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AGO New London County Chapter |
| Last updated: May 30, 2009 |
Message from the Dean |
Greetings and welcome to our home page!This evening (May 20th) I hosted the 2009 Roberta Bitgood Scholarship auditions at Christ Church in Norwich. As many of you know, this scholarship is intended to encourage beginning organists in their studies by providing enough money to fund an academic year’s worth of organ lessons. I sat in the sanctuary tonight, listening to each of our three young applicants play for the panel of judges, and was strongly reminded of the energy and enthusiasm that still fuels this collective passion of ours—this archaic and sublime conglomeration of contingent parts, this “King of Instruments.” Arriving at Christ Church, the three judges and I were four organists much as you would expect us to be in the late weeks of May—an exhausted, over-scheduled, underpaid and weary knot of people, simply praying that we’d all survive the close of our various choir and concert seasons, and hoping that we’d somehow manage to limp along to recovery in the coming summer months. Now, all of you know about this season and its accompanying madness. It is simply part and parcel of our existence as church musicians. Imagine, then, the delight and relief inherent in hearing three students, all under the age of 16, sitting in the middle of the sanctuary at Christ Church’s new organ, and playing as if each note encompassed the entire world. It was a powerful and explosive reminder that what we do each time we sit at the console is nothing less than a sort of sublime alchemy, a wondrous and miraculous experimentation in delight and sound. It was, indeed, a fitting coda to this International Year of the Organ—gone was all the grandiosity and confetti, the scale and the pomp. What remained was nascent talent and fervor. What remained was pure music-making. As we close this International Year of the Organ and as we close our individual seasons and schedules, I invite you all to think fondly on what we’ve accomplished and what we’ve fostered. We’ve had grand events and cozy ones, education and edification in turns. Fellowship opened the year and fellowship will end it with the simple ritual of a communal meal and a meeting. I thank all of you who have participated in, planned and attended our events, for your support and your energy. I thank the Board of Directors for all their patience and diligence. I thank everyone, in short, who has volunteered their time and skill to the New London County Chapter. It has been a fantastic year, and one in which I’ve had the great pleasure to serve as your Dean. I look forward to our next season, and to our continued energy and zeal. Spectemur agendo, then. --Jesse About UsThe purpose of the American Guild of Organists is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for the mutual support, inspiration, education and certification of Guild members. Membership in the New London County AGO Chapter is open to all who support these ideals including working professionals, students, clergy, amateur musicians and friends. Likewise, our chapter members are full and part time musicians, musicians for large and small congregations, recitalists and people who love organ music but don't necessarily play. We have close to 100 members in our chapter. We maintain two library collections for our members' use: a selection of individual copies of choral music, which may be borrowed for study; and a collection of selected organ repertoire, also available for borrowing by members. Contact Doug Green for more information. About the Roberta Bitgood Organ ScholarshipThe Roberta Bitgood Organ Scholarship, offered each year by the New London County Chapter, endeavors to assist pianists and beginning organists who would like to study the organ in depth, regardless of their age, and who intend to seek employment as professional church musicians. Currently, the maximum amount of the award is $500. Requirements include: residence in the state of Connecticut, and previous keyboard experience. Enthusiasm for the organ must be demonstrated, along with musical potential and commitment. Applicants undergo a personal interview with the three scholarship judges, and play two pieces that differ in style in a live performance before the judges. These pieces may be either for piano or organ, or a combination of the two. The winning applicant will be asked to play his or her pieces for the Chapter membership at the its Annual Meeting, generally held in early June. Terms of the award include: No cash is given to the scholarship winner. The award is provided on a per lesson basis, directly to the selected organ teacher. The expectation is that the winner will receive a minimum of 15-20 lessons. The award is for lessons only. Books and other sheet music are to be purchased at the student's own expense. After one year's study under the award, the scholarship recipient may choose to appear as a performer in a members' recital held by the New London County AGO as part of its regular program. The recipient may reapply for the scholarship in a following year, but no individual may receive the scholarship for more than two years. For information about the history of the Roberta Bitgood Organ Scholarship, application details, and a list of past winners, please visit the Roberta Bitgood Commons. |
Local Events |
2008-2009 Program CalendarSunday, September 21, 2008, 4:00 PM Summer's End Concert and Nosh Lee Memorial Methodist, Central Baptist & Cathedral of St. Patrick, Norwich Sunday, October 19, 2008, 7:00 PM International Year of the Organ Organ Spectacular! 2nd Congregational, New London Sunday, November 16, 2008, 4:00 PM "Tune It Yourself" Organ Workshop St. Michael the Archangel, Pawcatuck 60 Liberty St. (Route 2) Sunday, January 25, 2009, 4:00 PM AGO Children’s Choir Festival 2nd Congregational, New London Monday, February 23, 2009, 8:00 PM "From Sea to Shining Sea" Cadet Chapel, US Coast Guard Academy, New London Friday, March 20, 2009, 7:30 PM Organ Recital in Memory of Roberta Bitgood St. John's Episcopal, Niantic Sunday, June 07, 2009, 4:00 PM "Expanding Horizons: Liturgical Music of the Jewish and Greek Orthodox Traditions" (followed by Annual Meeting) Temple Emanu-El 29 Dayton Road, Waterford |
Newsletter |
| Our newsletter, "Things Great & Swell," is published monthly except for the months of July and August. Submission deadline is the 20th of each prior month.
