AGOYO co-chair, a main vision of mine is to help bridge the gap between people of different ages and institutions, and to open doors to other growth opportunities: eliminating anything that might further isolate and deter our already very small community from thriving. We don't need to all agree on a singular mission statement for our art but what we can benefit from is agreeing that we all share a love for music, first and foremost! How we communicate that love is not only influenced by our personal intentions, but also by how well we can learn from one another. Ours is a profession which prides itself on competitions, church jobs, academia, teaching positions, etc; but how are we to expand healthily if our primary focus is institutionalized? We can still do all the above mentioned things, and do them well, but can we make a commitment to delve a little deeper into the shape of our community as it is now: to be a cooperative component in making it better, more resourceful, and more expansive?"

I look forward to having Anthony on the Board, and to get his help in involving more young organists in our Chapter. In addition to Anthony, we welcome Elaine Simpson and Iouri Grichetchkine to the CHVAGO Board. Iouri is a composer, choral conductor, and pianist. He has conducted choral ensembles throughout Europe, Russia and the United States. He has recorded five CDs, and is a published composer with Lorenz Corporation. Elaine is an experienced teacher and was the Director of Fine and Performing Arts in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. She was a frequent adjudicator for NYSSMA Choirs and All-State Voice Students and has been a guest choral conductor at numerous music festivals throughout the northeast.

I end this Dean's Letter with a quote from the Benediction of "The Road Home:"
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. As we go our separate ways, sustain us with your blessing, O God of peace. In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

In hope and peace,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

2018 Kansas City AGO Convention Reports

Our Dean Laura Russell has already described the main services and concerts which took place at the Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. There were also numerous recitals and events around and outside the city, which any of the attendees would be happy to share with you. There were also workshops, some of which are described below. More information about the convention, with photos, will be posted on our web site and Facebook pages.

Workshop Report by Laura Ramsey Russell

• Abracadabra! Discovering the Magic of Hymn Improvisation
  Presenter: Tom Trenney

  Study the hymn tune melody thoroughly, looking at:
  - Melodic contour, including the use of repeated notes, intervallic leaps
  - Rhythmic patterns
  - Phrase length
  - Harmonic progressions
  - Tonality/modulations
  After thoroughly examining the hymn tune, take one element and start to accompany the melody in two voices, using that one element (harmonic progression; rhythmic pattern; melodic contour, etc.). Keep experimenting with two and then three voices etc.

  Tools to use:
  - Find or create a motive or sequence to exploit
  - Simplify textures: unison, duo, trio
  - Use Fanfare-motif
  - Ostinato (repeated rhythmic or melodic figure)
  - Pedal point
  - Ornamentation of melody
  - Echo effects
  - Alter rhythms; create syncopations
  - Meter and tempo changes, which will change the character
  - Change melody — playing it upside down; backwards; fragmented with other musical elements in between the hymn tune fragments
  - Re-harmonize the tune; add accidentals; modulate

1. You Too Can Pass the AGO Exams: Preparing for the Service Playing Certificate
I learned a lot from this workshop, particularly the section on Transposing, which I have always dreaded. The presenter, Gregory Gyllsdorf, with the help of several recruits from the audience, showed how easy it is to play a simple melody in even a distant key. (In the exam, however, the interval of transposition is not more than a major second.) In transposing a four-part hymn, it is just a matter of playing each part in the new key until the hymn is complete. He called this approach horizontal, and to me it seemed much more attainable than what I have tried in the past.
2. Gems for the Busy Organist
Like many of us, the presenter, Elizabeth Smith, has a full-time job in addition to her duties as an organist, so she appreciates pieces that can be worked up quickly. She demonstrated a few measures from each of a long list of works by a variety of composers, many of them living. I will be happy to share the list with anyone who is interested. All pieces are available from Lois Fyfe Music.
3. AGOYO Panel Discussion: Engaging Musicians and Social Media
This is the workshop I was most interested in because of my involvement with our chapter's web site and Facebook pages. I was gratified to hear that Facebook is considered the primary medium for reaching young organists. The panel explained the basics of using Facebook, including how to use it for marketing, and stressed the importance of posting frequently (but not too frequently) and monitoring posts regularly. They also explained how to use hashtags. I have already used some of what I learned in recent Facebook posts.
4. Hymn Society: The Center for Congregational Song
This workshop was basically a recruiting tool for The Hymn Society's new initiative to provide a searchable database which includes many different kinds of resources on congregational song. Their stated goal is to encourage, promote, and enliven congregational singing. I would have liked to hear more about their programs which support and encourage song-writers and composers.
5. To Inspire and Be Inspired: Mentoring the Next Generation of Organists
I found this workshop frustrating because its title did not accurately reflect its content. I signed up for it because I expected a discussion of POE or Pipes, Pedals and Pizza, or Pipeworks. Instead, the presenter, Vicki Schaeffer, spoke exclusively as an organ teacher to other organ teachers. She told great stories, but none of them were relevant to me because I am not a teacher. I wanted to ask if it would be possible for a student to have a mentor in addition to his/her teacher, but time ran out.

Workshop Report by Nancy Vanderlee

K-12 Music in Worship: A New Paradigm - Presented by Thomas Vozella
Dr. Vozellas' premise was: "Build it and they will come!" He offered a multitude of strategies and ideas to involve children and youth in the church. His belief is that if kids are not interested in singing, offer other options, then they will join in!
Offerings/ideas to consider:
a. Ongoing strategies:
Establish music academy, pull kids into adult choir from time to time, drama group, photography class, guitar class, African percussion class (taught by high school student) rhythm and rhyme class, recorder class, hand chime class
b. Short-term/random strategies:
On-the-spot anthem during service, grab kids randomly at the start of a service to hand out chimes for an ostinato/improvisation opportunity during the service (unrehearsed), hand out chimes to random people in congregation to do gospel acclamation, do anthem that has a very easy part for children in tandem with more sophisticated parts for instrumentalists and adults (i.e.Wilberg's Away in a Manger with flute, oboe, strings), have kids sit in front during postlude, then do some music with them right there at the end of the service
c. Responsibilities of music director to ensure/encourage increase in child/youth involvement
As music director, build relationships with music teachers in area, attend neighborhood events, have lunch with people to talk to church people outside of church, go on mission trip with youth group, maintain a friendly relationship with the board and clergy of your church, play piano for Sunday School
d. Additional ideas:
Do mailings repeatedly, hand stuff out at parades to heighten awareness of arts opportunities for children and youth at your church, pay section leaders to give a 25-minute voice lesson to high school kids who commit to singing in the choir, offer scholarship to a summer music camp if they commit to singing in the choir during the year. Have a music camp immediately following VBS......feed them lunch first..(can work on Sol-fa, lights and sound, musical drama)

Developing Natural Keyboard Technique - Presented by Wilma Jensen
It was a privilege and an honor to hear succinct, down-to-earth advice from such a revered performer and teacher! Her presentation, consisting of practical technical recommendations, demonstrated in excerpts from a list of repertoire consisting of Vierne, Bach Buxtehude, Farnam, Bonnet. Langlais, Dupre, Bohm, was interspersed with anecdotes and humor. It was life-affirming to hear that a ninety-year-old artist still practices scales on the piano each morning!

Online Resources for the Church Organist - Presented by Benjamin Kolodziej
Mr. Kolodziej provided an annotated bibliography of free, online resources that offer downloadable service music, including alternate harmonizations, as well as preludes, offertories, postludes, and choral/instrumental music. Each listing also contains a brief description (level of difficulty, denomination-specific applications) He then proceeded to demonstrate a sampling of his favorites, in abbreviated form, while projecting the score on a screen.

After having spent many searching for similar items on my own, it was refreshing to find a listing of so many useful items all in one place! If you would like a PDF of the materials contained in the workshop, please email me: navanderlee@gmail.com.

Convention Impressions by Craig Williams
I was only able to attend three days of the Convention due to my summer duties at West Point. That said, I enjoyed many of the recitals and also group choral efforts. The level of performance was world-class in every instance. Performances by some of our young organists, including Katelyn Emerson and Chelsea Chen, were tour-de-force explorations of the organ repertoire.

A particular highlight was the Rising Stars PipeDreams concert in the Community of Christ Auditorium in Independence, MS. The playing was impeccable and powerful. The old cliché of the "boring" organ recital is dead, because the playing was exciting in every last example.

The day in Independence was capped off by a stunning St. Cecilia recital performed by Todd Wilson. Dr. Wilson is one of those organists who simply gets better and better with age, showing humor and humanity in his rapport with the audience.

Choral concerts that stood out were a Bach Vespers (including the performance of five Bach motets) at Visitation RC Church and a series of more modern motets and anthems performed by the Te Deum Choral Ensemble at Village Presbyterian Church.

The Annual Meeting on Wednesday night was very informative, especially regarding Certification and what is moving forward with AGOYO (American Guild of Organists Young Organists), and capped off by an unusual and exciting theatre organ concert on the very large Morton organ in the convention hall. I confess that theatre organ is not my first love, but Mr. Wickerham's infectious playing and engaging personality made for a very entertaining and heart-warming evening of music ranging from Gershwin to modern movie classics.

Needless to say, all the events I was able to attend were only a mere fraction of all that was presented. Kansas City put on a wonderful convention, with over 1,400 in attendance!

Thoughts on the Convention by Bruce Xu
The convention overall was a whole lot of great music, packed day and night into five days, and we got to see many venues and historic and beautiful organs. Definitely worth the money!

Personal Reflections on the Convention by Susan LaGrande
Of the concerts and recitals that I attended, for me the most exciting was the AGO/Quimby Rising Starts Recital at the Community of Christ Auditorium, where our own Bruce Xu gave a dazzling performance of Duruflé, Vierne, and Widor that demanded the most from the 113-rank Aeolian-Skinner organ.

But my convention experience started at Laguardia Airport while I was waiting for my flight to Kansas City, when I received word that my sister had just died. After hasty and tearful consultation with my family, I decided to go ahead with my trip because the funeral would not take place until my return. I'm so glad I did! As Laura Russell stated in her Dean's Letter, the theme of the Opening Celebration was "Remembrance and Reconciliation." All the texts that referred the loss of a loved one spoke directly to my heart and helped me process my grief over my sister's death.

Chapter News

• The latest membership roster is now available on our private Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHVAGO/files/. Please note that all information on this private page is available only to members of this closed group. If you are not already a member, please contact Susan LaGrande or Laura Russell.


• Boyd Herforth has a new cell phone number: 845-587-6233.


• Connie Lacey is home now following a lengthy rehabilitation from an illness. She would love to hear from you at 845-897-5962.


• Welcome to new member Emily Lapisardi, the new Director of Music at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel at West Point. Her contact information is:
  3162D Heath Loop
  West Point, NY 10996
  304-216-0302
  lapisardi@gmail.com
  We look forward to meeting Emily at an upcoming chapter events soon!


• Nancy Brown will soon be retiring from her long-time position as organist at the First Congregational Church of Christ in Kent, CT. We wish her well with her increased leisure!

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in September 2018, is August 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
June 2018

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

The months of May and June bring signs of endings for many of us: perhaps end-of-semester spring concerts in schools; graduations (from Kindergarten; High School; College); the end of choir season. Milestones have been achieved! Give yourself credit, for you have accomplished another year of playing, singing, conducting, mentoring, and sharing your joy of music!

These months also bring beginnings: warm weather and longer days; more time spent outside — gardening, walking, swimming. For many of us the summer months bring a reduction in work duties, and perhaps less stress: no choir, or reduced choir; fewer services; perhaps a less demanding schedule and more relaxed approach to preparation for worship. The summer months bring us the opportunity to switch gears; to recharge batteries; to slip into a routine at a different, slower pace. It can be a chance to try new things, or to rediscover interests and activities you've haven't had time for during the year.

Do something for YOURSELF this summer. Read more books; take more walks; let yourself relax; try meditation. Attend a music conference or workshop; go to some concerts you didn't have time for during the rest of the year. Learn some new pieces, or different styles of music! Pick up a new hobby! Enjoy what the summer brings us.

The CHVAGO Board has been excitedly busy planning some fun and exciting projects. Here is a quick snapshot — see the CHVAGO calendar for more details:

• Organ Maintenance and Repair Workshop with Steven Rosenberry: Saturday, June 2nd at 1:00 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie. (This workshop is followed at 4:00 PM by an exciting Organ Dedication Concert offered by Maris Kristapsons. Six of our Chapter organists will be performing on the recently rebuilt pipe organ at St. Paul's. A reception will follow the concert) The entire afternoon is open to all and is free!


• Early July brings the AGO National Convention — held from July 2 — 6 in Kansas City. At least four Chapter members will be attending the Convention, and I'm sure they will be eager to share their experiences at the Annual Picnic.


• The Annual Chapter Picnic will take place on Sunday, July 15th at 3:00 PM at Eric Hepp's home. More info to follow. Make sure to attend this relaxing, fun, and delicious opportunity to hang out with your colleagues and enjoy some good food and fellowship, and to hear about the AGO Convention.


• On Sunday, August 19th at 1:30 PM at St. Andrew and St. Luke Episcopal Church in Beacon, Susan LaGrande will lead her second session of 'Pedal, Pipes, and Piano' — a Young Person's Guide to the Organ. Contact Susan if you know of piano students (fourth grade and up) who might be interested.


• "Bach to Broadway", the amazing Duo Organ concert returns for its third year on Saturday, October 6th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal as Nathan Avakian and James Fitzwilliam create more fabulous duo-organ 'concoctions'.


• This just in: renowned composer and organist Philip Stopford will be presenting a Choral Reading and Workshop on his Christmas Choral compositions on Saturday, October 20th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie. You are strongly encouraged to attend this open reading session to listen to new, exciting Christmas choral music at all levels of difficulty. If you are interested in singing in the Choral Reading Choir, please contact Dean Laura Ramsey Russell for further information.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Chapter News

• The latest membership roster is now available on our private Facebook page. Please note that all information on this private page is available only to members of this closed group. If you are not already a member, please contact Susan LaGrande or Laura Russell.


• Welcome to new member Brian Taylor, MFA, JD. Brian is Organist at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Stone Ridge, and also plays at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park. His contact information is:
  3355 US Highway 209
  Stone Ridge, NY 12484
  845-687-7623
  brian@enneagraminstitute.com


• Please keep Connie Lacey in your prayers as she recovers from a recurring illness. She can receive visitors or mail at:
  Wingate at Dutchess
  3 Summit Court
  Fishkill, NY 12524
  845-896-1500


• Congratulations to Reilly Xu, who recently won first prize in the 2018 L. Cameron Johnson Memorial Organ Competition in Storrs, CT. Reilly says, "Bruce and I are going to France this summer to study organ, and before that we'll be attending the National Organ Convention in Kansas City!"


• The June issue of TAO features our own Anthony Rispo! Look on page 69 for a photo of Anthony with other officers of the Northeast Division of AGO Young Organists (AGOYO), and for Anthony's report on the interview he did with Craig Williams, also a chapter member.


• It will soon be time again to choose new chapter officers. Gregory Citarella has graciously accepted the task of nominating candidates, and we look forward to hearing from him on this subject in the near future.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in July 2018, is June 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
May 2018

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

The text of this hymn was written by John Macleod Campbell Crum (1872-1958). It can be interpreted from a Christian perspective as Jesus rising from the dead, or it can be interpreted more broadly as the human hope for love and renewal as symbolized in the natural world around us. As is true of so much great music, and poetry, the hymn works both ways, and defies our attempts to place limitations on it.

Spring is a time of renewal and of hope for me personally. The bulbs finally pushing up through the soil confirm our hopes that life will return to a seemingly dead world; that love and community are possible in a world that often seems far too full of hate and alienation. Some stories of come to mind:
1. An elderly farmer is seen in the spring out in his orchard, lovingly tending to his young apple tree seedlings — trees that he not live to see produce fruit. He joyfully tends them nonetheless, knowing that they will be there for future generations to enjoy.
2. A family member who grew up in a refugee camp in a tropical climate arrived as a teenager in NY State in the middle of winter. She had never experienced winter, and to her it seemed like all of nature had died. That first spring was a miracle to her — what had seemed to be dead had come to life!
3. My husband Paul started the beautiful perennial flower garden in our yard in 1999 when we moved to Poughkeepsie. We planned it together, and we both took great joy in it, but frankly, Paul did most of the physical labor. He laid the groundwork for a garden that with a modest amount of effort now, is practically self-perpetuating — and hopefully will remain beautiful far into the future. "Love is come again" every spring for me with that garden!

Laying that groundwork - so that the things we care deeply about may continue into the future — that is what many of us are called to do. As organists and conductors, we build on the work of composers and performers who have come before us, while we also try to build connections to that amazing musical legacy with younger generations, or with those not previously exposed to the great musical traditions. Those of us working in religious organizations know all too well the tensions of reconciling past musical and theological traditions with contemporary life — be it important new theological teachings, or the latest musical fad.

