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March 2014

Chiff Chat DEAN’S MESSAGE

Greetings,

With all the snow storms we have been having and the amount of the snow they have left us, we can now start counting the days until spring arrives. It will arrive on March 20th and the robins have already started returning.

I want to thank all who came to our last event on January 12th to watch the DVD “Pulling Out All the Stops”. After the presentation I received a few comments about this program. People were glad that they came to the program, as they did not realize how much work went into building a pipe organ. I told them about our event on March 1st, and I invited them to come and see the inside of an organ.

I look forward to seeing you at the next event your chapter has planned. It will be Pedals, Pipes, Pizza; introducing students of all ages, young and old, to the Organ. It will take place on Saturday, March 1st at the South Congregational Church in Amherst, starting at 10:00am and going until noon. There will be pizza for everyone including students, parents, and teachers.

CHAPTER OFFICERS Dean – Donald Hooton Sub-dean – Quentin Faulkner Treasurer – Jim Barnes Secretary – Charles Marshall BOARD OF DIRECTORS Scott Bailey Lori Bourret Elizabeth Dawson Joe Geehern John Karalekas Mary Jeanne Tash

IN THIS ISSUE Calendar of Events Page 3 News from National Page 4-5 Job Postings Page 5 “The Brick Church Music Series” presents Hans-Ola Ericsson Page 7

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March 23rd, at 3:00pm will be our major recital of the year. It will take place at Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield. The recitalist for this event is Organist Christa Rakich. A Fulbright scholar, Christa has served on the faculties of Westminster Choir College at the University of Connecticut and as assistant university organist at Harvard. She is currently a distinguished artist-in-residence at First Lutheran Church in Boston, MA and she directs the music program at St. Mark the Evangelist Church in West Hartford, CT. Mark your calendars now and save Saturday, the 10th of May. Organist Peter Krasinski will accompany the Silent Movie, “It”. His appearances are always a big hit and you won’t want to miss it. I look forward to seeing you at our next event. Don Hooton, chapter dean

MARCH 2014

Next Chapter Board Meeting: Sunday, April 27th, 2014 – 7:00pm United Congregational Church, Holyoke

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March 2014

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PRESENTED!BY!THE!SPRINGFIELD!CHAPTER!OF!THE!AMERICAN!GUILD!OF!ORGANISTS.!

STUDENTS—ESPECIALLY!THOSE!STUDYING!THE!PIANO—AND!THEIR!PARENTS!ARE!INVITED!TO!A!HANDS8ON!ENCOUNTER!WITH!A!PIPE!ORGAN.!!

• GET!A!CHANCE!TO!PLAY!THE!ORGAN!!!• EXPLORE!HOW!IT!WORKS!!!• LISTEN!TO!DEMONSTRATIONS!BY!

ORGANISTS!SHOWING!OFF!THE!MANY!SOUNDS!

• SEE!ALL!OF!THE!VARIOUS!KINDS!OF!PIPES!!

• DISCOVER!HOW!PLAYING!THE!ORGAN!IS!DIFFERENT!FROM!PLAYING!THE!PIANO!!!

!THE!EVENT!WILL!CONCLUDE!AT!NOON!WITH!PIZZA!FOR!EVERYONE!WHO!ATTENDS!(BOTH!STUDENTS!AND!THEIR!PARENTS).!!THIS!EVENT!IS!FREE!TO!ALL!STUDENTS!AND!PARENTS!WHO!ATTEND.!

SATURDAY,!MARCH!1ST,!2014,!10:00AM812:00PM!SOUTH!CONGREGATIONAL!CHURCH!

1066!S.!EAST!STREET!AMHERST,!MA!01002!

!"Photo"by"Len"Levasseur"

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March 2014

CALENDAR OF EVENTS March Events 1 Sat. at 10:00am

Chapter Event Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza: Introducing Young Students to the Organ, South Congregational Church, 1066 S. East Street, Amherst, MA.

1 Sat. at 1:00pm The First Church of Deerfield, 71 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA, is sponsoring a masterclass with Hans-Ola Ericsson, internationally known organist and presently Chair of Organ Performance at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. This event is open to the public to observe.

2 Sun. at 3:00pm "The Brick Church" Music Series of The First Church of Deerfield, 71 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA, will present Hans-Ola Ericsson, organist, in concert. Swedish-born Ericsson, a pedagogue, organist, composer, and presently Chair and Professor of Organ Performance at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, will play music by J.S. Bach, W.F. and C.P.E. Bach, Cage and Satie. Suggested donation is $10 at the door with a reception following the concert in the Caswell Library at Deerfield Academy. Information: 413-774-2657.

9 Sun. at 3:00pm Organist David Neiweem, University Organist at the University of Vermont, will perform a recital at South Congregational Church, 1066 S. East Street, Amherst, MA.

