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Chemung Valley |
| Last updated: April 30, 2012 |
Message from the Dean |
| Dean’s Message:
Greetings to All! I hope your Easter preparations are going well. Easter will soon be upon us. I guess March went out like a lamb, so now we'll see what April has in store for us. We had a very good Members' Recital on March 18 at Grace Church. The performers were Jonathan Bergman, a new student of mine, Onalee Nixon, Julia Peckham, Gerald Wolfe and yours truly. Thanks to all who performed. We will not be having a program during the month of April. Our May program will be a lecture-recital by Dr. Leon Couch. He will be performing and lecturing on music of Buxtehude. This will take place on Sunday, May 20 at 3:00 PM. The location will be Christ Episcopal Church in Corning. I hope you will all be able to come. This program should be very interesting. Dr. Couch was a member of our chapter last year when he had a position at Ithaca College. He now resides in Milwaukee, WI. We're glad to have him return to do this program. You can read his bio elsewhere in the Dulciana. We'll try to have more information about the program for you in the May newsletter. Take care, and Happy Easter to everyone! Dan |
Local Events |
| Chapter Events:
5/20/2012 Organ Recital by Dr. Leon Couch III, on the Faculty of Carroll University near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Christ Episcopal Church 39 East First Street(corner of Cedar Street), Corning, NY 3:00 PM Dr. Couch will present a Lecture/Recital on Major Baroque German Organ Works including: Dieterich Buxtehude. For a video of Leon you may go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GET0JzUIA8 or http://youtu.be/7GET0JzUIA8 . This work, BuxWV 140, will be on the Elmira program. ____________________________________________________________ We would like to take Leon Couch out to Dinner after the Recital. We will be going to Sorge’s Restaurant 68 West Market Street in Corning at 6:00 PM. They do accept CREDIT CARDS. Please let me know if you would like to attend so I can make a reservation. I can be reached at: 607- 377- 5363 or by e-mail at: elizabethbrig@aol.com ____________________________________________________________ Community Events: The Elmira Keyboard Ensemble will play a concert on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 7:00 PM at First Presbyterian Church 95 Main Street in Big Flats, NY. Members of the group are: Onalee Nixon, Janice Brown, Charlotte Cook and Daniel LaBar. They will perform duets for piano and organ, two pianos and music for eight hands. There will be a freewill offering. Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend. 5/19/2012 The Cantata Singers along with the Choir of The First Congregational UCC. Present: “American Originals: Music of Bernstein, Copland and others“. First Congregational Church, 171 W. Pulteney Street Corning, NY - 7:00 PM, Free The Concert will feature, Berstein’s “Chichester Psalms” and Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia” From the Binghamton Chapter: Sat. May 5, 2012 -10 am -2 pm-Richard VanAuken presents "Revitalizing Your Hymn Playing" at Main Street Baptist Church, 117 Main St. Binghamton, NY. Each organist attending will receive a complimentary copy of Van Auken's “HYMN INTRODUCTIONS AND VERSES to 18 well-known hymns“. The session will cover topics such as appropriate registrations, tempo considerations, and the use of modulation to build excitement. Participants are asked to bring a sandwich for lunch; beverage, chips, and brownies will be provided by the chapter. Sunday June 3, 2012 4 pm --John Weaver, organ recital at The Old Palatine Church, located on Route 9 between Nelliston and St. Johnsville, NY. |
Newsletter |
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Dr. Leon W. Couch III will be performing and discussing major Baroque German organ works, particularly those by Bach's regarded teacher, Dieterich Buxtehude. In particular, Couch will unveil how composers and listeners thought about their music, and thus help the lay listener and performers unlock and feel the passions more strongly. He will tie together trends of the time in religion, music, and the language & methodology of refined poetry and prose, as the educated did at the time of composition. This fascinating background will further enhance one's experiences with the dramatic, expressive, and wild music of this period. Dr. Couch will perform such well-known masterworks as the stately Praeludium in D Minor, BuxWV 140; the famous Prealudium in C Major, BuxWV 137 "(Prelude, Fugue, and Chaconne in C"); and the brooding Praeludium in F# Minor, BuxWV 136. He may also perform works excerpts from major works by J. S. Bach. He will also present works based on hymns tunes (Chorale Preludes and Variations) by J. S. Bach, Buxtehude, Böhm, Pachelbel, Scheidemann, Bruhns, and other Baroque masters, as time permits. This recital/lecture is open and free to the public. The presentation is intended for a general audience, but will also engage sophisticated musicians as well. The audience will be welcome to ask questions both afterwards and during the presentations. If desired and time permits, the public can discuss and even request other musical works! It is a recital, demonstration, presentation, and workshop all put together for your enjoyment. Leon W. Couch III Organist, Music Theorist, and Teacher Leon W. Couch III presents organ recitals, masterclasses, and lecture-recitals throughout the United States. He is represented by the Concert Artist Cooperative, as advertised in The Diapason and The American Organist. His recording Hamburger Rhetorik was released on the ProOrgano record label this past August, and his study of musical rhetoric Playing Dieterich Buxtehude’s Music Rhetorically was recently published in December by the American Guild of Organists. As a scholar, Dr. Couch concentrates on pragmatic applications of contemporary and historical music theory to keyboard performance. Dr. Couch has presented at numerous international, national, and regional conferences, and particularly enjoys giving workshops and lectures to local American Guild of Organists (AGO) chapters, colleges, and the public. He earned two doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music: the D.M.A. in Organ Performance and the Ph.D. in Music Theory. His undergraduate degrees in physics, mathematics, and music are from the University of Florida. His principal organ teachers include Willis Bodine and Roberta Gary. Dr. Couch currently serves on the faculty at Carroll University, outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From 2006–2010, Dr. Couch was College Organist at Converse College, where he taught organ and music theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels. From 2002–2006, he designed and coordinated the music-theory curriculum at Texas A&M University, where he was named the 2005–2006 Montague Teaching Excellence Scholar for the College of Liberals Arts and Sciences. Earlier Couch taught organ studio, music theory, and undergraduate mathematics at the University of Cincinnati. More information and links to his recordings and publications may be found at his website: http://ProfCouch.us/ . |
Membership |
| For Information on joining our chapter please contact:
David Lenington,Treasurer Chemung Valley AGO Chapter 101 John B. Merrill Pkwy Towanda,PA 18848 (570-268-5035) E-mail: DAVELEN@epix.net |
Placement |
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Employers and job seekers are invited to post and search listings of available positions on the Guild's National Website. |
Certification |
Contact Us |
| Chapter Officers
Dean Daniel LaBar (Home 607-846-8411) or dlabar001@yahoo.com Treasurer David Lenington DAVELEN@epix.net or (570-268-5035) Secretary Elizabeth Briggs 607-377-5363 or elizabethbrig@aol.com |
Links |
| Visit the AGO National website |