Keeping what is good and valuable from the past, learning from the present, and finding ways to bring it all into the future — now that's a challenge worthy of our consideration! One of the ways we can do that is to be open and welcoming to people whose background and opinions may differ from our own. In our increasingly polarized world, that is difficult, but not impossible. By sharing our own enthusiasm while we also listen to their hopes and dreams, we have a good chance of building a bridge from "our world" to theirs.

In the May issue of TAO, AGO President Michael Bedford writes an article about the importance of hospitality and of welcoming newcomers to our Chapters. He says that in our AGO Chapters and in our religious institutions, we can become self-serving, rather than dedicated to serving others. In our Chapters and in our houses of worship, let us need to focus on outreach by welcoming new people and inviting friends and colleagues to our events.

Nationally the AGO has gone from high of 22,000 members in 1970's to 15,000 today. This parallels a numerical trend reflected in many religious denominations, some of which saw their highest numbers in the 1950's or 60's. Some are now holding on by a thread; some are cutting music budgets and positions! What we need in AGO is much like what we need in our religious institutions: to find ways of reaching new people, without watering down our traditions. We need to find new types of communications; new hooks to draw people in, with the hope/faith that if they come to an AGO event/enter our house of worship, then they will find a welcoming community with content and programs that nourish the musical/spiritual soul!

President Bedford asserts that the way to a healthier AGO lies in the local Chapters. We are all capable of reaching out to new people, of welcoming them, of inviting them to be our guests at an AGO sponsored event. Bedford asks "What is your chapter's hospitality quotient? Has your chapter grown in membership over the last few years? Are you personally doing your part to draw in new people rather than relying totally on the status quo, fine as it may be? We should be proud that our Chapter has an inclusive mission statement: Our Chapter welcomes musicians of all skill levels and those who play on all instruments, including pipe organs, electronic organs and theatre organs. Please help us live into this inspiring mission by inviting colleagues and friends to become involved in our CHVAGO activities!

Happy Spring!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Annual Members' Recital

It should be noted that some of the instruments, especially the brasses, had difficulty tuning with the organ, which is pitched slightly lower than A 440 Hz. This is a challenge which may require some ingenuity to overcome. Where this challenge was met successfully, the collaboration resulted in beautiful and affecting music.

Following the recital, audience members and performers gathered for a light reception. Donations amounted to more than $200, which will benefit the chapter scholarship fund. Please contact Board members if you know of young organists who could use the support for lessons or workshops or summer programs.

From the May issue of TAO:

• David Vogels' article about the effects of pay disparity — some eye-opening, chilling statistics and comments — well worth your attention.


• A detailed description of workshops presented at the Kansas City AGO Convention. I strongly encourage you to attend, but even if you cannot go, you will find lots of food for thought in reading through the workshop info. I will be asking CHVAGO member who DO attend the Convention to write about their experiences and share them in upcoming newsletters.


• An article about the Young Organists' Collaborative — an example of hope for the future!

Chapter News

• The latest membership roster is now available on our private Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHVAGO/files/. Please note that all information on this private page is available only to members of this closed group. If you are not already a member, please contact Susan LaGrande or Laura Russell.


• Welcome to new member Doris Sieck Dubac, formerly of the Westchester County Chapter. Her contact information is: 111 Round Top Road, PO Box 121, Germantown, NY 12526. Phone: 518-537-6034. Email: dorisdubac@gmail.com.


• We welcome Bruce Xu, back from the Piedmont NC Chapter. His contact information remains: 27 Harriman Avenue, Sloatsburg, NY 10974. Phone: 845-837-0888. Email: don.brucexu@gmail.com.


• We bid farewell to Rob Brown, who has moved to California and is now a member of the Los Angeles Chapter. His email address is still robrown8288@gmail.com.


• It is with sadness that we report the death of Lois Hoger's daughter Grace Hoger Kerr who died April 30 after a long battle with cancer. Celebration of Life services were held in Kentucky and in Baldwin, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given in Grace's honor to:  Christ Lutheran Church, Fairfield Glade, TN (clc-ffg.org); St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Baldwin, NY"‚(stpetersbaldwin.org); Cumberland Community Band, Crossville, TN (cccband.net); and Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville, TN (ccplayhouse.com). Our sincere condolences go out to Lois and her family.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in June 2018, is May 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
April 2018

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Along with the beauty of spring bulbs, the glory of early morning light and after-supper light, comes the allergy season; the advent of lawn mowing, weeding, home-improvement projects, and the like. 'Tis also the season of NYSSMA solos; of school and college spring concerts and recitals; and the season of spring choral and/or bell concerts for some church musicians. There is just never a dull moment, it seems!

Our Chapter has been busy too in the past six months as we have produced and/or participated in six successful and exciting programs.

• September saw a lovely Choral Evensong for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. This was a collaboration between CHVAGO, Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls, and Christ Church, Poughkeepsie.


• Early October brought the Third Annual "Bach to Broadway" Duo Organ concert with Nathan Avakian and James Fitzwilliam, presented in collaboration with NYTOS. We also presented Certificates of Distinguished Service to four long-time CHVAGO members for their dedication to music in the Hudson Valley.


• Late October showcased the amazing 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Concert and Panel Discussion on both sides of the Hudson River, featuring Bach's monumental Cantata BWV 80 "Ein' feste Burg" performed with combined choir and orchestra. This well-known cantata was paired with a newly commissioned cantata composed by our own James Fitzwilliam — the Reconciliation Cantata, which was based on chorale tunes by Martin Luther, set to texts by Bruderhof founder Christoph Arnold. The concert and cantata commissioning was a collaborative effort by CHVAGO, the Vassar Music Department and Department of Religious Activities, the Bruderhof Community, and Cappella Festiva.


• January saw the return of the annual "Spuds & Sundaes" Social Event, paired with an Organ Concert given by John Baratta on the Gus Pratt Memorial Organ at FDR High School in Hyde Park. On a cold wintry day, it was wonderful to hear that organ put through its paces, and then relax and enjoy the company of our colleagues over comfort food.


• February saw a wonderful "Bells in Worship" workshop given by Susan Guse at St. John's Lutheran Church. We had multiple sets of bells and chimes to play, a wonderful guide book, and opportunity to discuss ways to introduce the use of bells into our worship services. It was both enjoyable and practical!


• March featured a reading session and workshop called "Organ-Plus", featuring a variety of worship service-appropriate works for 'Organ Plus Another Instrument'. Participants received a detailed list of repertoire as well as practical explanations of common instrument transpositions and the use of different clefs.

Our next program is the Annual Members' Recital which will take place this year on Friday, April 20th at 7:30 PM at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls. The theme of the recital builds on the March reading session and features music for "Organ Plus Another Instrument." If you haven't already contacted me at laurarus629@gmail.com telling me what you want to play, please do so as soon as possible! The Annual Members' Recital raises money for the Chapter Scholarship Fund which benefits young organists. A reception will follow the recital. I hope to see MANY of you there!

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Chapter Scholarship Program

To qualify for scholarship awards, a candidate must be 21 years old or younger; must be a full-time student in a degree/diploma program; must study organ on a regular basis; must be a member of the American Guild of Organists (if not already a member, membership will included in the scholarship grant). References must be supplied. Anyone may apply for scholarship funds, but preference will be given to chapter members first and then to students residing or studying within the Northeast Region of the American Guild of Organists. Funds are awarded in the spring, not more than once a year, at the discretion of the executive board of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter, AGO.

Scholarship funds may be awarded in the following ways:

• Free membership for one year may be offered to organ students who are being taught by members of the chapter. This offer applies to persons who have not formerly been members of the chapter and who are currently in school.


• Tuition for a Pipe Organ Encounter or other AGO-sponsored educational program may be offered to qualified applicants.


• Modest stipends may be offered to qualified college-level organ students.

These and other needs may be addressed at the discretion of the board.

If you know a student who may be interested in applying for scholarship funds, please contact the chapter secretary, Nancy Vanderlee, at 914-204-6472 or navanderlee@gmail.com.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in May 2018, is April 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
March 2018

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Letter from the Dean

Dear Friends,

The horrifying school shooting this month in Florida reminds us all how very precious life is, and of how quickly those we love can be taken away from us! The poets and madrigalists say "April is the cruelest month", but this February, with the raw pain of the tragedy, and with wild swings of weather, (trivial, of course, compared to the shooting) is feeling plenty cruel to me! I must admit, though, that the days are getting longer, hinting at better things to come. Maybe with the hope that spring brings will come hope too for finding a way out of the darkness of this tragedy. My hope is that we as a society (led by the brave student survivors, perhaps) can find balance and can come together to listen to each other, and to think outside of the box to find new ways to stop these killings.

The liturgical season of Lent is about balance too. We may decide to "give something up" for Lent, and the space that creates within us may lead us to find new strengths and callings — to "take up something new" for Lent. Giving up; taking on. Making room for something new to take root within us; within our world. I invite each of you to try taking on something new this season and to find balance within your life.

As a Board, we are trying to reach out in new ways to members, with different types of programs. Today I attended a fabulous workshop with fourteen other participants on "The Use of Bells in Worship" given by CHVAGO Treasurer Susan Guse at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie. We came from a variety of different "bell backgrounds". At the workshop some of us refreshed skills long idle; some were ringing bells for the very first time. We each took away many useful tools with which to enliven our worship services, and we discovered new ways to involve members of our congregations - from young children to seniors. It's good to step outside one's comfort zone and try something new!

On Saturday, March 10th at 10:00AM, we will offer an "Organ-Plus Reading Session and Workshop": music for Organ plus another instrument. Most of us have heard of the kindergarten teacher's comment "plays well with others". Now is your chance to explore this concept if you are not accustomed to playing with another instrumentalist. If you already enjoy doing that, then this is an opportunity to share music you know and love with others, and to find out what "Organ-Plus" music your colleagues enjoy. You can bring music to play or to just bring music to show. James Fitzwilliam will be available at the workshop to play any organ music you bring. I will have comprehensive lists of music for organ and a variety of instruments at all levels of difficulty available for you to take home with you. So come and share music that you already enjoy "playing well with others", or come and find out a new source of musical richness to enhance your worship services. There will also be a list of resources to involve children in your congregations who already play instruments in school.

Our annual Members' Recital will take place on Friday, April 20th at 7:30 PM PM at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls. The recital continues the theme of "Organ-Plus". Maybe you will discover music at the March workshop that you would like to play on the Members' Recital!

Saturday, June 2nd at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie will be a very full day for organ lovers! Our Chapter will sponsor an early afternoon workshop on what all organists need to know about "Organ Maintenance and Repair" given by Steven Rosenberry and Ed Myers, who have just finished rebuilding the organ there, and who maintain many organs in our area. This will also include an Organ Crawl where you can see the work they have done. The workshop will be followed at 4:00 PM by an Organ Dedication Recital, presented by St. Paul's Music Director Maris Kristapsons, featuring several CHVAGO organists, showcasing the extensive restoration work done on the Pipe Organ at St Paul's Episcopal Church at 161 Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie. Please come and help St. Paul's celebrate this milestone in the congregation's rejuvenation, and the restoration of a fine instrument - at a time when many other churches are abandoning their pipe organs! A delicious reception will follow the concert.

On a personal note: I hope that many of you will have an opportunity to attend an very moving Choral Evensong this Friday, March 2nd at 8:00 PM. The theme of the Evensong is "Lamentations: exploring enslavement, grief and anger, hope and reconciliation". It is part of the NY Diocese's "Year of Lamentations", exploring the role that the Episcopal Church had in benefiting from slavery. I will be directing my choir and guest singers in music relating to these themes. Evensong readings will be taken from W.E.B. Dubois and Sojourner Truth, among others. The service is open to the public, free of charge, and will take place at Christ Episcopal Church, 20 Carroll Street, Poughkeepsie.

These are challenging times, with much to mourn, but also much about which to be hopeful. I wish each of you balance and purpose in your lives. I pray for a more peaceful and just world. I celebrate the power of music to unite us!

In peace,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Member News

• Welcome to new member John Spring, who has recently joined as a Chapter Friend. His contact information is:
  John Spring
  23 Old State Road Apt. 3
  Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
  845-227-8566
  jespring8a@aol.com


• In the past few weeks, all members have received communication about updating their ONCARD record on the AGOHQ web site. Most people have already taken care of this, but there are more than a few who still have not taken the time to do it. If you don't feel comfortable updating your ONCARD information yourself, please contact Susan LaGrande, who will gladly help you, either by talking you through it or by doing it for you using information you provide. We want to be able to publish a chapter roster soon, but we want to make sure our records are as current as possible. Keep in mind also that your ONCARD record is used to make up our Sub List and Teachers List, so it is important for you to make sure the information is correct. We appreciate your cooperation!

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in April 2018, is March 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
February 2018

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I could have pontificated on the bizarre confluence of calendar dates this year - Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday; April Fools and Easter. However, since it is still the first month of the year as I write this letter, I have been pondering 'beginnings' — how they can often lay the framework for how the rest of the year, or the rest of one's life goes — although one can certainly change course at any point in the year - or in one's life!

Thinking about beginnings led me to look back at my first Dean's Letter to all of you — in November, 2016. A couple of passages from that letter jumped out at me. 'All of our work in life builds upon the work of those who came before us.' In thanking the previous Board I said: 'You have laid the ground work for what we will do in the future, and for that we are all deeply appreciative!'

Recently I reached out to Craig S. Williams, our past Dean, serving currently as Organist and Choirmaster at the USMA West Point Cadet Chapel. I asked him to write about the early formative musical influences on his life. Craig benefited and learned from a combination of encouragement and tough love; from successes, and from near-failures. He benefited from people who stopped in the midst of their busy lives to give him advice and guidance. None of you who know Craig will be surprised to learn that he had a lot to say (smile). I found myself reading and re-reading his note, and each time I found more in it to ponder and learn from, so I am including it in this newsletter in its entirety.

Upcoming Chapter programs — see our Online Calendar for details

Saturday, March 10th at 10:00am at Christ Episcopal Church: Organ-Plus Reading Session and Workshop presented by Laura Ramsey Russell.

Friday, April 20th at 7:30pm at Zion Episcopal Church: Annual Members' Recital. Recital Theme: Organ-Plus one or more instruments.

Did you know?

• CHVAGO and ENYAGO (Albany/Schenectady area) are collaborating on co-underwriting of WMHT's weekly PipeDreams broadcast.


• We have a Vassar student rep on our Board — Michael Pennington. He attends meetings, communicates with his fellow organ students at the college, and offers the Board a youthful, student-oriented perspective. We plan to invite the twelve Vassar organ students to participate in our programs and offer them opportunities to play the variety of organs in the Hudson Valley.


• Some of our members don't have cars, or are unable to drive at night and have difficulty attending our programs. Please contact Susan LaGrande if you are able to offer a ride to members in your area.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Early Musical Influences in My Life
- by Craig Williams

I was not offered lessons at first. My father was not musical at all, and my mother did not encourage my brother and me, because making music for her was difficult and serious business. She was not one of those mothers who unconditionally loved all that their children did musically — her standards would not allow it. I only found out much later that she was not convinced I could make a career in music until my sophomore year in college (!) — already two years into being a Piano Performance Major at the University of Southern California. That was tough love, which also was very formative for me in determining my standards and tolerance for efforts less than one's best.

By age six when I had opportunities to be away from home, if there was a piano, I was on it. I did not know how to play, so I just played tunes by ear. I was not a prodigy at all, but I had a pretty decent ear. Finally, at age eight, my brother and I were offered piano lessons! My brother, who preferred drums, quit within a year. I kept going and by age eleven I knew that I wanted to go to Juilliard! My mother began taking me to piano concerts — seeing great concert pianists play the great concerti was thrilling for me. I plugged away in high school, frequently getting distracted by becoming involved in jazz ensembles and even rock bands. I went through some crises and eventually changed piano teachers in my senior year of high school. More tough love! That teacher made me perform a senior recital kicking and screaming! I got into USC, barely, but did not get the teacher I wanted.

It is interesting that by now, organ does not enter the picture. I attended a Lutheran Church which had good liturgy and a solid organist who made their Rodgers organ sound like a pipe organ — to my untrained ears. I listened attentively every week but never participated in the music ministries — I did all my learning by osmosis in those years.

College kicked my butt! Suddenly my practicing went from one hour a day to five hours. I could never catch up. One of my most calming influences during that year was my wonderful freshman theory teacher, Morten Lauridsen. After our first mid-term which was long answers for few questions, he stopped when returning my test and took the time to tell me I was doing okay — it was all right for me to calm down. I was keeping pace with the other students. It is interesting that my mother and Dr. Lauridsen formed a friendship later when her chorale performed some of his music. He was someone that showed that making music was intrinsically part of being human. If a person does not reach out to others, then their music will not either — an amazing lesson applied to performance as well as to composition.

I did finally take the risk, broke all the rules as they applied then, and changed studios — got the teacher I wanted. My piano teacher, Daniel Pollack, was another person who valued making music as reaching people. He used to tell us to take time to see people, go to parties, take in a movie, walk in a park — because when we performed, we shared our life experiences with the audience. He told us not to bring only four years of the inside of a practice room to our senior recital! Wise words...