13 Thu. at 7:00pm The Episcopal Church of the Atonement in Westfield, MA will host a service of Evensong featuring hymns and canticles with music from Irish traditions. For more information, e-mail music@atonementwestfield.net.

15 Sat. at 7:30pm

John Nisbet and Ladislaw Pfeifer will play concertos of Soler for two keyboards for an evening of lively chamber music from Old Spain at 7:30 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield. The event is free and all are welcome. For more information call 413-452-0845 or email ljep@diospringfield.org

22 Sat. at 7:00pm

John Nisbet and Ladislaw Pfeifer will play concertos of Soler for two keyboards for an evening of lively chamber music from Old Spain at 7:30 at St. Peters Church, New Britain, CT. The event is free and all are welcome. For more information call 413-452-0845 or email ljep@diospringfield.org

23 Sun. at 3:00pm

Chapter Event Christa Rakich will present a recital at Christ Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St. Springfield, MA. Free but donations will be accepted.

30 Sun. at 3:00pm

World renowned composer, conductor and teacher Alice Parker will lead a hymn sing at

the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 North Pleasant Street (just north of the UMass campus). The hymn sing, which also will include some folk songs, is sponsored by the church as a benefit for the homeless shelter program in Amherst known as Craig's Doors. A reception will follow for attendees to meet Alice Parker. For questions, please contact the church at 413-549-0322, or Bob and Anne Weaver at 413-367-2846.

30 Sun. at 4:00pm,

Greater Westfield Choral Association spring concert, First Congregational Church of Westfield, MA.

April Events 5 Sat. at 4:00pm,

Novi Cantori will present their Spring Concert with the theme “From Dusk to Dawn” at the Simsbury United Methodist Church. www.novicantori.org

12 Sat. at 7:30pm, Novi Cantori will present their Spring Concert with the theme “From Dusk to Dawn” St. John’s Episcopal Church in Northampton, MA. www.novicantori.org

26 Sat. at 7:30pm, Novi Cantori will present their Spring Concert with the theme “From Dusk to Dawn” at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Longmeadow, MA. www.novicantori.org

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March 2014

NEWS FROM NATIONAL: $2.5 MILLION GIFT ENABLES THE AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS TO

ENRICH LIVES THROUGH ORGAN MUSIC

NEW YORK CITY — The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is spearheading three major initiatives that have been made possible by the largest bequest in Guild history. Totaling more than $2.5 million in cash and assets including a tracker pipe organ, the bequest from the estate of Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee was first announced at the 2010 AGO National Convention in Washington, D.C. With the gradual distribution of the assets over the last three and a half years, the Guild has worked diligently and faithfully to honor the donors’ intentions by establishing (1) an endowment to provide college scholarships to dedicated organ students with financial needs, (2) an endowment to provide for the relocation and ongoing maintenance of the donors’ tracker organ, and (3) an endowment to support an annual organ composition competition for that instrument. Two of these endowments are now fully funded, with the third nearing completion. “This extraordinary bequest helps us accomplish our mission—to enrich lives through organ and choral music—by providing the resources to implement two new programs and establish a lasting relationship with a new academic partner,” said AGO President Eileen Guenther. “The AGO continues to be much more than the world’s largest membership

association for organists. At the national level and through our international network of more than 300 chapters, we conduct more educational and outreach programs supporting organ and choral music than any other professional organization.” The Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee Memorial Scholarship will be available to six students (four undergraduate, and two graduate) beginning with the 2014–2015 academic year. Four undergraduate scholarships in the amount $7,500 each will be offered: one each to an incoming college freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. Each scholarship will be renewable through completion of the student’s undergraduate years of study. Two graduate scholarships in the amount of $15,000 each will be offered and will be renewable for a total of two years of graduate study. Eligibility requirements and application details are available online at Agohq.org. The application deadline is March 1, 2014. The Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee Pipe Organ Endowment was established to support the ongoing maintenance of the Pogorzelski and Yankee Memorial Organ. The 2-manual and pedal, 24-stop, 21-rank tracker organ, built by R.J. Brunner & Company in 1991 for

Pogorzelski and Yankee’s private residence in Bucks County, Pa., was inspired by the early Pennsylvania German organs of David Tannenberg (1728–1804). The casework is gilded in 22-karat gold leaf. It will be moved and installed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in May 2014 where it will be used for teaching and performance. The AGO’s lease of the organ to IUP will be renewable annually. “The Guild selected IUP because of its thoroughly documented and passionate desire to have this instrument on campus and for its commitment to use the organ regularly for teaching and performance purposes exactly as Messrs. Pogorzelski and Yankee desired,” declared AGO Executive Director James Thomashower. The proposal, he said, “made it abundantly clear to us that IUP’s organ students, faculty, and administration would treasure the opportunity to have this elegant organ at the school and that it would be of immediate and lasting benefit not only to the academic community, but to the larger community around Indiana, Pa.” The organ will be installed in the IUP Music Department’s Large Instrumental Rehearsal Hall, a room with the size and acoustical properties to provide an ideal setting for teaching and performance on the organ,

