American Guild of Organists

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AGO & Organ News

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AGO 2015 Southeast Regional Convention Features French Connections

The AGO’s 2015 Southeast Regional Convention will showcase fine organs played by artists of who are protégés of the great French organists of the last century. Featured organs and venues include:

Fisk Organ
Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church (Charlotte, NC)

AEolian-Skinner Organ
Covenant Presbyterian Church (Charlotte)

Schlueter Organ
Covenant Presbyterian Church (Charlotte)

Ruffatti Organ
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (Charlotte)

AEolian-Skinner Organ
Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC)

AEolian-Skinner Organ
Myers Park Baptist Church (Charlotte)

Letourneau Organ
Saint John’s Baptist Church (Charlotte)

Moller Organ
First United Methodist Church (Charlotte)

Commissioned artists include Ned Rorem, David Conte, Richard Webster, Mary Louise Bringle, Helen Kemp, Sally Ann Morris, and Joyce Teta.

For Further information:

Home page slider photo: St. John’s Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC – Orgues Létourneau ltée Opus 113 (2008) III/45. Pipe Organ Database Entry

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Pogorzelski-Yankee Composition Competition Deadline Nears

Submissions to the 2016 Pogorzelski-Yankee Composition Competition are due by November 28th, 2014.

The Pogorzelski-Yankee tracker organ is now in its new home at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The competition fosters the creation of new music for this instrument and organs of this size.

The 2016 Competition calls for an organ composition of 10-12 minutes in length; there are no restrictions in regard to compositional style. The competition is open to proposals from composers of all ages and nationalities.

For further information:

Pogorzelski-Yankee tracker organ installation
New Music & Competitions

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AGO Great Lakes 2015 Regional Convention Features Thirteen Venues & Organs

Thirteen different venues in Indianapolis and Bloomington Indiana will host performances this summer at the AGO’s Great Lakes Regional Convention. The venues are:

Indianapolis

Christ Church Cathedral
Christian Theological Seminary
Grand Hall, Indiana Landmarks Center
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
Second Presbyterian Church
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Warren Performing Arts Center
All Saints Episcopal Church
Christ Church Cathedral
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
Trinity Episcopal Church

Bloomington

Auer Hall, Simon Music Center
Alumni Hall, Memorial Union

For more information:
Links to all 2015 AGO Regional Conventions

The organs and venues featured in the home page slider are:

LEFT: Christian Theological Seminary (Indianapolis) – Holtkamp Opus 1999 (1987), III/34. Pipe Organ Database Entry
CENTER: Grand Hall, Indiana Landmarks Center (Indianapolis) – Thomas P. Sanborn & Son (1892), II/33. Pipe Organ Database Entry
RIGHT: Auer Hall, Simon Music Center, Bloomington, IN – Instrument: C. B. Fisk Opus 135 (2010), III/68. Pipe Organ Database Entry

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AGO Member Dexter Kennedy Triumphs at Grand Prix de Chartres

dexterkenney-300x200Dexter Kennedy has won the Grand Prize of Interpretation in the 24th International Organ Competition Grand Prix de Chartres. Arguably the most prestigious organ competition in the world, the competition was in held in Paris on the organs of the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Regional, the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique, and the final round was held on the great organ of Notre Dame Cathedral. Over 60 organists submitted application tapes for this competition, and 21 were accepted to compete in the live rounds.

The Grand Prix de Chartres carries a cash prize, but more importantly 30+ recital engagements all over Europe, including appearances in France, Spain, Germany, Iceland, Russia, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Kennedy is a member of the Detroit chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He is the first American to have advanced to the finals of that competition in the past eighteen years.

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AGO Awards Six Scholarships Totaling $60,000 for Collegiate Organ Study

The American Guild of Organists (AGO) has awarded four scholarships for undergraduate organ study and two scholarships for graduate organ study to six college organ students enrolled in the 2014–2015 academic year. The six scholars were selected from an application pool of more than 50 students and received the awards based upon their demonstrated ability in organ playing and financial need. The bequest is the largest in the history of the AGO.

Funded through a generous bequest from the estate of Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee, each undergraduate scholarship carries a cash award of $7,500 and is renewable for up to four years of collegiate study. Each graduate scholarship carries a cash award of $15,000 and is renewable for a total of two years of study. The 2014–2015 Scholarship Award recipients are:

Graduate Students
Chelsea Barton, McGill University
Jacob Taylor, Indiana University

Undergraduate Students
Clara Gerdes, Curtis Institute of Music
Garrett Law, Cleveland Institute of Music
Prince Nyatanga, Eastman School of Music
Mary Pan, University of Hartford

The American Guild of Organists is the only organization of its kind with a scholarship program supporting music students in their academic careers at any institution of higher learning of their choice. Applications for the 2014–2015 scholarship awards were received and reviewed by the AGO National Committee on Continuing Professional Education.

“This scholarship program exists thanks to the generosity and vision of two gentlemen who bequeathed their estate to the AGO, along with specific instructions as to how the funds are to be distributed,” stated Frederick Hohman, director of the scholarship committee. “Their wish was for the AGO to recognize and support young organists with financial need who have demonstrated accomplishment in organ playing.”

Speaking on behalf of Messrs. Pogorzelski and Yankee, Dale J. Marsico noted, “Accordingto my uncles, the heart is reached easier through the use of organ music than any other musical form. Their music collection, music room, pipe organ, and Ron’s playing ability were testimony to their love of the instrument. Their gift is a testament to their hopes that future generations might come to enjoy—to love and appreciate organ music as they did. They felt that their bequest to the American Guild of Organists offered the best opportunity for that possibility.”

Two new Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee Memorial Scholarships will be awarded for the 2015–2016 academic year—one for an incoming freshman ($7,500), the other for a first-year graduate organ student ($15,000). Click for eligibility requirements and application details. The online application period will run from January 1 through February 15, 2015.

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2014 Silent Auction Results

The 2014 AGO Silent Auction has drawn to a close and has generated approximately $22,000 for the AGO Annual Fund. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the 84 donors who contributed 116 auction items, and to the 191 bidders who cast 572 unique bids in the auction. The auction item that received the highest number of bids was a registration for the 2016 AGO National Convention in Houston, and the highest bid was a recital by John Walker!

You can see more results at Bidding For Good