I played at a Lutheran church during college and taught myself to play the organ and learn the liturgy as best I could. I imagine I was atrocious at times, but the pastor of that church saw my potential and guided me with a friendly but firm hand. I began learning organ repertoire and of course worked very hard on the hymns and service music.

Getting to Juilliard became the part of the journey I was not expecting — I was a Piano Major but spent much time hanging out with the Organ Majors. Many of them took me under their wing. One student in particular always told me he would win me over to "the Dark Side." He introduced me to the large works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, Dupre, Vierne, Widor, Franck, etc. He opened up a whole new world for me and shortly after graduation when I got a church job with a pipe organ, my organ practice quickly superseded my piano practice — though I kept up performance with both instruments.

The final piece of the puzzle was after I was 30 years old. I was still self-taught on the organ, though with many great influences, but I did not like the lack of clarity in my playing and I certainly did not like the blend (actually there was none) in my choir! So I attended the Church Music Certificate Program at Westminster Choir College and studied with my wonderful teacher, John J. Ferguson. He was the one who guided me into taking my second Masters degree at the College full-time, studying under Eugene Roan. Again, these were men with exacting standards who did not give any praise that was unearned and yet still blended their music-making with human compassion and empathy.

In some ways, because I studied piano as long as I did and was a relative late-comer to the organ, I still have some interesting holes in my repertoire. However, I am not too disturbed by the fact I do not play all the same pieces every other college-age student plays, because I have found some strong interests of my own. One advantage of being older is I realize I do not have to play something if I do not want to, and if I like something well enough, I can usually convince someone else to like it too.

Member News

• Welcome to new members John Drew and Peter Krauss! John is Organist at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary in the Highlands, Cold Spring. Peter is Organist at St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Lagrangeville. Their contact information is:
  
  • John H. Drew
    PO Box 341
    Cold Spring, NY 10516
    johndrew1@gmail.com
    Cell: 609-577-8707
  
  
  • Peter Krauss
    2 Vervalen Drive
    Poughkeepsie, NYH 12603
    retepthemagnificient@gmail.com
  
  
• Those of you who are not on Facebook regularly may not be aware that Craig Williams was involved in a serious car accident this past week. He is mostly OK, but has some injuries. This is what he posted on Facebook:
  I was in a car accident, which shows I need to understand my limits. After having a wonderful time playing a recital down in DC and then visiting my son in Philadelphia upon returning, I found myself wrestling too much with the sleep monster driving home to upstate NY around midnight. On the final stretch - that lonely road which cuts up through Delaware Water Gap - the next thing I knew was I was veering off the road at about 30 mph and slamming into a tree. My poor new car was totaled. Still, the Camry did exactly what it was designed to do - it gave its life to save mine. Air bags deployed, engine and frame crumpling in all the right directions - too bad the windshield did not totally go into shatter-proof mode, but then perhaps the blood (which looked worse than it was - it really all came from an injury on my right hand) convinced the Ranger to call the ambulance. Overall, things could have been much worse. No other cars were involved. CAT Scan revealed no brain or spine injury, my hands and wrists were messed up and swollen but no breaks! My ribs will be sore for a while. The doctor did not see the need for me to be admitted into the hospital. Now at home, I am fortunate that I have a loving wife who is a CNA helping to take care of me. Lots of appointments with doctors and insurance agents in the week ahead, and then figuring out when I can play again. Clavier-ubung III on February 28th is not cancelled...yet...!

  We send Craig our heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery!

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in March 2018, is February 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
January 2018

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

If we let it, the New Year can mark a psychological "reset" point for each of us. We can use it as an opportunity to look afresh at our personal life, our professional life, the life of our community, and of our nation and world.

But here we are at the cusp of the year — probably looking both forward and looking back at the same time — we seem to be straddling the past and the future. This can also be a metaphor for larger issues: holding onto the past that we cherish, while somehow also moving boldly forward into the future.

• On the personal level — death of loved ones; leaving one relationship; starting a new one;


• On the professional level — keeping old traditions of music and worship AND experimenting with new traditions of music and worship.

It is an opportunity to explore new pursuits:

• Music — some possible examples:
  
  • Take organ, voice, or conducting lessons
  
  
  • Learn how to incorporate bells into your music program
  
  
  • Learn new repertoire for organ or for choir
  
  
  • Attend conferences, workshops, concerts
  
  
• Non-musical — many possible options:


• Exercise program — on your own or at a gym


• Explore new menu plans — learn to cook new recipes, or decide to try a food-delivery service


• Volunteer in your community


• Become involved in politics locally


• Start writing your memoirs; create a scrapbook of family photos; write the next great American Novel — or maybe a short essay for our Newsletter!


• Take up a new craft — OR teach one that you already know!


• Travel

As AGO Chaplain Don Saliers says in his column in 2018 January TAO: we are all called to sing God a NEW Song, all the while knowing the "old" song of God's enduring love for us throughout all the generations of humankind.

In terms of worship, this may mean moving towards a "blended" worship style; or it may mean adding in a more youth-focused service; or it may mean bringing back traditions that were too-quickly tossed in the quest for something new. We are blessed with a huge amount of high quality organ and choral music from a variety of traditions and in many different genres. The important thing is to try to find the best quality of music in whatever style you are using!

How do we get the word out about the Organ — the King of Instruments?

Our sister organization NYTOS (New York Theatre Organ Society) knows how to do this! They were responsible for literally bringing back and recreating the original Theatre Organ at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, where it now accompanies the Hudson Valley Philharmonic concerts — most recently in December for the annual Messiah concert with choir and orchestra. The Theatre Organ also plays for silent films and other Bardavon events. NYTOS has also done a phenomenal job in bringing their traveling organ out to the shopping mall, and into schools to reach people who may have never heard an organ before.

CHVAGO and NYTOS attract some of our largest and most enthusiastic audiences at the annual "Bach to Broadway" collaborative cross-over concert.

Many of our colleagues in the Hudson Valley sponsor organ and choral concerts featuring their organs. I strongly encourage you to attend as many of these events as you can, and to invite "non-organ people" to them as well. In the coming year I will focus on some of these concerts series in my monthly letter. If you host a concert series, and would like to spread the word, please contact me.

If you missed our Reformation events in October, you will want to attend The Capella Festiva Chamber Choir Winter Concert at Christ Episcopal Church, 20 Carroll Street, Poughkeepsie on Saturday, January 13 at 7:00 PM.. Included in the program will be James Fitzwilliam's new composition Reconciliation Cantata which was co-commissioned by our chapter and the Bruderhof community.

Our upcoming "Spuds 'n Sundaes" program will be back again this year: Sunday, January 21st at FDR High School in Hyde Park. We will have an organ concert given by John Baratta at 3:30 PM, followed by an opportunity to ask questions and try out the organ. Food and fellowship will follow at 5:00 PM. See the CHVAGO calendar on our website for more information.

There will be a special "Using Bells in Worship" workshop at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie on Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 PM led by Susan Guse. There is no charge, and no prior experience is necessary. However, Susan needs an RSVP by February 10 to order the materials. See the CHVAGO calendar for more details.

In early March I will offer a reading session of music for organ plus one or more instruments. There are many wonderful collections of music for "Organ-Plus" that could enhance your worship service — watch the CHVAGO calendar for the date and location of this exciting reading session. If you are thinking of participating in the Members' Recital (see below) but don't know appropriate repertoire, come to the reading session and hear and peruse potential music!

The Annual Members' Recital will take place on Friday, April 13 at 7:30 PM at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls. The theme for this year's recital is: Organ-Plus — music for organ plus one or more instruments. (see the connection with the reading session in early March!).

So we go forth into 2018 carrying the burdens, scars, joys, the "hopes and fears of all the years" forward into the New Year — at once singing the cherished "old" songs, and creating our "new" songs as we move forward together.

I wish all of you the best for a joyous New Year.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in February 2018, is January 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
December 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

• darkness and light


• the joys of family and the stresses of family


• hectic busy-ness and quiet awe


• the secular world of shopping on steroids and the coincidence of several great religious traditions

For those of us entrusted with providing music for religious institutions, December is frequently a stressful time —selecting music that is appropriate to the level of our ensembles and to the institution we serve; planning and scheduling sufficient rehearsal time at the busiest season of the year; practicing; and serving the pastoral needs of choirs and musicians.

At the same time, it is an inspiring, thrilling time, spent exploring the bounty of beautiful music that spans many centuries and many different musical styles. The traditions of December also give us a special opportunity to continue to inspire those who already know and love the music AND to reach out to those who may have never before experienced the amazing impact of such music in their lives.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and even isolated at this busy time, when so much is expected of us as musicians. Although most of us are "on our own" in planning special services, we should never be hesitant to reach out to our CHVAGO music colleagues for repertoire suggestions, for help with finding guest singers and instrumentalists, and for encouragement and support! Some of us already collaborate on Lessons & Carols or on Christmas Eve services, hopping from our home church to a colleague's church and from organ bench to conductor's baton to help support each other's musical efforts. If you haven't done that, I encourage you to reach out — start a new tradition of collaboration and support to each other!

I draw your attention to the December issue of The American Organist magazine which has several articles of interest. AGO President Michael Bedford talks about "celebrating our commonalities" in divisive times. He reminds us that December bring the confluence of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, all of which rejoice and celebrate in the themes of loving and giving that are shared by people of diverse faiths and people all over the world. He also celebrates the seven Regional Conventions that AGO chapters hosted this year — especially the one in Montreal that several CHVAGO members attended this past summer — as examples of collaboration across national borders and the sharing of a wide variety of diverse musical and religious traditions.

AGO Executive Director (and member of our chapter) James Thomashower gives us a compelling listing of AGO accomplishments over the past year. It is exciting to hear about all the wonderful things that our national organization is doing! AGO Chaplain Don Saliers discusses how music can help in a time of war, crisis and division — what we are doing as musicians really DOES matter! Quoting Leonard Bernstein, he writes: "This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, and more devotedly than ever before."

So, fellow musicians, let us follow our calling and our passion: let us make music lavishly and lovingly!

In fellowship,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

League of Distinguished Service Inductees

• Lois Hoger grew up the daughter of a Lutheran Pastor in St. Joe Michigan. She married a Lutheran Pastor from Chicago, Donald Hoger, and moved to the Hudson Valley 51 years ago. Lois played organ at St. Timothy Lutheran in Hyde Park where her husband was pastor. The four Hoger daughters report that on Sunday morning, they always woke-up to the hymns for the service on the piano at home. They assisted their mother at the organ bench turning pages or pulling stops for her. Lois studied organ with Thomas Schmidt at Concordia College, Bronxville and continues to attend workshops and seminars, as well as National Conventions, for A.G.O. and A.L.C.M. (Association of Lutheran Church Musicians), holding membership in each organization. For a number of years, Lois has supplied as organist at local churches and played for the Lutheran Care Center.


• Connie Lacey attended Ohio Wesleyan where she met her husband. In 1962, they moved to the Hudson Valley Area; her husband was a teacher. She was organist at several local churches and in 1986 she became organist/choir director & bell director at New Hackensack Reformed Church in Wappingers Falls. Under her direction, the Children's Choir and Adult Choir regularly participated in the yearly Dutchess Interfaith Concerts, often including one or more bell choirs. In 1996, she moved to the Fishkill Reformed Church where she plays the organ, directs the choir and has established a chime ringing program. Connie is a member of the local A.G.O. chapter, currently serving on the board. She also belongs to Handbell Musicians of America (formerly the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers), Area 2 (NY, NJ, PA and Ontario). Connie has served on their board in an elected position for Area 2.


• Larry Hazard is the embodiment of the spirit of Santa Claus - whom he portrays at Adams Fairacre Farms every Christmas season. His generosity is displayed in his work with the Red Cross and other volunteer endeavors. But he brings that same generosity to his life as professional musician. Since 1972, Larry has been performing and teaching music in Dutchess County. In addition to his duties as the Choir Director/Organist at the Reformed Church of Beacon, Larry is President of Local 238-291 of the American Federation of Musicians. He is also a member of American and New York Theatre Organ Societies, the NYS Music Teachers Association, and of course our own Central Hudson Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists.


• Stu Ballinger was raised as a preacher's kid, so he was no stranger to church music growing up. He was particularly drawn to organ music, and he became fascinated with the the way a a pipe organ works. Despite problems with low vision, Stu has assisted with repairs and restorations of several local organs. Along the way he has acquired encyclopedic knowledge of historic pipe organs all over the Northeast, with a special fondness for the Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia. Stu's enthusiasm for pipe organs and organ music, both theatre and classical, is contagious. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society, and is a licensed ham radio operator, call sign WA2BSS.

Congratulations to each of you for this well-deserved honor!

Membership News

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in January 2018, is December 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
November 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

It is with deep sorrow that I tell you of the death in October of Frank LaGrande, husband of Susan LaGrande. Frank loved to sing and was very supportive of music in the Hudson Valley. Please consider making a donation in his memory to Hospice of the Hudson Valley. Now, and in the coming months, let us all come together to support Susan and her family. "Life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us. So be swift to love, and make haste to be kind." (Henri Frédéric Amiel)

I find November to be a challenging month. With the switch back to standard time there is sudden early darkness, which catches me unawares with its brutality, even though you'd think by now that I would know it was coming! Most years, the trees are bare, or only show fleeting memories of their glorious October colors. It is an "in-between" time, when we look back on the recent beauty of autumn and look ahead (with some trepidation, perhaps) to the coming darkness and cold. Three holidays take place in November: All Saints Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving Day. The first two are days of remembrance and honoring those who have passed on. The third holiday is one of remembering too, but especially it is a time of gratitude.

At Thanksgiving we give thanks for the gifts of our lives: for nature; for the love of friends and family: for the memories we cherish of those who have died: for fellowship and community. But perhaps our expressions of thanks shouldn't be limited to Thanksgiving. I have a family member who is fighting advanced cancer at a young age. In their family they "practice gratitude" together daily — actually going around their dinner table each night, each one expressing their thanks for the big things like health and family, as well as for the little things that we do for each other every day to make life easier for each other. I like that idea of "practicing gratitude" together.

At our wonderful "Bach to Broadway" concert in early October, we expressed our public gratitude by inducting four of our members into the "League of Distinguished Service". Receiving awards for their lifetime of service were Lois Hoger, Connie Lacey, Larry Hazard, and Stu Ballinger. Photos of the presentation are on our public Facebook page: American Guild of Organists, Central Hudson Valley Chapter. Go to that page and "like" what you see! We plan to make future presentations yearly to members who have given much to music in the Valley over the decades. In addition, every few months we plan to feature an individual organist, composer, conductor, OR the organ in a concert or religious venue, OR a special music program or series of interest to our members in the region. If you know of such a person, instrument, or program please be in touch with me so that we can feature this in future newsletters.

There are several articles of note in the November issue of TAO:
ï‚·President Michael Bedford discusses the importance of mentors in our lives, and of honoring them while they are still with us. Many people in our chapter have been mentors of others, and many have benefited from being mentored. In keeping with my "theme of gratitude", let us make sure to express our appreciation to those who have helped us along the way and who have made contributions to music in the region.
ï‚·There is also an excellent article about Pedal, Pipes, and Pizza — including a discussion of how to increase the number of young persons participating in the event.
ï‚·In his "Commentary" column, David Vogels discusses the many AGO co-sponsored Reformation events that are going on.

Our Chapter had its own collaborative Reformation event on the last weekend of October with concerts on both sides of the river. It involved our Chapter co-commissioning a new cantata by James Fitzwilliam based on tunes by Martin Luther and texts about forgiveness and reconciliation by the Bruderhof Community spiritual leader Christoph Arnold who died on Palm Sunday, 2016. Over 100 hundred singers from Vassar College, Cappella Festiva, and the Bruderhof Singers, and a chamber orchestra, all under the direction of Christine Howlett performed James' new Reconciliation Cantata and Bach's monumental A Mighty Fortress is our God. Each concert also featured three organ solo pieces based on that Reformation tune. On Saturday's concert James Fitzwilliam played settings by Praetorius, Bach, and Flor Peeters. On Sunday's concert Jonathan Hall played settings by Christian Flor, Bach, and Daniel Gawthrop. Both concert venues were full of enthusiastic listeners. James invited the audience to sing along for the last movement of his Cantatas — with the familiar "Mighty Fortress" tune. It was a very inspiring weekend!

Our Chapter Board meets frequently to talk about future program ideas, ways to involve new people in the Chapter, and ways to honor those who have already contributed so much. YOUR ideas and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome! Don't forget to check our website — www.chvago.org — especially the calendar, updated regularly by Susan LaGrande, to find out what is going on.

In the face of early darkness and cold, we light candles; we celebrate Thanksgiving; we celebrate our gifts, our hopes, we practice gratitude! Let us continue to honor those who have come before us, and who have mentored or taught us. Let us give support to our colleagues, and let us mentor and encourage those who will continue after us.