(Continued on next page)

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March 2014

Visit our website!!! www.springfieldago.org

Job Postings First Congregational Church of East Longmeadow is accepting resumes for organist, pianist, choir director and bell choir director. Salary commensurate with experience. Send information to: Music Search Committee, First Congregational Church, 7 Somers Rd. East Longmeadow, MA 01028

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Mary Jeanne Tash is collecting photographs of organs played by chapter members. These will be used for publicity in our newsletter. E-mail your photos to mjtash25@gmail.com.

according to Michael Hood, dean of the College of Fine Arts at IUP. “We are thrilled with the great honor that the American Guild of Organists has bestowed upon the department and IUP, and I can guarantee you that its honor and trust will be fully matched by the care and the respect with which this marvelous instrument will be treated,” Hood said. Christine Clewell, IUP’s assistant professor of organ added, “IUP will embrace a policy of hospitality with the instrument, using it as a tool for building community relations, where we will continue to encourage the study of organ to vanquish the ever-present problem of the ‘vanishing organist’,” addressing the shortage of organists in the rural, western Pennsylvania region and elsewhere throughout the U.S. She expects the new organ to result in more frequent, higher quality organ performances, which will increase interest in organ study. “The new acquisition will materially raise the profile and expand the reputation of the IUP organ program and will serve as a promotional vehicle for organ study not only for prospective students, but also for those presently enrolled.” The Ronald G. Pogorzelski and Lester D. Yankee Annual Competition, a composition competition to encourage the creation of new music specifically for the R.J. Brunner organ, is being established by the AGO. Each year, the

winning composition will be given its world premier performance in a gala recital at IUP by an internationally recognized organist. The AGO National Council has approved a preliminary statement of the competition rules as drafted by the AGO New Music Committee. The rules will be finalized and published later this year. The winning piece is expected to be performed at IUP in 2015. Complete details including the application process for composers will be posted online at Agohq.org. Speaking on behalf of Messrs. Pogorzelski and Yankee at the 2010 AGO National Convention in Washington, D.C., Dale J. Marsico noted, “According to 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. This 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 American Guild of Organists offered the best opportunity for that possibility.” ■

PHOTOS WANTED

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March 2014

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!

The$Springfield$Chapter$of$the$American$Guild$of$Organists$presents:$

Christa!Rakich,!organist!

SUNDAY!MARCH,!23RD,!2014!3:00!PM!

Christ$Church$Cathedral,$$35$Chestnut$Street,$Springfield,$MA$

$(This$event$is$free$but$donations$will$be$accepted$to$help$$

offset$the$cost$of$using$the$sanctuary.)$

This$concert$is$sponsored$by$the$Springfield$Chapter$of$the$American$Guild$of$Organists.$$For$more$information,$go$to$www.agospringfield.org.$

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March 2014

THE FIRST CHURCH OF DEERFIELD 71 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA

presents

“THE BRICK CHURCH” MUSIC SERIES with

HANS-OLA ERICSSON, organ

Swedish-born Pedagogue, Organist, Composer, and new Chair and

Professor of Organ Performance at McGill University in Montreal.

Performs throughout Europe, as well as Japan, Korea, the USA,

Russia, and Canada.

Playing music by: J.S. Bach,

W.F. and C.P.E. Bach, John Cage and Erik Satie.

Sunday, March 2, 2014 3:00 p.m.

Suggested donation $10.00 Reception following concert Information: 413-774-2657

MASTER CLASS: Saturday, March 1, 2014, 1:00 p.m.

This event is free, and open to the public to observe.

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March 2014

Chiff Chat Newsletter Springfield, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Guild of Organists Celebrating 64 years as a chapter. To submit information regarding positions, upcoming concerts, recitals, or area events, please email Scott Bailey at sbailey@westfield.ma.edu. Submissions are due by the 20th of each month. Also, visit our website at www.springfieldago.org

Next chapter event: Christa Rakich, recital Sunday March 23rd, 2014, 3:00pm,

Christ Church Cathedral 35 Chestnut St., Springfield, MA

The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to enrich lives through organ and choral music. To achieve this we:

Encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music; Inspire, educate, and offer certification for organists and choral conductors;

Provide networking, fellowship, and mutual support; Nurture future generations of organists;

Promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles; and Engage wider audiences with organ and choral music.

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!Chiff!Chat!American!Guild!of!Organists!Springfield,!MA!Chapter!Scott!Bailey,!newsletter!editor!50!Woodbridge!Ln.!Westfield,!MA!01085!!

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