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AGO Members Join Choir in Residence at London’s St. Paul Cathedral

The chancel choir of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta, directed by Scott Atchison (music director) and accompanied by Nicole Marane, (associate music director), made a pilgrimage to England in August 2014, serving as choir in residence for a week at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Highlights included the U.K. premiere of American composer Blake Henson’s My Flight for Heaven. In addition to works by Stanford, Howells, and Bairstow, the choir sang a broad sampling of music by North American composers, including Frank Boles, Rene Clausen, and Lee Hoiby.

Home page photo: Graham Lacado.

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Free Holiday Shipping from the AGO Store

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the organist in your life? The AGO online store is offering free shipping on all items in stock.

Items include

  • AGO Sweatshirts and other clothing items
  • Timeline of the Organ (pamphlet)
  • Preaching to the Choir (Book)
  • Exam preparation materials

Shop the AGO store

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Pipedreams Features Music from the AGO 2012 National Convention in Nashville

1aeolian
1970 Aeolian–Skinner at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Franklin, TN

Pipedreams presents “New in Nashville,” which contains concert performances and engaging contemporary compositions from Tennessee’s “Music City.” Many of the pieces were recorded during the AGO National Convention held in Nashville in 2012.

The program is available on the Pipedreams website or through your local NPR station. Please check your local listings.

Among the featured works are:

Hour 1

KURT KNECHT: The Missouri Sonata (2013)–Wyatt Smith (1970 Aeolian-Skinner/St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Franklin, TN) Pipedreams Archive (r. 3/3/14)

ROBERTO SIERRA: Organ Concerto (premiere) –Nashville Symphony Orchestra/Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Todd Wilson (2007 Schoenstein/Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN) Pipedreams Archive (7/6/12)

Hour 2

CRAIG PHILLIPS: Prelude and Exultation for Organ and Brass –Belmont Brass Quintet/Matthew Clark, director; Craig Phillips (1970 Schantz/1st Baptist Church, Nashville, TN) Pipedreams Archive (r. 7/1/12)

FELIX MENDELSSOHN: Variations serieuses, Op. 54 –Nathan Laube, organist. STEPHEN PAULUS: Grand Organ Concerto (2004) –Nashville Symphony Orchestra/Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Nathan Laube (2007 Schoenstein/Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN) Pipedreams Archive (7/6/12)

Home page slider photo: First Baptist Church, 108 Seventh Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 1970, Schantz Organ Co., 1970.

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Hurricane Mama: Meet the Great Organ in Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and host Brian Lauritzen take you inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ, affectionately nicknamed “Hurricane Mama.” Discover the story behind Hurricane Mama, organ’s unique place in classical music and how the WDCH organ has inspired composers and artists alike over the past ten years.

These 4 videos feature architect Frank Gehry, organ builder Manuel Rosales, and organist Cameron Carpenter. Brian Lauritzen hosts.

The videos will run sequentially.

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All Day Bach Organ Marathon in New York

WQXR Radio is sponsoring an all-day Bach Organ Marathon beginning at 7am on Saturday, November 22nd, at St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan. The marathon is curated by Paul Jacobs, chair of the organ department at the Juilliard School. Ticket prices range from $10 to $75 for the entire marathon. Performers include:

7:00 AM: David Crean
8:15 AM: James Wetzel
9:30 AM: Raymond Nagem
10:45 AM: Yinying Luo, Colin MacKnight, Janet Yieh
12:00 PM: Chelsea Chen
1:15 PM: Ryan Jackson
2:30 PM: Benjamin Sheen
4:15 PM: David Ball, Daniel Ficarri, Griffin McMahon
5:30 PM: Isabelle Demers
6:45 PM: David Enlow
8:00 PM: Paul Jacobs
9:15 PM: Christopher Houlihan
10:30 PM: Michael Hey
11:45 PM: Ryan Kennedy, Alexander Pattavina, Gregory Zelek

Additional information, including a live stream, is available on the WQXR website

Paul Jacobs at the organ

Paul Jacobs at the St. Peter’s Church organ.

Photo credit: Kim Nowacki/WQXR