In gratitude,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

Organs Available from NYTOS

In our shop there are two organs getting readied for a new home, plus one we may acquire soon.

The first is an early Allen Digital 600 Series with dual computers and 2 Allen card readers. The finish is Oak, a bit distressed, and 4 walnut finish Allen HC12/14 speaker cabinets. about $800.

The second is a Rogers early 700 series, almost ready for sale. 2 manual, analog technology, but very stable, internal speakers; selling for about $500. light walnut finish, light cosmetic spot damage. Offers considered!

The third, which may be acquired soon is an Allen ADC5000. about mid 1980's. Oak finish. Targeted to sell for about $5500 with 4 Allen Speakers with yet undetermined finish.

All Organs include free delivery 125 mile radius. Pictures and details upon request; email me at jovanderlee@vassar.edu.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in December 2017, is November 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
October 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I want to share some wonderful news: our Chapter membership has risen to 70 members — surpassing our previous peak number of members back in 2005 when we held the Regional Convention!

Focus on Young and New Organists: At our September Board Meeting we agreed that one of our focuses this year would be on youth and on new organists. To that end we are working on several new programs and projects. On September 17th Susan LaGrande held "Pedals, Pipes, and Piano: A Young Person's Introduction to the Organ" at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Beacon. In that venue she has a tracker pipe organ, an Allen electric organ, and a grand piano all within a few feet of each other. The workshop was well-received, and Susan hopes to give another workshop later in the year. If you have piano students, sixth-grade and up, who might be interested in attending, please contact Susan. If you want to lead your own workshop, I know she would be happy to share her insights and materials with you.

Vassar student organists: We have continued and enlarged on the connection with Vassar College organ students started by Eric Hepp a few years ago. I have been in touch with Gail Archer, who has twelve college organ students this year, and she will be encouraging them to form connections with us. For the second year we have a student liaison to the Board. This year Michael Pennington will attend Board Meetings and help us build connections between our Chapter and organ students at Vassar. In my email to Gail, I said that as a Chapter, we will offer her students:
1. information about, and transportation to off-campus organ-related events in our area.
2. opportunities to try out and possibly practice on a variety of organs in the greater Poughkeepsie area.
3. opportunities to play preludes/postludes during services on a variety of organs when Gail feels the student is ready and would benefit from the experience.
4. opportunities to sub at local churches if Gail feels they are ready and would benefit from the experience.
5. opportunities to observe and to ask questions of local organists working in the field.
6. opportunities to perform alone or with other students in some of the local church's concert series - of which there are many.

I concluded, "The future of organ playing is in our youth, and we would like to welcome your students to the area and be of assistance to them during the coming year." Gail responded warmly to my note and said that she looks forward to working with us.

Our Spuds 'n Sundaes program will take place on Sunday, January 21st at Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park. Our regular event (scrumptious signature foods and great social time) will be expanded to include a concert by John Baratta on the school's Gus Pratt Memorial Organ, short performances by the high school organists, and a chance for our members to test drive the instrument.

This fall we are inaugurating a "League of Distinguished Service" as a way of preserving and honoring the legacy of contributions to organ and choral music in the valley made over the decades by some of our long-term members. Each year several members will be inducted into this League and honored at one of our concerts. Our first induction will take place on Saturday, October 7th at 7:30 PM at the "Bach to Broadway" concert at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. Nominations of people to this League are welcome!

Chapter Collaborations with regional musical and educational groups continue this year and include:

New York Theater Organ Society/CHVAGO collaboration:
1. The Third Annual "Bach to Broadway" concert, (see above)
2. January Spuds 'n Sundaes concert and crawl (see above)
3. Saturday, November 11th Organ Crawl and field trip to the Ziegenfelder house organ — see our calendar for more info.

Eastern New York Chapter (ENYAGO)/CHVAGO collaboration:
Underwriting of WMHT's "Pipe Dreams" program, including announcements about our chapters at the beginning and end of each program. The two chapters are also now listing on our calendars and inviting members to programs that might be of interest to members of both chapters. Future collaborations may include joint programs. Stay tuned!

Vassar College, Cappella Festiva, St. John's Lutheran Church, the Bruderhof Communities, and CHVAGO are collaborating to present a two-day celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on October 28 & 29 with Reformation Concerts and Panel Discussion. Saturday at The Mount, Esopus: Concert at 2:30 PM; Sunday at Vassar College Chapel: Panel at 3:00 PM; Concert at 4:30 PM. Concert program at both venues: Mendelssohn Psalm 43; Bach Cantata 80 'Ein Feste Burg'; newly commissioned 'Reconciliation Cantata' by James Fitzwilliam — a 9-movement cantata based on hymn tunes by Martin Luther and texts by the Bruderhof Community's Christoph Arnold; selected settings of Luther's 'Ein Feste Burg' performed Saturday at the Mount by James, and Sunday on the Vassar Gress-Miles Organ by Jonathan Hall; Christine Howlett, Choral Conductor. Free of charge. Advance reservations are requested for the Saturday concert only.

I am very excited about everything that is taking place this season. I encourage you to attend as many of our events are you can and to tell us what programs you would like us to present.

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

Membership Questions

Don't Forget Our Facebook Page!

Our public page is a great place to post events, photos, questions of general interest, links to YouTube videos, etc. This is where we want to refer people if they want to get to know us as a chapter. Our private page is where we can communicate with other members about chapter business, not for general consumption.

If you have any questions about either of these Facebook pages, please contact Susan LaGrande.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in November 2017, is October 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
September 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Writing this at the very end of August, it still feels like summer, although there are many signs of the autumn season that is about to be upon us. The sun is setting earlier; the birds in my yard seem full of urgent activity as they start to form their migratory flocks. The goldfinches gather seeds from my Cone Flowers and Black-Eyed Susans, and the chipmunks and squirrels start hoarding seeds and nuts. School buses are trying out their new routes, and neighborhood children are gathering in their own kind of "flocks", bonding together again after their separate vacations as they prepare to return to school.

There are two musical selections that are battling together in my head, reflecting this change of season: Gershwin's deliciously lazy song from Porgy and Bess: Summertime, and the livin' is easy, and Bernstein's agitated, rhythmic "Something's coming" from West Side Story. Bernstein seems to be winning:
Could it be? Yes it could.
Something's coming, something good
If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is
But it is
Gonna be great!
"¦ Something's coming don't know when,
But it's soon "¦

Autumn is a time when children and youth, and those who parent and teach them, have an abrupt change in their routines, so it seems only fitting that I focus a bit on youth. Did you notice that the shining face of one of our own — Bruce Xu — is looking right at us when we click on the website for AGO Headquarters! Bruce is featured as one of the 2017 AGO/Quimby RCYO winners. It is wonderful to see those fresh, young organists — ready to take on the world! (Note: If you don't see Bruce's picture immediately, just be patient; TAO uses a rotating series of images.)

And our own Susan LaGrande deserves mention on two counts. She will be holding a "Young Person's Introduction to the Organ" — Pipes, Pedals, and Piano (with Snacks to follow) on Sunday afternoon, September 17th at 1:30 PM at St. Andrews, Beacon. If you know of a young person — fourth grade and up — who already has some piano background, please let them know about this. They need to contact Susan LaGrande to register for this event.

Susan also has written a full-page article on page 45 of the September TAO as part of the Musicians "On the Side" column edited by Wayne L. Wold. Susan's article "Lessons from the Martial Arts" is a wonderful story of how her martial arts training helped to improve her organ playing and vice versa. I was so excited to see her article in our national journal, and I encourage you to read it. Congratulations, Susan!

Also in TAO this month is a review of our Members' Recital, with photo, on page 77.

I have also been thinking about what a challenging and polarizing summer this has been for our nation — and I promise NOT to talk politics! This really is a time for us to focus on the common values we share, rather than on what divides us. Fittingly, our Chapter has been focusing on programming that involves collaboration with other musical and faith organizations in our region — pooling our resources, gaining inspiration from the cross-pollination of ideas, and drawing in audiences and participants from different fields — all in furtherance of our love of music and need for community and reconciliation!

Here are some of our upcoming programs — all done in collaboration with other organizations. For complete details, please see our online Calendar.
:

• Organ Crawl - Schenectady - September 16th 11:00 AM. This is the first of what we hope will be several collaborative projects with our sister Chapter to the north!


• Choral Evensong: The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels - Friday, September 29th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie.


• The Third Annual "Bach to Broadway" Duo Organ Concert - Saturday, October 7th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie.


• 500th Anniversary of the Reformation: Two Days - Panel Discussion & Concert. Saturday, October 28th at The Mount, Esopus, and Sunday, October 29th at the Vassar College Chapel.

I also want to draw your attention to Craig William's wonderful Cadet Chapel Organ Recitals on Sunday afternoons at West Point. They are all listed in our online Chapter calendar, but of special mention are:
Sunday, September 24 at 3:00pm — Craig Williams
Sunday, October 15 at 3:00pm — twin brothers Bruce and Reilly Xu
More information about the concerts is in our online Calendar.

So in closing, I wish you energy and excitement as we navigate the journey from summer to autumn. "Full steam ahead!"

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

Membership Questions

From the Montreal Organ Festival

A "Curriculum" of Organ Literature for the Worship Service
Developing your Organ Skills on the Job
Presented by Dr. Jan Kraybill, FAGO

Dr. Kraybill presented an extremely useful, informative session; her infectious enthusiasm, engaging personality, and excellence as a speaker made this presentation very worthwhile. She reminded us of the importance of our roles as educators and advocates for the organ, as well as sharing practical advice for improving service-playing skills. Above all, her passion for what she does provided inspiration for those in attendance.

Recommendations of categories of works to be studied were presented as follows:

I. Curriculum for your congregation
hymn and chant-based literature, finding ways to bridge to members of your church unfamiliar with organ literature, and scriptural/conceptual integration with the non-musical parts of the worship service

II. A curriculum for yourself: ideas for developing specific skills
transition from piano to organ, addition of pedal, registration skills, improving independence of hands/feet, developing proficiency in non-traditional styles, beginning improvisation, continuing to develop more advanced skills

Dr. Kraybill stressed the importance of including a plan for self-evaluation and accountability and strongly recommending considering preparing for AGO certification.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in October 2017, is September 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
August 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

While enjoying the delicious food, we had time to hang out together and talk. We had a music swap of gently-used piano, organ, and choral music, with some musical theatre thrown in as well. The sale of this brought in some money to our scholarship fund. Members came from all over our region, including Putnam County, which was represented by James Thomashower, Executive Director of AGO National, and member of our chapter. James had a chance to hear what many of our members thought about lots of aspects of AGO, and all of us appreciated his eagerness to ask us questions about our professional lives and to listen to our thoughts and opinions about the state of organ and choral music here in the Hudson Valley!

James had done his homework before coming to the picnic: he had looked at the CHVAGO website and made several positive comments about it (thank you Susan LaGrande!). He especially appreciated our Chapter's welcoming inclusivity, embodied in our Mission Statement, which reads in part: We welcome musicians of all skill levels and those who play on all instruments, including pipe organs, electronic organs and theatre organs. You may recall that in the July issue of TAO, in responding to criticism that TAO had featured a digital organ on the cover of the May issue, James wrote an article about the importance of welcoming and valuing every AGO member, whether they own or play on a pipe organ, an electronic organ, or a theatre organ. In my conversation with him at the picnic we also discussed our Chapter's collaboration with NYTOS in organ crawls of the theatre organs at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, and at the Paramount in Middletown, as well as the ever-popular "Bach to Broadway" cross-over concert that features music for both pipe organ and the traveling digital theatre organ.

James Thomashower's concern for open-minded inclusivity was also reflected at the Montreal Organ Festival. Six of our Chapter members attended this exciting regional convention in early July, which was a collaboration of AGO's Northeast Division and the Royal College of Canadian Organists — RCCO. We had an opportunity to explore a wonderful city and to experience amazing organists (including Nathan Laube, Vincent Boucher, Cherry Rhodes, Jean-Baptiste Robin, Christian Lane, Olivier Latry, the Choir of King's College, London, and the winners of AGO and RCCO competitions), playing a wide variety of repertoire on fabulous instruments in historic and modern venues. Much of the concert programming really pushed the envelope in terms of non-traditional performing ensembles, unique collaborations, and unexpected juxtapositions of musical selections. Some attendees were thrilled (I count myself in that corner); some seemed perplexed; and some were sufficiently unhappy that they walked out during a couple of the concerts.

Some examples of this programming included the Opening Night Concert — the first half of which featured the "Organized Crime Duo," two professional organists and comedians, whose shows include a combination of classic organ works and popular music transcribed for organ seamlessly integrated with non-stop comedic action and repartee. Their program was amazingly similar in its approach to our "Bach to Broadway" program created by James Fitzwilliam and Nathan Avakian! (make sure to mark your calendars for their concert on Saturday, October 7th in Poughkeepsie).

The second half of the opening concert featured organist Melanie Barney and the Buzz Brass Ensemble performing an amazing transcription for brass and organ, of the entire "Planets" by Holst, complete with large-screen Hubble telescope images to accompany the music!

Another concert featured organist Hans-Ola Ericsson at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, playing on a Von Beckerath, 1961 organ, with 3 manuals, 38 stops, 56 ranks and mechanical key and stop action. Ericsson's program alternated Baroque organ pieces with 20th and 21st century organ works, including music for reel-to-reel tape player (from the 1970's) and organ music with digital sound track composed this year. It was not to everybody's taste, but I felt that the close juxtaposition of the old and the new music really made me listen to and think about music differently. It also showcased the capabilities of the instrument!

An unusual choral concert was presented in the historic Marie Reine-du-Monde Cathedral by "Roomful of Teeth," a GRAMMY-winning vocal project "dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. The ensemble has studied with some of the world's top performers and teachers in Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, Broadway belting, Inuit throat singing, Korean P'ansori, Georgian singing, Sardinian cantu a tenore, Hindustani music, Persian classical singing and Death Metal singing." They have had works commissioned especially for them, and they performed music from a wide variety of traditions. The ensemble employed a rich palate of sounds which stretched the concept of singing, as they produced vocal sounds that I had never heard before with an intense immediacy!

One more example of cross-over programming was the concert at the Montreal Symphonic Hall — a beautiful, state-of-the-art modern building with a Casavant Opus 3900, inaugurated in 2014, with four keyboards, 83 stops, 109 registers, 116 ranks and a total of 6,489 pipes. The first half of the program featured standard organ repertoire for this magnificent organ played by Christian Lane. For the second half he was joined by Jean-Willy Kunz and a Jazz Quintet that performed a variety of music ranging from Klezmer to Jazz standards to musical theatre, to new works improvised on the spot.

The common denominator in ALL of the concerts was excellent quality and intense excitement. I came away from the Montreal Organ Festival inspired with the sense of new and infinite possibilities for organ and choral music and for exciting new kinds of programming. I encourage all of us to think outside of the box and to be open to new and different ways to include and welcome new musicians and new approaches to music.

Membership News

• Susan Guse has a new email address, effective immediately: sjbguse@gmail.com.


• Welcome to new member John Gagliardi, who has attended several of our chapter events in the past. John's contact information is:
  John Gagliardi
  41 Stringham Road
  Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
  845-905-6683
  jgagliardi717@gmail.com

Membership Questions

This Month in The American Organist

• Message from President Michael Bedford about the importance of PPP - being Passionate; being Positive; being Patient - found on page 5.


• Rhonda Edgington's article about whether or not organists are a dying breed. It contains good comments about the important role of part-time organists and their contributions to their local communities - found on page 38.


• Coverage of our two chapter programs in March (sorry, no pictures) - found on page 59


• And don't forget to read The Last Page, where you can find out why Cipher would be a good name for a cat!

An Organ Saved - Good News!

New Book Announced

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in September 2017, is August 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
July 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Most of us are all too familiar with the ringing phone, the unfamiliar, or blocked number, and the feeling of annoyance when a telemarketer or politician or pollster calls to interrupt our lives with their partisan or commercial agenda! Usually I let the answering machine take it. If it is a political poll, I will sometimes ask who is commissioning the poll. Usually they won't tell me, and if I have the time and if my curiosity has been tweaked, then sometimes I will say — OK, I'll take your (insert adjective) poll!

Survey Alert — I am suggesting that we engage in an informal self-survey to help us focus of future directions for our Chapter. I pose several questions below, which I hope you will take some time to think about. Personally I find the process of doing this quite illuminating — both in terms of directions for the Chapter, and also in terms of directions for my own musical life and career. I encourage you to take some time this summer to think about these issues. Perhaps some of us will want to talk about them together at our July picnic. I encourage you to contact me directly by email with any thoughts/suggestions/concerns that you would like to share with me or have me discuss with the board at upcoming Chapter meetings. laurarus629@gmail.com.

Informal self-survey: Food for Thought at the annual picnic.

• What benefits do you get from being a member of CHVAGO? What additional benefits would you like to get from CHVAGO?


• What knowledge, experience, or gifts do YOU have that you would like to find a way to contribute to others in our Chapter?


