American Guild of Organists

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AGO Member and Honoree Featured on Grammy-winning Recordings.

2008 AGO Distinguished Composer Award recipient Stephen Paulus posthumously won the 2016 GRAMMY® Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his work Far In The Heavens performed by True Concord Voices and Orchestra, led by Eric Holtan, on Reference Recordings. The work, commissioned and written for the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, was accepted by Paulus’s wife Patty and his two sons, Greg and Andrew.

Paulus’s Three Places of Enlightenment / Veil of Tears / Grand Concerto on the Naxos American Classics label garnered a Best Classical Compendium GRAMMY® Award for Nashville Symphony conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and producer Tim Handley. Organist and AGO member Nathan Laube is featured. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra performed Grand Concerto at the AGO 2012 convention in Nashville with Guerrero conducting and Laube on the organ.

Paulus, who was awarded multiple commissions from the AGO, passed away in 2014

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POE Advanced 2016

  • The 2016 POE Advanced features instruments by a wide range of builders including Casavant, E.M. Skinner, Holtkamp, Juget-Sinclair, Noack, Schantz and Wilhelm.
  • Visiting Faculty members Christian Lane, Kimberly Marshall, Bruce Newsick, Carole Terry, and Christopher Young will perform recitals, teach workshops and classes, and offer private lessons.
  • Cincinnati-area organists including faculty from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music will also participate.
  • Other activities include an introduction to carillon playing and a visit to the large E. M. Skinner organ at Cincinnati Museum Center.

EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 1. For full details, please visit cincinnatiago.org/poea16

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A Message from James Thomashower, AGO Executive Director on the 2016 AGO Membership Directory

On February 1, Harris Connect, the authorized publisher for the 2016 AGO Membership Directory, began to receive telephone calls from AGO members verifying members’ information for the publication and offering the Directory for advance sale. Based on the experience of more than 2,000 calls received to date, here are some key facts you need to know about the project.

  1. Harris Connect sent all members a postcard and an email over my signature inviting members to call in to verify the information to be published in the Directory. The number provided will connect each member with an operator in a call center. The operator is an employee of Harris Connect. The operator is not a member of the AGO staff and does not work at AGO Headquarters.
  2. The purpose of your call is twofold: First, to verify the information that you wish to have published in the Directory. Second, to offer you the opportunity to purchase the Directory in any of six different formats. The six formats are as follows:

    [table] Product,Price,Shipping & Handling,Total
    Regional CD-ROM,$24.99,$9.95,$34.94
    Softbound Album,$79.99,$19.95,$99.94
    CD-ROM,$99.99,$11.95,$111.94
    Collector’s Album,$99.99,$19.95,$119.94
    Softbound Album & CD Package,$99.99,$19.95,$119.94
    Collector’s Album & CD Package,$119.99,$19.95,$139.94
    [/table]
  3. We have provided the Harris operators with information from our database for all of our members so that the Membership Directory will have a baseline of accurate information. This information will be used only to create the Membership Directory. The information provided and the Directory itself will be available only to AGO members, no one else. It will not be provided to telemarketers.
  4. Harris is continuously training their operators to ensure that they understand the work of AGO members, but some operators are inexperienced and unfamiliar with the world of church music. Their training is ongoing. Please be patient with the operators.
  5. During the course of your conversation with a Harris Connect operator, you may be invited to purchase one or more magazine subscriptions. If you do not wish to purchase any magazines, simply but firmly decline the offer.
  6. While we hope you will agree to have your full contact information published in the Directory, you are under no obligation to do so. You may include as little or as much information as you desire, from no listing at all to full contact information. You may also add a photo with a caption, an essay of up to 300 words, or even a link to a performance or promotional video of yourself.

Some people have pointedly asked why we are undertaking this project at this time. Here are ten reasons. The Directory:

  1. Facilitates networking among members
  2. Gives members a handy, portable reference tool that enables them to find contact information for any other member
  3. Three distinct sections in the book provide three different ways to locate members: Biographical (alphabetical by last name); Geographical (State and City); Certification (AGO Certification(s) earned)
  4. Provides members with an opportunity to include a personal color photo of their choice and a caption or essay of up to 300 words. Essay may include links to websites or videos
  5. Provides essential information about the AGO, including our current Mission and Bylaws
  6. Creates a permanent, historical record of the Guild’s membership in 2016
  7. AGO National Committee on Membership Development and Support, Finance and Development Committee, and National Council have approved the publication
  8. Directory is available only to AGO members who wish to own it; no one else
  9. Information published in the Directory is protected by U.S. Copyright Laws from unauthorized reproduction or commercial use
  10. The publisher, Harris Connect, bears all costs and risks; the AGO earns non-dues revenue from the publication and related sales

James Thomashower’s TAO column on the National Membership Directory

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Young Organists Chapters

As of July 1, 2015 the AGO has seven new regional chapters for young organists to benefit young organists across the United States and other locations such as the United Kingdom and Italy.  Through Facebook a community of young organists who are members of the AGO are connecting in this virtual community to establish networking opportunities and generate innovative web-based programming.

 

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Watch Marvin Mills and Marlissa Hudson Perform “Three Spirituals”

In a recent email to members AGO President John Walker called attention to a new video on the AGO’s YouTube page. Walker wrote:

“I am delighted to be able to send you a link to a performance of Three Spirtuals, arranged by Marvin Mills and performed by soprano Marlissa Hudson, accompanied by Marvin Mills. Ms. Hudson’s performances of “Somebody Talkin’ ‘bout Jesus,” “Jesus, Lay Yo’ Head in da Window,” and “Plenty Good Room” are deeply moving; her conclusion to “Plenty Good Room” is truly spectacular. I know that you will enjoy it, too.

I am very pleased to be able to send this to you now at the start of Black History Month as part of the American Guild of Organists’ recognition and celebration of the contributions and accomplishments of African-American composers and musicians.”

The performance was recorded during the 2015 AGO Mid-Atlantic Regional Convention in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Three Spirituals