To add your local musical event to our comprehensive calendar, check for calendar conflicts, or submit an article for publication in "Things Great & Swell," contact our Newsletter Editor Maryann McCary: mccarym [at] aol [dot] com TG&S is currently in transition to an electronic format. For the time being, we will continue to publish the paper newsletter for those who wish to receive it in paper format. If you would prefer not to receive the paper newsletter, contact Elma Frysinger via one of our chapter officers. Elma will remove you from the paper distribution and provide access to the electronic version. |
Membership |
| If you are an organist interested in local news about possible employment in or around New London County, be advised that one benefit of AGO membership is that you can receive regular e-mail updates on this topic as well as other timely chapter news. Why don't you join us!
To find out more about membership in the AGO, contact our Treasurer Cheryl M. Banker: bankerbuzz [at] sbcglobal [dot] net. |
Placement |
| You are welcome to contact the chapter's placement coordinator for information about current job openings in our area.
Linda Lozis llozis [at] att [dot] net Note that access to the National Positions Available job list has changed! As of Monday, December 15th, when you go to view the details of a Position Available online, you will be asked to fill in a User Name and Password. Your User Name and Password will be your unique AGO identification number. This number is located above your name on the address label that appears on your copy of TAO each month. When prompted to fill in the User Name and Password fields, please enter your ID number in both fields to gain access to the details of all job openings. Employers and job seekers are invited to post and search listings of available positions on the Guild's National Website. |
Certification |
| Our current Sub-Dean, Dr. John P. Anthony, also serves as chapter liaison for all AGO examinations. Contact him if you would like information about how to prepare for an AGO exam, or details on when and where a particular exam may be taken.
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Contact Us |
| Chapter Officers for 2008-2009
Dean Jesse N. Glaude jglaude [at] earthlink [dot] net Sub-Dean John P. Anthony jpant [at] conncoll [dot] edu Secretary Jane H. Nolan janesjazz [at] comcast [dot] net Treasurer Cheryl M. Banker bankerbuzz [at] sbcglobal [dot] net Members-At-Large Stephen T. Anderson (2009) stander5308 [at] gmail [dot] com Linda J. Murno (2010) lindam1962 [at] juno [dot] com Douglas Green (2011) DGreen860 [at] aol [dot] com |
Links |
| AGO Region I (New England)
Our Regional Councillor for New England, E. Lary Grossman, maintains the AGO Region I Web log (also known as a "blog"), which provides useful and important information, including up-to-date news about our national organization and a comprehensive calendar of AGO events, both national and regional. A great resource for us to learn from! Check it out at: http://www.agonewengland.blogspot.com Anglican Singers (Simon Holt,director; Andrew Howell, organist) A "local treasure" of Southeastern Connecticut, providing exemplary programs and training relevant to the interests of AGO members everywhere. For information about the Anglican Singers, detailed program information, announcements about auditions, and more, visit their home page. Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship for Church Musicians Another scholarship is available nearby! Several members of the New London County AGO have been winners. Not generally for beginners. This year, the amount of the award has been increased from $1,500 to $2,500. For information and application forms, please visit the Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship home page. Nathan Bayreuther Jazz buffs...Check out Chapter member Nathan Bayreuther's home page at: http://www.nbjazzcombo.com "Pipedreams"--sorry, no longer broadcast in Connecticut! To get current information about Pipedreams, listen to the latest program, or search for earlier programs (and download or listen to them online), you can visit the Pipedreams program archives at: http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/ This page last updated on October 1, 2008. Send comments and suggestions to our Webmaster Grace Wiersma: gwiersma [at] eclectronics [dot] net |
| Visit the AGO National website |