• List some aspects of your organ/choral/musical/religious life that give you joy and meaning. Is there a way that the Chapter can enhance any of these? Can you think of ways that the Chapter can help you share these with your colleagues?


• List some aspects of your organ/choral/musical life that are frustrating, or where you feel your skills or knowledge are sub-par or lacking? Can you think of ways that the Chapter can help you with these?


• Have you invited musical colleagues, choir members, or friends to attend any of our Chapter events? Why or why not? Are there events that you can suggest that you think would be appealing to your friends and colleagues?


• Have you encouraged any musical colleagues to join our Chapter? Why or why not? What can the Chapter do to be more appealing to potential members?

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Stu Ballinger has a new cell phone number, effective immediately: 845-505-9329.


• Sarah Rodeo has a new email address, effective immediately. Her current email address (sarodeo@vassar.edu) will be defunct as of September 1st, 2017. At that time, or any time before, please use sarah.rodeo@yale.edu instead.


• Welcome to new member The Rev. Deacon Thomas Mark Liotta. Tom is Chaplain at Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties. His contact information is:
  629 County Route 12 
  New Hampton, NY 10958
  845-355-2488
  signum382@gmail.com
  Tom has indicated that he is available as a substitute; his name will soon appear on our Sub List.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in August 2017, is July 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
June 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

As we enjoy the beautiful Hudson Valley spring weather, I want to tell you about several programs happening in June and July. Two of them take place here in the Hudson Valley, and the third is happening up in Montreal, Canada.

• Chapter Members' Recital: Friday, June 2nd at 8:00 PM at St. John's Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie. This year our Chapter dedicates the annual recital in honor of eleven members of our Chapter who have died since the last memorial members' recital in 2008: Ray Corey, Robert H. Palmatier, Jack Davis, Kay Pearson, Robert F. Dorum, Don Hoger, Martha Miller, Anita Drake, Don Filkins, Pat Maimone, and Peter Hall. Each of them made important, and unique contributions to organ and choral music in the Hudson Valley. Nine of our Chapter members will be playing a variety of organ works, from Bach to Mendelssohn; from Dupré to improvisations created in the moment at the recital! A reception follows where you can meet and greet the performers and socialize. You are invited to bring food to share. The recital is free, but donations to the Margaret Pecoraro Scholarship Fund are always welcome. Please attend this event to honor our deceased members for their many contributions, to enjoy organ music performed by your colleagues, and to share each other's company!


• Chapter annual summer picnic: Sunday, July 16th at 3:00 PM at the home of Susan Guse (53 Marges Way, Hopewell Junction). Join us for this relaxing afternoon of sharing food, drink, and conversation. Invite your music friends who might like to find out more our Chapter.


• Montreal Organ Festival: July 2nd — July 6th - Sponsored by AGO Northeast Region, Royal Canadian College of Organists, and Canadian International Organ Competition. Featured performers include internationally known organists and choirs; Choral Evensong services; winners of the AGO and RCCO competitions. Venues include Montreal Symphony Hall, Notre-Dame Basilica, and many more historic churches and amazing organs in Montreal! Although time is getting short, you can still register to attend this exciting festival. Several of our Chapter members plan to attend.

• Third Annual "Bach to Broadway" Duo-Organ Concert — Saturday, October 7th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie. This concert will feature Nathan Avakian on the NYTOS Traveling Theatre Organ and James Fitzwilliam on the Gress-Miles Pipe Organ. A collaboration between CHVAGO and NYTOS, this is a great event to invite your friends! As the title indicates, there is music to please everyone.


• NEW: Special 500th Anniversary of the Reformation weekend October 28 and 29 on both sides of the Hudson River. Still in the planning stages, this event will be a collaboration between CHVAGO, Vassar College, Cappella Festiva, and the Bruderhof Community. It will include a combined choir of over 125 singers performing choral music on Reformation themes by Bach and Mendelssohn, along with a newly commissioned choral work; organ music by Bach, Mendelssohn and others performed by Chapter members; an interfaith panel discussion of area clergy and religion scholars about the history and significance of the Reformation in today's faith traditions. Stay tuned for updates as this weekend takes shape!

I am happy to note that most of these programs involve collaboration among several musical entities and across different musical styles. In a time where there are so many barriers and divisiveness between people, it is heart-warming to see groups coming together and finding common ground through music! There are lots of great musical events to look forward to this season and in the autumn. I will be eager to see you at many of them!




Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO


Membership Questions


Please address all questions regarding membership and ONCARD to our Membership Chairman, Craig Williams. His phone number is 845-239-2262 and his e-mail address is craigwilliams@hvc.rr.com.


Deadline for Next Newsletter


We are always glad to receive input for the chapter newsletter in the form of calendar items, reviews of recent concerts and events, biographies, letters, photographs, etc. In order to make sure these submissions can be processed in a timely fashion, please make sure they are received by the 23rd of each month. However, material such as calendar items may be submitted at any time; even if the material may not make it into the printed newsletter, it can be quickly posted on our web site at www.chvago.org.

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in July 2017, is June 23.


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) - e-mail: SUSANEL2@OPTONLINE.NET

Newsletter
May 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Spring has finally arrived in the Hudson Valley! It is a season of rebirth, full of joy and expectation. It also brings our annual Members' Recital, which will take place on Friday evening, June 2nd at 8:00 PM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie. Every year the recital offers members an opportunity to play for each other in a collegial, welcoming environment. The recital also raises funds for the Margaret Pecoraro Scholarship Fund, which was established to support and encourage young organists.

This year we will dedicate the recital to members of our Chapter who have died since the last time we honored deceased members — back in 2008. That year we honored Mary S. Caskey, Bob Brittenham, and Clara Pankow-Miller — all of whom died that year.

We ask you to help us make sure that we include all of our members who have died since 2008. At this point we have the following names. Please contact Susan LaGrande right away if we have left somebody out!

Ray Corey (August 2008)
Jack Davis (April 2010)
Kay Pearson (April 2010)
Martha Miller (July 2015)
Anita Drake (August 2015)
Don Filkins (September 2015)
Pat Maimone (November 2015)
Peter Hall (March 2016)

We strongly encourage members to sign-up to play on the recital. There is no musical theme — you are welcome to play whatever you would like. Please send your name and tentative musical selection to Susan LaGrande as soon as possible so that we can begin to organize the program — June 2nd will be here before you know it! Once you have signed up, you should contact Susan Guse to arrange for practice time on the St. John's Casavant organ. You may go to this link for the organ specs: http://stjohnselc.org/wp/music-2/organ/

We will have a "meet & greet" reception following the recital, and we welcome your contributions of finger foods to share.

Summary of Upcoming Chapter Programs:

• Annual Member's Recital: Friday, June 2nd at 8:00 PM at St. John's Lutheran Church.
• Annual Picnic: Sunday, July 16th at 3:00 PM at the home of Susan Guse. More info to come in next month's newsletter.
• Third Annual "Bach to Broadway" dual organ concert: Saturday, October 7th at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church
• Celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in Music and Discussion: the weekend of October 28-29 — in venues on both sides of the Hudson River. Bach Cantatas, Organ works, panel discussion — all in the planning stages. Stay tuned for more information, and save the weekend. This should be a very special event!
  Early 2018: Combination of our Annual "Spuds 'n Sundaes" event with an organ demo and crawl on the organ at Roosevelt High School, Hyde Park. More details to follow.

If you have suggestions for Chapter programs, please be in touch with any Board member. We want to present programs that are of interest and value to YOU — our members.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in June 2017, is May 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
April 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

Our Chapter held two very successful programs at the beginning and end of the month of March, although I will refrain from using the "in like a lion; out like a lamb" analogy to describe the two very different, but equally exciting events.

Digital/Computer-Aided E-Music Workshop - Eric Hepp
Local CHVAGO members and some guests from the Albany AGO Chapter gathered at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappinger Falls on March 4th to explore how tablet devices can be used to simplify and organize common tasks for the organist and choir director, as well as apps and features that offer new ways to manage printed music. The material was presented in a general way in order to make it device agnostic. A table with operating systems organized by device identified the correct software for a specific purpose for iPads, Android tablets and MS surface devices. Three major topics were presented: Service Planning, Score Display & Management, and Musical Notation/Playback.

"Service Planning" included software specific to planning services and communicating with clergy, and software useful for office administration and performers. This topic also included user-friendly and helpful websites to find scripture in multiple translations and languages as well as Lectionary-focused websites with appropriate musical suggestions, and links to other compilations of church-focused planning applications.

"Score Display & Management" covered how to purchase, download, scan, display, and use devices to assist with page turns. It also included information on how to build a reference to existing items in one's church music library.

"Music Notation" explored the apps available for tablet devices that allow scoring, arranging, transposition and playback, as well as data exchange with other notation programs such as Finale and Sibelius. Other miscellaneous topics included tuning and metronome apps, recording apps, and social media techniques.

Attendees were very positive about the experience, and left with a wealth of information and some enthusiasm for putting their tablet devices to work. Many thanks to our Sub-Dean Eric Hepp for the time and dedication he put into preparation for this workshop, as well as for his clear and concise presentation of that information!

Hymn Improvisation Workshop - Joseph Bertolozzi
Held on March 25th at St. Kateri in LaGrange, Joe presented a lively program to ten active participants. With a 3-manual Diane Bish series Allen organ and adjacent piano, both with very easy access on and off the bench, the setting was perfect for lots of direct interaction between the attendees and presenter. Joe encouraged and facilitated a lot of participation at the keyboards, which certainly aided in understanding and development of facility with the suggested techniques. This program was intentionally designed to be an entry level introduction to improvisation. Thus the first suggested tools were those that can be done directly from the score, such as adding voices, rolling chords, altering registration, experimenting with octave displacements, articulating to paint text and provide energy, and tremulando to change the texture. Joe then suggested the first steps to moving away from the score: passing tones, scales and non-chordal tones in the context of ornamentation. Finally attendees explored changing the harmonization with "substitution" chords, for example putting A minor under a melodic E rather than C major. Rhythmic variations and expressive silence were also demonstrated. All in all this was a very useful ninety minutes of practical information. Many thanks to St. Kateri for hosting us, and to Joe Bertolozzi for preparing and presenting this very well-done and useful workshop.

Upcoming April Concerts — see our online calendar for more details or go to our Facebook page.

Sunday, April 2nd at 3:30 PM — West Point Cadet Chapel Organ Concert by Gail Archer.

Saturday, April 8th at 4:00 PM — Organ Concert by Reilly Xu (chapter member and winner of the AGO/Quimby Competition) at St. Andrew Episcopal Church, Beacon.

Sunday, April 9th at 3:30 PM — West Point Cadet Chapel Organ Concert by past Chapter Dean Craig Williams.

I hope many of you will take the opportunity to attend these concerts and to participate in our Chapter Events. If you have suggestions for topics for programs, please be in touch with any of the Board Members. We want you to get involved!

Updates to AGO Membership: The April issue of TAO has several articles about changes to AGO membership rates and categories. I recommend the articles to you.

Moving through the Liturgical Season: I wish all of you the best in your preparations for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter and for Passover.

Membership Questions

Competition Winners

Bruce:
1) University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) — First Prize, Hymn Prize
2) AGO Quimby, Atlanta, GA — First Prize (this allows him to move up to the Southeast Regional Competition)
3) Young Organist Competition, Columbia, SC — First Prize, Hymn Prize
4) East Carolina University (NC) — First Prize, Bach Prize

Reilly:
1) AGO Quimby, Harrisburg, PA — First Prize (this allows him to move up to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition)
2) AGO Brooklyn Chapter Scholarship Competition — First Prize

We can all be very proud of their tremendous success!

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in May 2017, is April 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
March 2017

Click here for a printable copy of this newsletter

I thought that I would be escaping from some of our Hudson Valley winter by spending ten days in northern Florida, but spring seems to have arrived in the Hudson Valley despite (or perhaps because of) my absence. Being able to control the weather is definitely "above my pay grade", and so too was controlling my travels, as it turned out. I planned to leave right after church on 2/12 and return late on Saturday, 2/25, so that I would only miss one Sunday service. I selected a special bed & breakfast in the historic part of St. Augustine, and I booked a round-trip on the Auto Train. However, because of the snowstorm on 2/12, I couldn't leave until 2/13. Then at the end of my trip, when I arrived at the station to board the Auto Train for my return trip home, I was informed that my train had been cancelled, and that all the seats were sold out on the trains for the next two days. So I decided to drive the entire way back north, arriving home the evening of 2/26 — thus missing the Sunday morning service after all.

During the long drive home I got to thinking about what traveling and rehearsing music have in common for me. Preparing for a trip and for a rehearsal both benefit from analysis, research, and advanced planning, and frequently both present unexpected challenges that demand that I be in the moment and respond creatively (and with humor) to what actually ends up coming my way!

In preparation for a rehearsal I study the music thoroughly, and I try to vary the pace so that I'm keeping people productively occupied, but not overly taxed or stressed. However, just as with traveling, unexpected things present themselves, and you must roll with the punches, turn on a dime, and go in a different direction (to mash up metaphors). No tenors show up; half of the sopranos won't be there for the performance; the music that I thought would be easy is too challenging to learn in the time allotted, and so forth. So, at that point, I improvise, responding to what is in front of me, and I try to be in the moment!

When I travel I tend to be laid back — responding to events as they happen, tweaking things as necessary, but mostly going with the flow. I love the 'zone' that traveling often puts me in. I suspend my usual sense of time. The to-do lists, meetings, timetables and deadlines, all built on external time constraints, fall away. Without those distractions, I can truly be in the moment: I experience everything quite differently, and I take pleasure in unexpected events. Suspension of time and total immersion in the moment also come to me when I am performing music, especially in the context of a religious service. Everything else falls away, and I am just there in the eternal 'now', experiencing the beauty of the music, which exists outside of time!

When I return home from traveling I have a new perspective and appreciation of my friends and colleagues and of my musical calling. I feel fresh from my new experiences. Having jettisoned my usual routine for traveling, I look forward to re-inhabiting it again for a while before I take off on my next adventure!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Reminder: E-Music Workshop - From Eric Hepp:

Chapter Scholarship Program

To qualify for scholarship awards, a candidate must be 21 years old or younger; must be a full-time student in a degree/diploma program; must study organ on a regular basis; must be a member of the American Guild of Organists (if not already a member, membership will included in the scholarship grant). References must be supplied. Anyone may apply for scholarship funds, but preference will be given to chapter members first and then to students residing or studying within The Northeast Region of the American Guild of Organists. Funds are awarded in the spring, not more than once a year, at the discretion of the executive board of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter, AGO.

Scholarship funds may be awarded in the following ways :

• Free membership for one year may be offered to organ students who are being taught by members of the chapter. This offer applies to persons who have not formerly been members of the chapter and who are currently in school.


• Tuition for a Pipe Organ Encounter or other AGO-sponsored educational program may be offered to qualified applicants.


• Modest stipends may be offered to qualified college-level organ students.

These and other needs may be addressed at the discretion of the board. If you know a student who may be interested in applying for scholarship funds, please contact the chapter secretary, Nancy Vanderlee, at 914-204-6472 — navanderlee@gmail.com.

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in April 2017, is March 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
February 2017

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Now that January has ended, I guess we have to admit that it is really winter in the Hudson Valley. There was some ice on the Hudson briefly, but during a few blessed scattered days of warmth it has melted again. I've come out of hibernation on those days to walk along the waterfront in Poughkeepsie, watching the gulls and geese that refuse to fly south, and taking photos of the beautiful reflections on the river in the winter sunlight.

Speaking of hibernation: there is no such thing in our region as musical hibernation! January brought a number of exciting musical events (Cappella Festiva Choral Concert and Vassar's ModFest — just to name two) and the rest of the winter promises to do more of the same. So resist the temptation to stay on your couch in front of your - fill in the blank: fireplace, TV, electronic device of choice — and get yourself out to concerts and Chapter events in the area — you will be glad you did!

On January 22nd eighteen Chapter members and friends people enjoyed food and fellowship at Zion Church in Wappingers Falls for our annual 'Spuds & Sundaes' event. This year featured a delicious repast including meat-lovers chili; vegie-lovers chili, salad, spuds with a great variety of toppings; ice cream with multiple toppings; cookies and cakes. Thanks to everybody who brought the food! We were also treated to a smorgasbord of musical offerings at the Scholarship Music Sale: choral music, organ and piano music, collections from Broadway, and many CDs. Nearly $150 was raised for the Margaret Pecoraro Scholarship Fund. (Please go to our website: www.chvago.org to find out more about the scholarship program.) Our host, past Dean Gregory Citarella, opened up Zion's sanctuary and Austin Organ, and many had an opportunity to try out the instrument or listen to others play. We also recognized past Dean Craig Williams for his wonderful work over the last four years and presented him with a Dean's Pin.

