American Guild of Organists Chartered 1896 European Chapter Chartered 1979 Newsletter October 2016 1. The Dean's Corner 2. The Secretary's Voice; News from the Board 5. Introducing our Members; 6. Members´ News 8. European News: Obituary; News from our Regional Councillor 10. News from HQ 13. Recitals Past & Present The Dean´s Corner Meeting! This is not a new announcement for most of you, but for those of you who Dear European Chapter Members, have not yet heard the news: The Another exciting AGO year has begun European Chapter Spring Meeting 2017 for the European Chapter! Why exciting? will be held in Washington D.C. and our Well, there are many reasons. Let me member there, Roger Schumacher, is the name a few: organizer. There is still a little bit of room 1.) In the Membership Report in this for you to join us, so read the latest news newsletter you will see that in October we about the event in this newsletter and let reached 133 in our Chapter membership! both Roger and myself know about your Just two years ago we numbered 116, so plans to attend. You will also be able to this is another membership milestone for see the latest draft of the itinerary. Great our Chapter. Let me give a special work, Roger! welcome to our newest members: 3.) Your Chapter Board met this month in Margreeth de Jong, Middelburg, Hasselt, Belgium, for our annual meeting Netherlands; Stefan Heinemann, to discuss the business of the chapter. Wiesbaden, Germany; Donald Mackenzie, What an enthusiastic group of officers I am Aylesbury, England; Jason West, returning privileged to work with year after year on member now living in Washington D.C.; your behalf here in Europe. I’m not sure Kathy Cooper, returning member living in that you are aware that your Chapter Board Arlington, Virginia; Christoph members live in a variety of countries: Hintermueller, Bergkamen, Germany, now Belgium, France, Germany, England, studying in Los Angeles; Thomas Dahl, USA, Italy and The Netherlands. That Hamburg, Germany, (2016 winner of the means that our Chapter, which is full of National AGO Competition in international members living around Improvisation in Houston!); John Wolfe, Europe and in the USA, is also represented Evan Currie and Roshan Chakane, all on your Board by just such an international students of European Chapter member group of individuals. Very special, indeed! Renee Louprette at Rutgers University in Thank you board members, for your New Jersey. We are thrilled that you have continuing devotion, work, time, energy chosen to become members of the and support of AGO and the European European Chapter of AGO! We look Chapter. forward to getting to know you! 4.) This newsletter is full of NEWS about 2.) We are going to the USA during the what is happening in the lives and careers week after Easter in 2017 for our Spring of many of our European Chapter members 1 here in Europe, as well as European Educational Coordinator: Ruth Ahrend Chapter members living in the USA and [email protected] Australia. The AGO gives organists, choir Professional Development: directors, organ friends and fans around Giorgio Parolini the world wonderful opportunities to gain [email protected] knowledge and experience, to be ONCARD Assistant: supportive of colleagues and receive Betsy Mixon-Stemmler support in return. Just taking the step to [email protected] become involved or simply meet one new Support your Board, be an active Member! person in our profession can bring Please note that the e-mail addresses are fulfillment and joy that I guarantee will formulated with (at) in place of @. This is spread to others. to foil the efforts of electronic “phishing” With warm wishes, for such information on-line. In order to Judy use the addresses please insert the @ The Secretary´s Voice before adding them to your address book. Thank you ! Dear Members, This issue is so full of interesting and exciting things that I don´t want to keep European Chapter AGO Address corrections you very long from reading further. During our Board Meeting we did discuss one Ronald Butts-Boehmer, CAGO item that I´d like to pass on here. Barry (formerly of Naples, Italy) Jordan and I agreed that our jobs as Web- PO Box 1842 Master and Newsletter Editor respectively Alexandria, Virginia 22313 would be much easier if our members USA would send us photos and information. Director of Music, Messiah Lutheran, Freely after JFK, “Don´t ask what your Germantown, Maryland (Flentrop organ) Chapter can do for you, think about what you can do for your Chapter!” Have a good Kristien Poesen read! Winkelstraat 26 Bernard 3600 Genk [email protected] BELGIUM +32 484 46 15 97 Please submit your items for the next kristienpoesen(at)msn.com Newsletter before Dec. 31st ! Jennifer Chou, new telephone number: News from the Board +613 97290765 Dean