During February and March I highly recommend a number of concerts and events, offered by our Chapter members:

• Hymn Sing: Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 PM at Zion Church in Wapppingers Falls, hosted by Gregory Citarella - free


• Chapter Event: Digital/Computer-Aided E-Music Workshop — Saturday, March 4 at 4:00 PM - Presented by Eric Hepp: Some of us have seen organists perform complicated works with no sheet music, just an i-pad or tablet on the music rack. Want to know how it's done? Come to this workshop, where Eric Hepp will give a presentation and demonstration. Bring an i-pad or tablet with you if you have one. Open to all who want to find out more about how to use digital and computer aids in music. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Zion Episcopal Church, 12 Satterlee Place, Wappingers Falls, NY. Info: 845-790-3381 - free


• Organ Recital — Patrick Walker: Sunday, March 5 at 3:30 PM at Zion Church, Wappingers Falls. Suggested donation $10

• Annual Members' Recital: Friday, June 2 at 8:00 PM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie.


• Third Annual "Bach to Broadway" Duo Organ Concert: Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie.

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Competition for Young Organists Announced

AGO Receives Grant from NEA

2017 POE Schedule Announced

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in March 2017, is February 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
January 2017

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Happy 2017 to all of you! The past year was a challenging one on many levels for lots of us, but we are now beginning a new year together. Although the date — January 1,2017 —is an arbitrary one (like all anniversaries, birthdays, etc.), it also gives us an opportunity to take stock of where we are in our personal and professional lives.

As Dean, I would also like to take stock with you of where we as a chapter would like to go in the coming year. Part of 'taking stock' for me is to set priorities. A priority for me as your Dean this coming year is to reach out to you — our members! I would like to know what programs and activities you would like our chapter to offer. Below you will see a listing of proposed concerts and workshops and trips. Please let me know what you think of them and tell me what you would find most helpful and enjoyable. You may reach me via email anytime at laurarus629@gmail.com or you can telephone me at 845-485-1648.

If you know of colleagues who are not chapter members, please invite them to attend our programs. I would like to expand both our membership and participation in our programs in 2017.

Proposed CHVAGO offerings for 2017:

• Spuds & Sundaes and annual music sale — Sunday, January 22, 2017 at 5:00 PM at Zion Episcopal Church, Wappinger Falls. Enjoy food and fellowship together. This is a good chance to look through your organ, piano, and choral music and to donate duplicate copies or music you don't use anymore. It is also an opportunity to discover new music. Money from music sales goes to our scholarship fund. Contact Nancy Vanderlee about this if you have any questions. Snow date is January 29, 2017, same time and place.


• Possible Chapter trip to NYC in February — to attend some of the NYCAGO chapter's concerts and programs. More info to come from Eric Hepp. Do you have suggestions for other trips? Please contact me.


• Digital/Computer aided music workshop — in late February or March. Get out of your comfort zone and learn to use computers and digital technology to enhance your music making! Eric Hepp will provide more info in the February newsletter.


• AGO Certification: Past Dean Craig Williams is eager to work with members on acquiring AGO certification. He will be writing a column in the February newsletter about this. Take the plunge — experience the challenge and satisfaction of pushing yourself to the next level!


• 'Hymn Improvisation for Organists' workshop — offered in the spring — culminating in a Chapter Hymn Sing — stay tuned for more information.


• 'Using bells and chimes in your worship service' workshop — offered by Susan Guse this coming year — stay tuned for more information.


• Reformation Evensong — celebrating 500 years: autumn, 2017 at St. John's Lutheran Church. More info to come!


• Duo Organ Concert — From Bach to Broadway: for the third year, we will bring together the NYTOS Traveling Theatre Organ and the Gress-Miles Pipe Organ at Christ Episcopal Church — played by Nathan Avakian and James Fitzwilliam. Date TBD.


• Annual Members' Recital — a chance to play for your colleagues and to raise money for our chapter scholarship fund. Date and Venue TBD.


• Montreal Organ Festival: July 2-6, 2017. This is a collaboration between the North East American Guild of Organists, The Royal Canadian College of Organists, and the Canadian International Organ Competition. Consider attending this festival in a beautiful old city with many outstanding world-class organs, at a wonderful time of year!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in February 2017, is January 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
December 2016

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As we move from November into December, we move from the "Gratitude Season" that surrounds Thanksgiving to the "Season of Expectation." We are on the cusp of change - reflecting back on the beauty of autumn and on the celebrations of Thanksgiving we have shared with family and friends while also looking ahead to December — probably the most intense time of year for many of us.

Expectation can mean excitement, but also anxiety. Entering into this season we feel hope and fear; excitement and trepidation. This time of year is full of symbolism and tradition: the ancient celebrations surrounding the Winter Solstice — many of which have been incorporated into our faith traditions; the end of one political regime and the beginning of another; the transition from the old year to the new — both in terms of our secular calendar and our religious calendar. There is loss — of the light, of leaves and greenery — and there is the hope of rebirth — as the oil in the lamp unbelievably stays lit; as we celebrate the birth of a young child; as the days gradually lengthen once more. The Christmas hymn says it so poignantly —"The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

Our new President of the American Guild of Organists Michael Bedford remarks in the December issue of TAO: "This year we will celebrate a unique and infrequent occurrence: Hanukkah and Christmas will begin at precisely the same time. December 24th at sunset will mark the start of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, as well as the eve of the twelve-day Christmas season." The symbolism of the convergence of the festivals of these two great faith traditions is indeed comforting — especially this year, when both nationally and globally many are feeling anxiety over what seems to be an increasingly polarized and fractured social, political, and religious world.

So I encourage all of you to take heart and know that your work helps to bring people together. Know that you are not alone in all your musical preparations for the season. Music can connect us to each other on so many different levels, and you make more of a difference in the harried lives of those around you than you may ever know!

Opportunities to participate in Chapter activities:
Phone Tree — we would like to reinstate and update that old phenomenon called the Phone Tree — using email, texts, Facebook, etc. — to inform you of our upcoming events. If you would be interested in helping us with this, please contact Susan LaGrande.

Upcoming Chapter Programs:
Spuds & Sundaes and the annual music sale to benefit our Scholarship Fund: Sunday, January 22, 2017 at 5:00 PM at Zion Episcopal Church, Wappinger Falls. This is a great opportunity to look through your organ, piano and choral music to see what might be useful to your colleagues. In turn, you may find some treasures that will be a great addition to your library! It's also a nice event to which to invite a friend or colleague who is not a member of our chapter. Finally, it's a delicious way to spend a chilly evening — with spuds (with all the fixin's), and ice cream! Snow date will be the following Sunday (Jan. 29), same time & place.

NEW — Digital Music workshop: Eric Hepp will be giving a special workshop/tutorial on the use of ipads and other electronic devices to assist in organ and choral performance. Tentative date is February 25 — venue TBD. Watch the newsletter for more information from Eric about the use of technology to enhance our music-making!

AGO Certification: our former Dean Craig Williams will be writing an article in the newsletter early in the year giving us all information about and encouragement to get ourselves certified on any of the great variety of AGO exams that are offered. He has had a great deal of experience in assisting organists at all levels with mastering the challenges of preparing for these exams. I look forward to his article in the new year.

Spring programs: In March Eric will offer a workshop on Hymn Improvisation for Organists. Later in the spring we are considering a Chapter Hymn Sing and Improvisation event. We will also have the annual Members' Recital, with opportunities for members of all ages and ability to play!

Trips to NYC: Watch this space for information about trips to concerts and performance venues in New York City. Possibilities: a visit to the Cloisters; attending the Presidents Weekend NYAGO concerts, just to name a few possibilities. If you have suggestions, please let us know.

Chapter Calendar and Facebook page: Don't forget to look at our online calendar of events in the Hudson Valley. Susan LaGrande does a wonderful job keeping it current, and there is an amazing listing of events — especially this month. We now have a public Facebook page which we keep up to date: on Facebook type in "American Guild of Organists, Central Hudson Valley Chapter" and you should get to it.

This is YOUR Chapter — please get back to us with suggestions of trips and programs and concerts that interest you!

Best wishes to all of you for a joyous musical December!

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

The Last Organ Recital of the Season at Ocean Grove

Dr. Maki is a faculty member at Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University, as well as Director of Music at St. John's Episcopal Church in Larchmont, NY. He holds degrees from Eastman School of Music, Syracuse University, and Diploma from the Schola Cantorum in Paris. His program included a diverse selection of pieces that I'm not accustomed to hearing all together, and it was a very stimulating program indeed. He played Wagner's Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral; Nicolaus Bruhns's Praeludium in G; Max Reger's Prelude in D Minor, Op. 65, No. 7; Percy Whitlock's Fantasie-Choral No. 1 in D-flat; Jean-Jules Aimable's Variations on "Soll es sein" based on a tune by Sweelinck; Widor's Variations from Symphony VIII; and Marcel Dupre's Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, Op. 7, No. 3.

Dr. Maki is a very engaging performer. He seemed to be enjoying himself hugely while playing, and his enthusiasm and complete mastery of the instrument brought forth lengthy applause from the audience, many of whom made their way to the CD's for sale table at the end of the concert to purchase everything that was there - late romantic repertoire on an Aeolian-Skinner, E.M. Skinner and an Austin-Konzelman instrument. I was one of the buyers, and I have been enjoying beautiful organ music during commuting times ever since!

Upcoming Program: Digital Aids for the Church Musician
Overwhelmed by service planning, looking for music, tired of writing instrumental parts out longhand on staff paper, can't find a page turner for that complicated choral anthem you have to play? Join us on February 25th and learn how your computer tablet can help with all of that! We'll explore planning and organizational tools and websites, ways to search for that perfect hymn for the obscure lectionary text, free (and not so free) music downloads, music notation software, methods to scan and display your music on a tablet, and turn the pages with a tap of your toe. Imagine the ease of having all your schedules and service plans, musician and choir contact information, The trumpet descant you need to transpose for bassoon, and your cataloged choral library all in an easy to carry tablet computer. Send any advance questions you may have to Eric Hepp at erhepp@gmail.com. 

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in January 2017, is December 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
November 2016

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As I write my first letter to you as Dean of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, I find myself reflecting on how important this Chapter has been to my development as an organist and how much it means to me to be a part of this amazing musical community. From 2001 until 2007 former Chapter Dean John Sullivan and I worked together as Organist and Choir Master at Christ Episcopal Church, respectively. When John moved to Maine I felt a great deal of trepidation as I tried to step into the combined position. I hadn't played organ seriously for many years, and I was totally daunted by how I was going to manage it.

I shouldn't have worried, however, because as soon as I joined our Chapter, many of you stepped up and offered encouragement, lent me music, and gave me lots of extremely helpful suggestions of repertoire. John Sullivan gave me music and pointers on the Gress-Miles organ; Gregory Citarella, who became Dean when John left, also gave me music and welcomed me onto the Board as Secretary almost immediately! Eric Hepp, Beverly Simmons, Craig Williams, and many others made me feel a welcomed and valued colleague.

I can't quite believe that I am now Dean of the Chapter that was so supportive of me, and I want to make sure that we continue to offer that support and encouragement to all of the organists and choir directors in our region — reaching out to young and old; to those well-established in their careers, and to "newbies" just starting out. That is one of the great strengths of our organization as a whole, and of our Chapter in particular. So as I move into the position of Dean I will continue to welcome your support. I also ask for your input into how the Board and Chapter can be supportive of your music programs and your careers. Please contact me with suggestions of programs: workshops, concerts, organ crawls — whatever you think would be useful and helpful! My email is laurarus629@gmail.com and my phone number is 845-485-1648. I look forward to hearing from you.

All of our work in life builds upon the work of those who came before us. Many, many thanks to our outgoing Dean, Craig Williams, and to those who served on the board these past two years. You have laid the ground work for what we will do in the future, and for that we are all deeply appreciative!

October is almost over as I write this letter, and our Chapter has already had two very successful programs this month. On October 2nd at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappinger Falls, we presented a Choral Evensong for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. I was privileged to conduct a combined choir from churches in the region, and five organists from our Chapter played for different portions of the service: Gregory Citarella of Zion Episcopal Church, Wappinger Falls; Patrick Walker of First Congregational Church, Poughkeepsie; Rob Brown of Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, Eric Hepp of First Evangelical Church, Poughkeepsie; and Susan Guse of St. John's Lutheran Church, Poughkeepsie. Susan also brought handbell ringers to enhance the worship.

On October 15th NYTOS and CHVAGO collaborated to bring back the second "Bach to Broadway" concert at Christ Church, which was dedicated in memory and honor of Rev. Donald Hoger, husband of long-term Chapter member Lois Hoger. Organized by John Vanderlee, and featuring superb organ performers Nathan Avakian and James Fitzwilliam joined by vocalist Claire Avakian, the concert showcased the NYTOS Traveling Allen Theatre Organ and the in-house Gress-Miles pipe organ. They entertained an audience of more than 75 people and left them wanting more.

Our new Chapter Board will be meeting shortly to discuss plans for the upcoming season. Please contact any one of us with suggestions. I speak for the entire Board when I say that we look forward to serving you, our colleagues, in the upcoming year!

Sincerely,

Laura Ramsey Russell, DMA
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in December 2016, is November 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
October 2016

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Over the last four years, I have had the great pleasure of being Dean of the Central Hudson Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In this unique region, we serve some of the oldest religious and artistic legacies in our nation amidst a stunning backdrop of natural beauty. Please take some time to lift your head from the busy chores of the day and admire your surroundings!

I look forward to passing the mantle on to wonderful and gifted colleagues and friends, many of whom who have served this chapter for years. The slate below was recently submitted by our Nominations Officer, Wesley Joseph, CAGO, and gratefully received by the entire Executive Board. This election process is late this year for a number of reasons, many of them impacting both the personal and professional lives of our current officers as they considered how to continue serving while transitioning into new positions.

There are no persons competing for office or board positions. Therefore, this entire slate is presented for a "YES" or "NO" vote. Because this is late in submission, I request that you vote sooner rather than later. Ideally, the tallies need to be collected no later than Friday, October 14. In this manner, if "YES" votes are in the majority, we will be able to install our new officers and board members at the Bach to Broadway Concert on October 15 at 7:30 pm (please mark your calendars). If "NO" votes are in the majority, we need to begin the process again in quick fashion.

Votes may be submitted in one of two ways:
1. E-mail me directly at craigwilliams@hvc.rr.com; the only text required in the body of the message is "YES" or "NO" which will indicate your approval or disapproval of the entire slate.
2. Place your decision in an envelope and mail to me at 6 View Point Drive, Slate Hill, NY 10973.

The slate is as follows:
Laura Russell, Dean
Eric Hepp, Sub-dean
Eric Hepp, Acting Treasurer
Nancy Vanderlee, Secretary
Craig Williams, Acting Membership Coordinator
Barbara Bayers, Registrar
Susan LaGrande, Newsletter Editor and Board Member
Charles Faverio, Board Member
Susan Guse, Board Member
Connie Lacey, Board Member
Glenn May, Board Member

Thank you very much for taking the time to participate in this process.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in November 2016, is October 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
September 2016

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The choir teacher at my son's high school lost his wife to cancer this past month. She was only in her early 40's and a teacher herself, so the community was hit hard along with the husband and the deceased's ten-year-old daughter. The husband posted frequently about how it was a great comfort to him that he was able to serve in the music ministry of his Catholic parish and have many friends and co-workers participate in the funeral Mass. This is what we organists, singers, and choir directors do. We provide comfort to those who suffer loss and are beginning the long journey of a new life without friends and loved ones. Our hours can be long, the preparation can be tedious, but this is what we feel called to do.

We also provide the joyful backdrop of music at weddings. Ironically, I know many colleagues who greatly prefer playing funerals to playing weddings. This is because the preparations for weddings — behind all the smiles, pretty clothes and festivity — are struggles. Childbirth is called "labor" because it is excruciatingly difficult. Women know this in a way that men can never know. Weddings are a birth of sorts also — two families being involved in bringing two persons together to create a new life and perhaps family. Funerals are also a birth of a different kind — letting someone go and now facing a life without that person which will be different forever. Fortunately, organists are not called upon to provide music for childbirth — at least I hope no one of us has that in the job description! But we are intimately involved in the planning of the two other occasions which represent some of life's greatest struggles. No wonder we are so tired so much of the time! Fortunately, we are well compensated for our multiple talents of performance, counseling, and mediation — okay, perhaps a Dean's Letter is not a suitable forum for sarcasm.

Recently, I heard a priest give a homily about martyrdom. We all know about the kind of martyrdom where a witness (the word "martyr" means "witness") is killed heroically for the cause of his or her faith. However, this priest spoke about many other kinds of martyrdom, which included suffering for the cause of practicing one's vocation well. I think many organists can relate to the idea of being a representative of the church, stage, and art and many times having to hold one's tongue and just do the job. If the job is done well, gracefully, and in a way that renders beautiful music, hopefully we derive some satisfaction from that. Play on!

Then, we can come together as colleagues and share each other's burdens after a fashion — learning new skills, sharing experiences, and sometimes simply enjoying music for music's sake. This is one of the great benefits of being a member of the American Guild of Organists. Looking at experiences in the magazine is fine, but sharing together in person is even better.

We have a couple opportunities to come together very soon. On Sunday, October 2nd, there will be a Choral Evensong service at Zion Episcopal Church in Wappingers Falls. Then on Saturday, October 15th at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, there will be the second Bach to Broadway Concert featuring classical and theatre organs, following the wonderful concert last year! Please check the Calendar for details of these events and many other musical happenings here in the Central Hudson Valley.

I look forward to seeing many of you as we continue to celebrate music and life through our art.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Archdiocese of New York Substitute Musician List

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in October 2016, is September 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
August 2016

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This has been a busy summer as we have memorialized friends. In the past couple of weeks, the congregation of Grace Church in Middletown said good-bye to Jennifer Ponzoni, a singer who participated in many Hudson Valley Bachfests and who served as soloist in many area churches, and also at West Point we gave a Memorial Concert in honor of Pat Maimone, past dean of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter. It was gratifying to see many organist colleagues and other musicians pay tribute to those who have enriched our musical lives. You will see a review of Pat's concert below.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful summer.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Review - The Longwood Gardens Organ Competition

In the competition booklet, the opening paragraph about The Longwood Organ states that it has the distinction of being the largest residential Aeolian ever constructed. Built in 1930 to replace the original 1921 organ, it is a "stunning specimen of American Art Deco organ design and engineering."  

We hope they have another competition next year, or certainly by the year after, because it is a fantastic place to visit - spend the week there, tour the over 1,000 acres of gardens, hear the lectures, listen to the music - stunning!

For more information about the Longwood Gardens Organ Competition, click here.

Review: The Pat Maimone Memorial Concert

On July 31, members and friends gathered at the West Point Community Chapel (Post Chapel) at West Point to pay tribute to former Dean Pat Maimone. The venue was appropriate, since Pat had spent nearly 29 years there as organist before moving first to St. Mary's-in-the-Highlands in Cold Spring and then to Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, CA. Pat's death in November 2015 saddened us all, but has been the occasion for many wonderful, warm reminiscences, including this concert.

Craig Williams opened the program with a piece that had been composed by Pat's sister, Barbara J. Rogers, who was in the audience. The concert continued with eleven more short pieces performed by soloists who had, in one way or another, been "roped in" by Pat to participate in one of her many musical endeavors. A brief eulogy was given by the Rev. Dr. Shane Scott-Hamblen, Rector of St. Mary's in Cold Spring.

The performers pictured below are, from left to right: The Rev. Shane Scott-Hamblen, eulogist: Catherine Flynn, mezzo-soprano; Anthony Cinelli, tenor: Eun H Chung, piano; Jeremy Moore, bass-baritone; Susan Guse, organ; Craig Williams, organ; Emily Faxon, violin; Joel Evans, oboe and English horn; and Boyd Herforth, organ.

Membership Questions

Newsletter
July 2016

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One of my favorite memories at a concert was during one of the Bach Birthday Bashes, hosted by Pat Maimone while she was organist at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cold Spring. After a series of performances by local instrumentalists, vocalists and organists — including myself — we had a reception in the church sanctuary which featured a birthday cake. During this time, Pat sat at the organ and led us in a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday." My wife who was attending began asking me whose birthday was it? I said, Bach's of course! In this way, Pat brought a real human dimension to our music making and history. Her celebrations were not about historical musicians idolizing and solemnly recreating great music of the past; she understood that music was created by human beings and was to be shared and enjoyed with a communal spirit by people who could learn to appreciate great music. In many ways, the Hudson Valley Bachfest, which had its 17th annual series of concerts recently in Cornwall and Poughkeepsie, is very much part of Pat Maimone's legacy.

It is with this in mind that her family and I wanted to have a concert dedicated to her memory, given by her colleagues in the chapel where she served for almost 29 years. Pat Maimone's Memorial Concert will be on Sunday, July 31st at 3 pm, in the West Point Post Chapel — 692 Biddle Loop. I hope many of you are able to come. The concert is free to the public, and there will be a short reception following in the chapel basement. Please allow for extra time to enter the gate at West Point due to increased security checks. You can see more details about the concert in the Calendar section of the newsletter and website.

Also, please do not forget about our Annual Picnic which will be taking place at Eric Hepp's house — 24 LorMar Court, Wappingers Falls. This will be on Sunday, July 17th at 3 pm. Please let Eric know if you will be providing a salad or dessert. You can reach Eric at 845-489-2625.

Membership in our Chapter continues to be a concern. If you have not renewed your dues, please follow the link to ONCARD: The process is so easy that even I have renewed my dues on time the last two years, and I was always notoriously late in renewing. Many of you received an e-mail from Barbara Bayers. Please take it to heart, and renew today.

Another concern is that Barbara Bayers, our Membership Coordinator/Registrar, has moved out of the area. Therefore, we need to find someone who is willing to handle our membership information and work with other Board members in communicating with our membership at large. Handling the information as she left it will be rather simple for those who work well with Microsoft Excel. If you think you may be able to assist the chapter in this way, please contact me at 845-239-2262.

I hope you continue to have a nice summer, and please plan to attend our wonderful events in July.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Congratulations to two of our members from the Vassar College community who have recently been honored for excellence in music:
  
  • Patrick Walker was awarded the Jean Slater Edson Prize in music composition for his Symphony no. 1 in D minor. Patrick has also passed the Colleague examination of the American Guild of Organists.
  
  
  • Sarah Johnson was awarded the Francis Walker prize for the graduating senior who, in the judgment of the faculty displays the greatest proficiency in the study of the piano.
   
  
• Congratulations also to Denise Bassen, who achieved the Masters Degree in Organ Performance at Binghamton University, studying under Jonathan Biggers. She graduated on May 20.


• Sarah Rodeo has accepted the Organist/Choir Director position at St. Paul's & Trinity Parish in Tivoli.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in August 2016, is July 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
June 2016

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Still reflecting on our recent successful Members' Recital enjoying a fine historic pipe organ in a beautiful space, North Congregational Church in Middletown, I realize what a wealth of pipe organs we have here in the Central Hudson Valley. As a member of this AGO chapter I have been privileged to experience many, and as a concert performer I have been able to experience many more. I sit every week at one of the largest pipe organs in the world at West Point's Cadet Chapel, and I regularly play two other very effective organs for services of worship at West Point's Catholic Chapel and Old Cadet Chapel. The 57 rank pipe organ in West Point's Post Chapel, the largest in the Hudson Valley outside of the Cadet Chapel and Vassar College, will be featured in a memorial concert honoring Patricia Maimone — longtime Post Chapel organist and former Central Hudson Valley chapter dean — the evening of Friday, July 29. I hope you will put that date on your calendar.

Vassar College boasts two very fine pipe organs, including the Fritts organ in the recital hall and one of the largest Gress-Miles organs in the chapel. Please watch postings for frequent opportunities to hear these organs in recital and choral concerts. The city and town of Poughkeepsie has many other pipe organs which are featured on a regular basis at chapter events. The Austin organ largely designed by Ray Corey at First Lutheran Church and now maintained as a labor of love by Eric Hepp is more versatile than its stoplist might suggest — I managed to pull off a performance of Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur on that organ. Other organs which testify to the art of providing a fine instrument in a challenging space on a limited budget are the organs at Christ Church Episcopal, St. John's Lutheran and Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church. Also, the unusually fine Möller organ at Redeeming Life Worship Center (formally First Presbyterian Church) gets played once a year for Marist College's Christmas concert. The organ is not maintained, unfortunately, but it keeps providing Christmas carols and the "Hallelujah" Chorus every year regardless.

North, south and east of Poughkeepsie, the notable organs are too many to name. Hopefully, our chapter will keep up its mission of visiting and hearing these organs in coming years. One organ that should be pointed out is the historic one-manual pipe organ in St. Andrew's Church, Beacon, where Susan LaGrande plays, which has recently been brought into playing condition by the church.

The chapter has taken organ crawls in Kingston and Middletown. Both cities have clusters of very fine organs, including the historic organ played by James Fitzwilliam and the large pipe organs in the uptown district including Old Dutch Church, St. James Methodist Church and Fair Street Reformed Church. We previously visited North Congregational in Middletown on an organ crawl which also featured First Congregational and Grace Episcopal Church, two of the highest steeples in the Hudson Valley. On that organ crawl, we took time to visit one of the many fine theatre pipe organs we have here in our region — the Paramount Theatre. Two other very prominent theatre organs are found at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie and also the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern.

The list goes on and on. In the next year or so, we will be featuring a concert of music specifically written for an organ housed in New Paltz. The former West Point organ curator, Henry Van Seters, built many organs in Cornwall and surrounding cities. His organ at Cornwall Presbyterian will be featured in one of the Hudson Valley Bachfest Concerts this upcoming month.

I have had the honor of playing recitals on historic (or historically designed) pipe organs in Blooming Grove and the famous cemetery at Sleepy Hollow (fortunately I encountered no horsemen while preparing for that recital). There are many others I have yet to visit.

Another Hudson Valley city which has a number of very good pipe organs is Port Jervis. At Immaculate Conception Church there, the Levsen organ company very successfully renovated a Delaware organ enlarging it to 43 ranks speaking out into one of the largest free standing sanctuary spaces in North America. There are other significant organs there also, including a very historic tracker for which our member Maris Kristapsons composed a commissioned organ work (a set of variations on "Amazing Grace").

I imagine that reading this letter there are many members who could be inspired to add many more instruments on which they have personally performed or have had the privilege to hear. This just goes to show how important the pipe organ culture is to this particular region.

For this and many other reasons, I encourage each and every member to continue supporting the cause of the pipe organ in our area through actively participating in the Central Hudson Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In the course of our busy routines, it is easy to lose the overall vision of maintaining the role of the organ in the arts here in the Hudson Valley. North of New York City, west of Boston, not far from the other vital urban centers of the northeast and Canada, it can be easy to lose the "forest" of truly fine pipe organs for the idyllic trees we enjoy watching every day and which inspired Louis Comfort Tiffany to paint his breathtaking scenes still captured in many windows we have in our area.

So I want to take this time in early June to remind us of the riches we possess here in the Hudson Valley, the rewards we enjoy even though sometimes the work is hard and the daily grind is tough, and especially the responsibility we all share as stewards of a great legacy here in this beautiful area of New York.

Have a great summer!

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Editor's Note: Please see the Local Organs page on our chapter web site for a list of 65 instruments in the Hudson Valley, including those listed above. Some of the information provided may be out of date; if you can supply current photos, history, and specifications, please contact the Editor, Susan LaGrande, at 845-226-6496.

Membership News

Instruments for Sale

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in July 2016, is June 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
May 2016

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It used to be that when Easter was over, we could look forward to the end of our academic and church seasons and begin to relax. Lately, though, it seems like May is just as busy a month as all the months preceding. There are many advantages to the busy season, including the many concerts available in the Hudson Valley. Please take a look at our Calendar and see many opportunities to attend great music in our area.

Please also note that our Members' Recital is coming up on May 29 at 3:00 PM. I already have several people who have expressed interest in participating. This year's recital will be at North Congregational Church in Middletown, which houses a 20-rank E.M. Skinner organ in nearly original condition. If you are interested in playing, please contact me at craigwilliams@hvc.rr.com or call me on my cell — 845-239-2262. I will begin arranging practice times and coordinating the program two weeks before the performance. Also, please plan to support your colleagues as they perform in this beautiful landmark church. Distances on Interstate 84 are not as great as one might think.

Further on in the summer, there will be a memorial concert given to honor Patricia Maimone, past dean of the Central Hudson Valley chapter and resident of many decades here in the Hudson Valley. She served at the Post Chapel of West Point for 29 years and then at St. Mary's Church in Cold Spring for many years afterward. This concert will take place at the West Point Post Chapel on the evening of Friday, July 29. This will be a wonderful opportunity to pay respects to one of the most dedicated musicians in our community while wishing members of her family well.

Recently we lost another member of our chapter as well. Peter Hall, who served at First Baptist Church in Middletown and then continued to serve in the choir at Grace Episcopal Church there, passed away at age 86 in March. He was a faithful member of our chapter, as well as being president of the Middletown Chapter of the National Guild of Music Teachers. Further information may be found by clicking on Obituaries at this website: http://www.connellfuneralhome.com/

The American Guild of Organists continues to allow us to be a community which can encourage our young artists who are working hard to take our heritage into the next generation, support the part-time and full-time professionals among us, and give honor to those who have passed on. I ask everyone's support to keep the cause of great organ music alive and well in the Hudson Valley.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Sarah Rodeo, a junior music major at Vassar studying organ, piano and voice. Her contact information is: 10 Gracie Square Apt. 6D, New York, NY 10028. Phones: 212-585-0547 (Home) and 646-775-1939 (Cell) - Email: sarodeo@vassar.edu. She is a new addition to our Sub List. We are happy to have her in our midst!


• Chapter member Iouri Grichetchkine has just had an organ work published in the Lorenz collection "Mixture." Sample pages are available to view at https://www.lorenz.com/keyboard/browse-by-composer?itemId=Composer:20444. The same link may be used to order the collection. Three additional organ preludes/postludes are yet to come this year from the same publisher. Congratulations, Iouri!

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in June 2016, is May 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
April 2016

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Now that Easter is over (unless you are Orthodox), I want to bring your attention to three events coming up for our chapter. These events are marked in red on our website calendar. The first is an organ recital on Saturday, April 9 at 4:00 PM, presented at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 17 South Avenue in Beacon. The performers are Bruce and Reilly Xu, twin brothers who just celebrated their 13th birthday in January. If you attended last spring's Membership Recital at Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church, then you are already familiar with the brothers' very advanced performance skills. Bruce and Reilly have been playing in churches since age 9 and have been students of Jimrae Lenser for years. Jimrae worked with both of them developing very refined hymn playing skills and introducing them to advanced organ repertoire. Two years ago, Jimrae recommended them to me for the study of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. I have been pleased to see them take a very serious approach to performing on the organ for concerts as well as recognizing the role of organ in church music and leading worship. Bruce and Reilly's recital at St. Andrew's will feature fine playing of hymns as well as focusing on the music of Bach, some of the French symphonic masters and others. You do not want to miss it.

On April 24th at 3:00 PM, Meredith Baker will be giving an organ recital at West Point Cadet Chapel. Though the building has gone through extensive renovations and the organ has been working at about a third capacity, I am pleased that we have been able to continue having concerts at the chapel. This program will be special, because it will be Meredith's last concert at West Point in her official capacity as the Organist/Music Director of West Point's Catholic Chapel. This will be a culmination of Meredith's 25 years of service at West Point! Come help us celebrate.

I also want to highlight our Members' Recital coming up on May 29th, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. This year's recital will be at North Congregational Church in Middletown. North Congregational houses a 20 rank E.M. Skinner organ in nearly original condition. Not only does the organ have beautiful voices — noble diapasons, colorful flutes and wonderful orchestral voices — strings and reeds — but, if one of the most important stops on any organ is the room in which it plays, this organ is one of the jewels of the Hudson Valley. The sanctuary of North Congregational is a warm reverberant space accentuated by the church's unique stone structure, lending great power to the organ. I encourage all to participate. The one caveat is that the console does not have working pistons. Therefore, do not bring repertoire that requires many piston adjustments. You or your assistant will be pulling drawknobs by hand. If you are interested in playing, please contact me at craigwilliams@hvc.rr.com or call me on my cell — 845-239-2262. I will begin arranging practice times and coordinating the program in May.

Finally, take a look at the Calendar and see the many musical events the Hudson Valley has to offer. Also, if you want to post something in our Calendar, please contact Susan LaGrande. We in the Central Hudson Valley chapter want to support as much as possible our mutual contributions to the region's rich musical heritage

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in May 2016, is April 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
March 2016

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The groundhog did not see his shadow this year and for once, it looks like he may have been right! Along with our early spring weather (not that we had much of a winter and not that I am complaining) comes an early western Holy Week and Easter. I imagine that many of you were very busy with Lenten preparations even before the Christmas decorations were put away. I wish all of you wonderful celebrations of the holidays rapidly approaching!

Spring — especially in an even-numbered year — also brings AGO elections. This spring there will be many changes in the Central Hudson Valley chapter officers and board. I will be stepping down as dean for example. I have served now for four years and many years as sub-dean and board member before that. I will continue to serve the chapter as a member-at-large in one of the board's committees. There will be other changes of personnel as well.

My appeal in bringing up this topic of conversation is two-fold: First, I ask your kind attention to the process of selecting the slate of candidates, and I request that all members take time to vote. Details about voting will be coming up in a future newsletter. Second, I ask that members-at-large consider serving the Central Hudson Valley chapter in a more active way — either as a board member or member of one of the committees — Membership, Programming, etc.

At present, the Nominating process is being conducted by board member, Wesley Joseph CAGO. If you think you would like to serve or have questions, please feel free to contact him. His number is 845-546-0104, or you may e-mail him at wt.joseph@gmail.com. Your participation is vital to the continued health and legacy of our chapter.