and Membership Coordinator: Judy Riefel-Lindel, new e-mail: Judy Riefel-Lindel judith.riefel-lindel(at)outlook.com [email protected] Sub-Dean: Johan Hermans [email protected] Watch for the new Secretary and Newsletter Editor: Membership List 2016-2017 Bernard Sanders coming soon! [email protected] Treasurer: Charles Baer The European Chapter Web Site [email protected] can be visited at: www.agoeurope.eu Registrar: John Falkingham See Newsletters from 2000 until present [email protected] and pictures from the Spring Meetings ! Web-Master: Barry Jordan [email protected] 2 Mission Statement This is such an incredibly interesting The mission of the American Guild of international group of people! Organists is to enrich lives through organ and choral music. To achieve this, we: Spring Meeting 2017 • Encourage excellence in the perfor- Washington, D.C., April 17 - 22, 2017 mance of organ and choral music; • Inspire, educate, and offer certification TIME FOR AN UPDATE! for organists and choral conductors; • Provide networking, fellowship, and Dear Friends, mutual support; As I’ve worked to arrange the Spring • Nurture future generations of organists; Meeting for the European Chapter in • Promote the organ in its historic and Washington, D.C., next April, I’ve had the evolving roles; and occasion to meet some of the most wonderful people! Organists, Music • Engage wider audiences with organ and Directors, Pastors, Organ Builders, hotel choral music. and restaurant people, officials and members of local AGO chapters...entirely Membership Report without exception, these people have been by Membership Coordinator excited to learn that the European Chapter Judith Riefel-Lindel is coming to town, willing to go out of The Dean’s Message already “spilled the their way to help, and have offered their beans.” The European Chapter is instruments, their churches, and their ideas continuing to grow! As of October 2016, to help make our week a fantastic the European Chapter numbers 133 experience. So I’d like to begin this members, a jump of 17 in the last two update by thanking you, the members of years. Where are our members living? the European Chapter, for giving me the And how many are living there? Here’s opportunity to do this work for you. It’s the list: Germany 37, France 11, Italy 7, been educational, interesting, and very fun. Netherlands 6, Belgium 3, Liechtenstein 1, I’m so much looking forward to seeing Switzerland 1, Poland 2, Lithuania 1, how it all turns out next April! Republic of Moldova 1, Sweden 1, Finland And we have an Itinerary!! Have a 1, England 18, Scotland 2, Australia 1 and look at the bottom of this update. As I’m the USA 40. Where in the USA? New sure each of you understands, this Itinerary York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New is still a draft at this early date! Much can Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, happen between now and April to change Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, individual items on this program. But in North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, the case of each church, each organ (12 of Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, them!), each venue...the resident organists Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and officials in charge have been California and Arizona. contacted, and each has agreed to host us During the next few days I will be in the timeframe shown in this program. sending the membership list to our This is one of the core activities of our members. Watch for it and think about week...seeing and playing interesting, making personal contact with your fellow American-built organs...and I’m very European Chapter members in the near excited how this has all come together. future! It might start with an e-mail to one Surely you will be thrilled to get your member who happens to live in or near a fingers (and feet) into these wonderful place you would like to visit. But let me instruments! warn you: You’ll soon want to travel all Another core activity of the week will over Europe, the USA and Australia be the chance to meet members of AGO looking up European Chapter members. chapters in the USA, and this Itinerary 3 gives us the opportunity to mix with It’s wonderful that, as of today, we have members of four AGO chapters...one in the 40 persons signed up to attend. Our room university town of Winchester, Virginia block at the Marriott Hotel in Tyson’s (home to Shenandoah University) and Corner has been expanded to 30 rooms, three chapters in the D.C. area, our “tri- and 25 of these already have been reserved chapters” (the D.C. Chapter, the Northern by individual attendees. And it’s still Virginia Chapter, and the Potomac Chapter early, but the sooner we know whether you in the Maryland suburbs of D.C.).