I want to take a brief opportunity to thank Barbara Bayers, our Membership chair. Many of you have become members of our chapter, because you have been encouraged by her personal connection to everyone and her attention to detail. Our chapter covers a wide geographical area in a part of our country where it is a challenge to be served by the professional benefits of the AGO. It is ironic that not far to the south of us is an area with numbers of chapters in the double digits, while we pretty much cover an area from the New Jersey border to Albany, the Pennsylvania border to Connecticut. There is much going on in the cities of our area — Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Middletown, Beacon, Newburgh and others — not to mention the many universities and colleges in our midst. Your personal commitment to the AGO in our area will help us to continue serving the rich musical heritage of the greater Hudson Valley. I thank you for all you have done and will continue to do.

Have a blessed Easter and Passover season.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in April 2016, is March 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
February 2016

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I have just returned from a great trip down in North Carolina, celebrating the musical achievements of two very talented young people. I confess to some bias in my admiration, because one of the young folks is my student and the other is my daughter. Still, I had a great trip and discovered how traversing the great state of North Carolina certainly puts miles on your car. I stayed in Greenville which is the home of East Carolina University (Go Pirates!), but I "commuted" two days in a row to an organ competition in Winston-Salem. Traveling roughly 700 miles (and that does not include the trip to and from New York) was well worth it however.

Bruce Xu, my student and one of our esteemed members of the Central Hudson Valley chapter, was accepted as a finalist in the University of North Carolina School of the Arts organ competition. The competition is open to high schoolers, or — in Bruce's case — to a middle schooler. I was proud to see that Bruce played very well, with considerable poise, and was awarded third place in a field dominated by 17- and 18-year-olds!

Bruce was by far the youngest contestant, having celebrated his 13th birthday two weeks ago. If you see Bruce, please congratulate him on this wonderful achievement. Not only did he win third place but he is now seriously considering attending the UNC School of the Arts high school, studying organ with Dr. Timothy Olsen. This may be a transformational time for this very talented young man.

I stayed three hours away from UNC, however, so that I could have time to visit my daughter who is presently a freshman at Eastern Carolina University (ECU). She is studying Music Education with an emphasis on Voice and Choral Conducting. She was one of three freshman females to be accepted in ECU's prestigious Chamber Singers and is finding acceptance among her professors. Thanks to her seven years of piano study, she has gained the particular notice of her piano professor who recently hired her as soprano scholar (paid student soloist) in his choir at First Presbyterian Church in Kinston, NC (home to a fine Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, but I digress). This weekend I not only got to sit in on a splendid rehearsal of the Chamber Singers where the director told them they would be competing in a prestigious competition in Bulgaria this spring (!), but I also got to hear Abigail sing a solo and help lead the choir in church. Yes, it was a great week of celebrating the talent and enthusiasm of youth! And if the progress of Bruce and Abigail is not enough, I see Bruce's twin brother Reilly (my other student) and Abigail's brother Stewart (my son) both diligently practicing for future goals as well!

This is the true joy of parenthood and mentorship which lies fully in the mission of the AGO. With education and open opportunities, we are developing a new generation sharing our joy of creating and ministering through music. If you take a look at our Calendar, you will see many opportunities we have ahead — everything from exploring how to cultivate our artistic expression with the help of the discipline of Pilates (this February 21st) to our Members' Recital in May. I hope to see you at one of our events. And by all means, please bring someone you wish to encourage in our art.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in March 2016, is February 23.

Editor's Corner

Newsletter
January 2016

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Happy New Year! I hope you had a blessed holiday season full of musical celebrations! There is so much planning that goes into Christmas for me that I come out from the season feeling a little confused. I have definite concerts and other events on my 2016 calendar and let’s face it, Ash Wednesday is already on February 10th! However, I always get these vague feelings like “I need to make sure this is ready – oh wait, we already had that concert or service.” Sometimes the concluding thought is “That was three weeks ago!” These rapid-fire events all become a blur after a while.

In some ways, we are in a new time of planning for the AGO as well. If you look on our Calendar, you will see two events: Our Spuds ‘n’ Sundaes annual event which will take place on Sunday, January 24 at 5:00 PM in the fellowship hall of the First Reformed Church, Fishkill. We used to have this event at this great location years ago, and it will be nice to meet there again. Connie Lacey is the Organist/Music Director there, and you may feel free to contact her (the number is on the Calendar) if you have more questions.

The second event is our Annual Members’ Recital on Sunday, May 29 at North Congregational Church in Middletown. The church houses a lovely 20-rank E.M. Skinner organ in near-original condition which speaks into a reverberant room with marble walls in an historic stone church. Please plan ahead for this wonderful concert!

Though it looks like there are only two events, there are plans for many more in the spring and the coming fall which will be listed on the Calendar shortly. Please continue to check our website or your newsletter for updates. We have an exciting year ahead.

I mentioned that I already have events on my calendar. With a couple of these dates, I have decided to set challenges for myself. It is very easy to get into a rut with the church work, other performances and different kinds of jobs. After a while, one year pretty much feels like the same. I once knew a dear colleague who could always tell you what hymns he was playing the next few Sundays, because he played the same collection of hymns year after year. With the exception of some popular Christmas carols and other seasonal hymns, I could not keep such a schedule – it would drive me nuts! Even if our hymn selection is more varied than that, however, it is easy to get into a rut. Therefore, I decided that I would challenge myself with some new repertoire (or old more difficult repertoire) and also working with the West Point chaplains on some new approaches to music in the service. I would like to stimulate your thought processes in a similar direction: Are there areas where your work may improve or take on a fresh direction in this new year? Perhaps learn that prelude and fugue you have been telling yourself you wanted to take on for the last few years. Or re-examine and re-set some of your piston combinations. Or work with the clergy to add some new Mass settings to your church’s cycle. Or go for the next (or first) level of AGO certification. There are many ways to make the old new as they say.

Whatever you do, make it the best you are able. I hope to see you soon at one of our chapter events!

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

Organ in the Mall

To wit: it's been used in intimate spaces, as well as to fill up the West Point Cadet Chapel. Vassar College hires us for their silent film presentation as part of their annual FilmFest program. In October many AGO members enjoyed the traveling organ at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie where Nathan Avakian played it for the “Bach to Broadway” program, which also featured James Fitzwilliam on the Gress-Miles. While primarily a theater style organ (highly unified), it can hold its own with much of the classical repertoire.

Several years ago we had an organ in the Broadway Mall on Long island and subsequently in Terminal 4 of JFK Airport. This year we approached two different Malls on the idea of an organ for Holiday music. The first one didn’t work out, but the Galleria Mall in Poughkeepsie was all excited, and most cooperative.

Finding organists on short notice was a bit tough. I found that Carl Hackert from upstate New York was available for Friday, December 11 in the early afternoon, followed by Nathan Avakian in the evening. On Saturday Juan Cardona Jr. from Danbury, CT did the honors for several hours. On Sunday evening Claudia Bracaliello from the Catskill area played, followed by Sue Ward who is a regular at the LaFayette theater in Suffern. We skipped Monday but on Tuesday Nathan Avakian returned for a full day with his sister Claire who has a gorgeous voice and terrific stage presence (think Karen Carpenter). They literally stopped shoppers in their tracks. The Galleria management just loved it and they want us back next year.

On Wednesday, December 16, we packed up the organ and took it to UPAC to start rehearsals for the “Messiah” presented by the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and Cappella Festiva.

I thank my NYTOS crew for all their help with transport and set up: Robert Lumb, Paul Roughgarden, and William Hayter.

BTW, the organ is available to the AGO as well. Contact me for info.

Other Organs in the News

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in February 2016, is January 23.

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
December 2015

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Another season of Advent and Christmas is upon us. I am always amazed how after weeks of diligent preparation, planning and hard work, the season always seems to surprise me when it arrives! Somehow after all the choir rehearsals and receiving of music in the mail from various performance groups not to mention home preparations – raking and sweeping, putting away fall decorations, putting up Christmas decorations – I still do not feel quite ready when I see the Lighting of the First Advent Candle in the upcoming Sunday bulletin. Then I think – is it not supposed to be that way?

In the books of the Maccabees, the Jews held out all kinds of hope for deliverance – yet when the lights stayed on, was that not still a bit of surprise? Joseph and Mary were well prepared for the arrival of their Child – yet the events of that night in the manger must have been full of surprises – not to mention everything with which they would have to deal in the first two years of their Child’s life. Is not every Christmas Eve service full of unplanned events – some pleasant, perhaps some not? So we see the rhythm of the new church year and our musical calendar reflecting the greater rhythms of life.

This past year we said good-bye to many we did not know were going to leave – despite long-term conditions in the case of some. We also were treated to many wonderful concerts as a part of our AGO calendar and others given by communities surrounding us. We have expected good choirs to perform and still have been moved to an elevated sense of surprise when the beauty of their sound far exceeded our expectation of what we thought we were going to hear.

One message of Advent, Hanukkah and Christmas is that ultimately we are not in control. We organists say that we are in the business of serving a Power greater and different than we – yet at the same time, we work with a medium that speaks to our sense of wanting control. More than any other instrumentalists, we need to coordinate, organize and plan how our instrument is going to deliver our music – setting pistons (or pre-planning the movement of stops), knowing which manual we are going to play at which time, making sure the bench is at just the right height – all the while trying to appear to our choirs that we are all over it! Control is the name of the game. Then we push the on switch, and the blower refuses to turn on…! And suddenly, God is there speaking in the stillness – a stillness we never wanted! We have all been there. In the gap stands the message of our season. Dr. Seuss understood that overriding truth very well.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season! May you enjoy the fruits of your hard work among your volunteers and colleagues, may you be surrounded by wonderful music, and may the surprises of the season only serve our greater call to making and listening to the music given to us and cultivated by us in our hearts.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Iouri Grichetchkine, Music Director at St. Savior's Church in Brooklyn and at Temple Beth Am in Parsippany, NJ. His contact information is:
  Mr. Iouri Grichetchkine
  828 Proctor Rd.
  PO Box 186 
  Glen Spey, NY 12737
  917-974-6231
  iourigrichetchkine@gmail.com


• Welcome also to Neil Gould, a former member who served as chapter treasurer many years ago. His contact information is:
  Mr. Neil Gould
  71 Ferris Lane
  Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
  Phone: 845-452-7857 (home) or 914-474-8420 (cell)
  No email address
  Neil is included in our Sub List.


• Welcome back to Alice Cann, a long-time Chapter Friend. Her contact information is:
  Ms. Alice Cann
  27 Dogwood Trail
  Lagrangeville, NY 12540
  alicecann@frontier.net


• Fr. George Hafemann has added a cell phone: 845-206-9557.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in January 2016, is December 23.

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
November 2015

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Past is prologue. Looking at this past month and then looking at the coming month, we see this truism in a way that is exciting but also another way that is sad.

Looking at the way which is sad and solemn, we posted in last month’s newsletter a “Farewell to a Past Dean,” dedicated to Don Filkins who served the Central Hudson Valley chapter and the overall cause of organ music for decades. We were sorry to announce his passing and feature several passages from his obituary. If you have not read the article, I invite you to look in the archives and read about the life of a fascinating and creative man.

That said, we feature another “Farewell to a Past Dean” this month. This is not a repeat of last month’s article. This is dedicated to Patricia Maimone who served the AGO and the Hudson Valley for many years. Her most notable position here was to dedicate almost 29 years of her career to the West Point Post Chapel. The Post Chapel is one of four chapels on West Point different from the Cadet Chapel, serving soldiers, officers and the general community of West Point. The music programs of the Post Chapel are ambitious and were particularly so under Ms. Maimone’s direction. When she took over that position, she immediately inherited an organ project which made the pipe organ at the Post Chapel the second largest in the Hudson Valley! When she retired from West Point, she continued to serve with distinction first at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Cold Spring and then moved to southern California to be closer to her son’s family – and there served at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica. We salute Pat, along with Don Filkins and also two other deceased members, Anita Drake and Martha Miller, who may not have served as officers but were still vital parts of our community.

Turning to the exciting way history repeats itself, we remember the announcements of the Bach to Brooklyn Concert last month. This month there are two concerts being co-sponsored by our chapter which are being presented by first class musicians with international reputations. First, concert organist and Vassar College organ professor Gail Archer will present a recital of organ works by women composers. The concert will begin with a cappella works of women composers performed by the Vassar College Women’s Choir, directed by Christine Howlett. This recital will take place on Sunday, November 8 at 7:00 PM, at Christ Church, Poughkeepsie. Please check out the flyer and also the Calendar for more information. Tickets will be sold at the door.

Then Hudson Valley residents will be the chance to hear the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys performing at Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls on Friday, November 20 at 6:00 PM. Please check ticket information in the Calendar. Seats are going quickly, so order sooner rather than later!

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we do truly give thanks for those who worked hard for the cause of the AGO in the past and for those opportunities which continue for us in the present.

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Members, please update your Chapter Roster with any new contact information included in this section of the newsletter each month.


• If your contact information changes, please inform Membership Chair Barbara Bayers. Don’t forget to log into ONCARD (https://www.agohq.org/oncard-login/) and make the updates there as well.


• Benjamin T. Vise has an alternate-mail address: btvise@yahoo.com

Another Goodbye

Ms. Maimone was pre-deceased by her parents, Asa L. and Dorothy W. Rogers, sister Joanne D. Rogers-Samuda, and ex-husband John J. Maimone. She is survived by her son, Mark, daughter-in-law Alice Mei-King Cheung Maimone, granddaughter Selena Maimone, sister Barbara J. Rogers, brother-in-law Richard D. Weis, many cousins, and many nieces and nephews.

Membership Questions

Deadline for Next Newsletter

You may submit newsletter or web site material by mail, e-mail, fax or phone. Just contact the editor, Susan LaGrande, using the information given above. Remember, the deadline for the next printed newsletter, to be available the first week in December 2015, is November 23.

Editor’s Corner

Newsletter
October 2015

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I write this Dean’s Letter past deadline. However, one advantage of a late submission is that I can rave about the October 3 concert Bach to Broadway, Two Organs, Two Organists, All Fun. Fun indeed it was!

This was a remarkable and unique show, and I am very proud that we were able to present it as a chapter. Particular congratulations go to Laura Russell, our sub-dean and chapter programming chair, and John Vanderlee, CHVAGO member and programming chair for the New York Theatre Organ Society. I also want to thank the new rector of Christ Church, the Rev. Susan Fortunato, who graciously officiated at the installation of officers which began the concert and offered free use of the church for the performance, also serving as co-sponsor with the CHVAGO and NYTOS for the event. It is wonderful when communities come together to create such a fine result.

Finally, not enough good can be said about the superlative performers, Nathan Avakian and member James Fitzwilliam. Nathan was brilliant, composing many of the duel arrangements they played and demonstrating youthful energy and enthusiasm. James came alive also, providing a fun companion for and repartee with his partner. Nathan’s technique and memory were dazzling, showing mastery over the church’s Gress-Miles pipe organ as well as the Allen Touring Unit Orchestra theatre organ. James rendered beautiful and sensitive interpretations of Bach on the organ and Rachmaninoff on the piano. He also provided (not listed in the program) a brisk two-step rag (“The Easy Winners”) by Scott Joplin.

If you missed this concert, you missed an extraordinary event. The way to make up for it is to pull out your calendar and immediately write down the next event which also promises to be a very fine concert not to be missed. On Sunday, November 8 at 7:00 PM, also at Christ Church, concert organist and Vassar College organ professor Gail Archer will present a recital of organ works by women composers. The concert will also include a cappella works of women composers performed by the Vassar College Women’s Choir, directed by Christine Howlett. Both the organ playing and ensemble singing will be extraordinary.

Then more extraordinary singing will be rendered by the St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys performing at Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls on Friday, November 20 at 6:00 PM. Please check ticket information in the Calendar. Seats are going quickly, so do not miss out!

It is very easy to be enthusiastic about our chapter’s programs this fall. Please take the opportunity to attend these great events. Also check the Calendar for other fine events including Kairos, the Con Brio Concerts, West Point and other venues here in the Hudson Valley.

Take time to enjoy the beauties of fall inside and out!

Craig Williams, AAGO
Dean, Central Hudson Valley AGO

Membership News

• Welcome to new member Banjamin T. Vise, formerly of the Canton, OH chapter. He is now Director of Music at Christ Episcopal Church in Suffern, NY. His contact information is:
  Benjamin T. Vise
  12 Rustic Drive
  Airmont, NY 10952
  330-327-0895
  bvsoulmasseur@gmail.com


• Welcome also to Mary Danyla-Gold. Mary is a returning former member. Her contact information is:
  Mary Danyla-Gold
  46 Pleasant View Avenue
  Beacon, NY 12508
  845-249-5448
  marydanyla@gmail.com


• Nancy Brown has a new phone number, effective immediately: 845-373-8122.


• Grant Chapman has a new address, effective immediately:
  Wm. Grant Chapman
  PO Box 157
  West Point, NY 10996-0157
  Grant’s other contact information remains the same.


• Nancy Vanderlee’s email address has changed, effective immediately: navanderlee@gmail.com.