the guilderagocolumbus.org/images/files/february2020.pdffebruary 2020 page 3 the new organist and...
TRANSCRIPT
February 2020
The Guilder The Newsletter of the Columbus Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
www.agocolumbus.org
The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to enrich lives through organ and choral music.
Inside Dean’s Message ................. 2
“The New Organist” .......... 3
News and Updates ............. 3
Mark Meuser Letter ........... 4
Jan Linker Profile .............. 5
Positions Available ............ 6
Concerts and Events .......... 7
The March issue will be
published on or by February 15
and will include events from
February 16 to March 30.
Please submit events to the on-
line calendar for publication in
future Guilders. Non-calendar
submissions may be sent to
Find us: Columbus Chapter
Annual Student Recital This Sunday, January 19
The 2020 Annual AGO Student Recital will be held at 3 p.m., January 19, at Worthington Presbyterian Church, 773 High Street, Worthington (snow date of January 26, same place and time). Reception to follow. Please contact Jenny Kristler at 614-906-5387 or at [email protected] for more information.
Dessert and Discussion with Dene Barnard and Marti Rideout on February 10
by Tyler Robertson On Monday, February 10, at 7 p.m. we invite you to the Parish Hall of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 2151 Dorset Rd., Upper Arlington, for a time of discussion with two local organists who have many decades of experience between them in music ministry. The evening will be hosted by Dean Ab-bott, former radio talk show host and husband of our own Dean of the Co-lumbus Chapter, who will lead a conversation with Dene and Marti on the highs and lows of their church music careers. Dene is the emeritus Minister of Music at First Congregational, Columbus, and Marti was previously or-ganist at St. Paul's K Street in Washington, D.C., as well as being a noted author. You will enjoy the many stories and anecdotes these two have to offer. Desserts will be provided by the AGO. This event is free.
February 2020 Page 2
Executive Committee
Class of 2020
Jennifer Kristler
Tyler Robertson
Robert Wisniewski
Class of 2021
Clark Becker
Jennifer Bell
Mari Kay Dono
Class of 2022
Carol Neff
Anne Saylor
Michael Schreffler
The Dean’s Comments
Attending Executive Committee meetings, writ-ing notes and emails, and making phone calls are like practicing the organ; a lot of work goes on behind the scenes for even the brief public ap-pearances and member events. If you would be interested in finding out more about this or in serving the Chapter behind the scenes, there are a few ways to be involved: 1) Ask Bob Wisniewski, the Chair of the Nomi-nating Committee, if you could be considered for the Class of 2023. Your responsibilities would
include attending Executive Committee meetings, usually once per month on a Monday evening, and responding to emails when your opinion is requested. Bob’s cell phone is (614) 562-3562. (The other members of the Nominating Committee are the other two members of the outgoing Class of 2020, Jennifer Kristler and Tyler Robertson.) 2) Let me know if you have the writing skills and computer literacy to edit our newsletter. Rather than continuing to do two jobs at once, I’d like to focus on being Dean. 3) Let me know if you’d be willing to print out the newsletter and mail it promptly to our members who have requested hard copies rather than email copies. Currently there are fewer than ten. The Guild supplies post-age. 4) Send me or another member of the Executive Committee your ideas for future programming or your willingness to host an event (large or small), which we’ll start to discuss next month. Tom Kolar already has sent some good ideas, like a smaller-scale event in which members play for each other, sharing favorite pieces around some theme like “English Organ Music.” If there was an AGO event that stood out to you in the past, we’d like to hear that, too. 5) Contribute an article, long or short, to the newsletter. Mari Kay Dono, Mark Meuser, and Michael Schreffler contributed fine pieces to this is-sue. 6) Make a suggestion for a member whom you’d like to see profiled in this newsletter. See Michael’s wonderful piece on Jan Linker on page 5. Thanks to all of you. I hope you can come to the student recital this Sun-day and also to the dessert on February 10. My husband will be moderat-ing the discussion, the first time he’s been publically involved in a Guild event, although he, too, has served for many years behind the scenes. Best wishes, Rebecca Abbott Dean, Columbus Chapter AGO
Rebecca Abbott
Officers
Dean
Rebecca Abbott
Sub-Dean
Jason Keefer
Secretary
Nicholas Fink
Treasurer
Thomas Gerke
Chaplain
The Rev. Cynthia Adcock
February 2020 Page 3
The New Organist and AGO Membership: A Great Partnership by Mari Kay Dono
In 2017, I was offered my first job as a music director. While I had good vocal and piano skills, my organ training was minimal. I was hired with the caveat that I take organ lessons. I have been so fortunate in the excellent training I have received during my organ lessons. I was also intro-duced to The American Guild of Organists early on in my training. I attended my first national convention in 2018. What started out as apprehension about a new experience quickly turned into excitement that I could be part of something so magnificent. AGO membership for the new organist is great partnership. Opportunities abound for attending concerts, net-working events, and regional and national conventions, for learning, and for mentorship. These are powerful ingredients, especially for someone starting a new career. If you are a new organist, I highly encourage you to join AGO to take advantage of these opportunities. At a local level we have many events listed in this issue of The Guilder. Attend an event; talk to someone new. Open professional doorways for yourself. For those experienced organists and for those who have a been with AGO for a while, encourage new organ-ists to join. Instructors: tell your students. One bit of knowledge, one opportunity to network, one opportunity for mentorship could make all the difference in the world to someone just starting out. I’m incredibly grateful for what I have learned in these last few years and for my membership with AGO.
Congratulations to Philip Everingham, who passed the AAGO exam
on June 17, 2019! Philip is Director of Music at First Presbyterian in Granville.
Directory Update: New Member Luke Pavliga 8200 Lake Bluff Court Columbus, OH 43235 [email protected]
Mighty Morton Pipe Organ Needs Help from email sent by CAPA on December 3, 2019
The Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ is considered one of the finest theatre organs in existence worldwide, and was built specifically for the Ohio Theatre in 1928. These incredible instruments are cherished, but need to be maintained over time. The restoration for this beloved organ is estimated to be a $100,000 project; thanks to the generosity of our community, we have raised over $37,000 for its restoration to date. We ask that you consider making a gift to help restore this historical icon today; it deserves to continue bringing mag-ic and joy to all theatregoers for the next fifty years. Those without on-line access to the above link may send a gift to: CAPA, 55 East State Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Editor’s Note: The AGO Columbus Chapter was pleased to send a check for $100 to the maintenance of this instrument.
Windows Smashed at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig Thank you to Tom Gerke for pointing out this article from Deutsche Welle about the New Year’s Eve vandalism.
February 2020 Page 4
The Travels of Mark Meuser, Part 2 Greetings to Columbus AGO Members from Bath, England: This is the second letter I have written to you about the year that my wife and I are spending in England. In the first letter, I mentioned that my teaching assignment was a challenge. As it turned out, it was more of a chal-lenge than I was prepared to deal with, especially since the support from the school administration was less than ideal. I had the opportunity to resign, so I took advantage of that. Since then, Susan and I have been free to travel and visit friends in Britain. We have also planned a couple of trips to Europe in the new year. Thank-fully, we have been able to turn what seemed like a lemon into some rather tasty lemonade. One of the trips within England we had long contemplated was a visit to Cambridge. As a church musician, I had a bucket list which included attending the Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. I was motivated in part by Luke Tegtmeier’s engaging account of his experiences at the 2017 King’s College service, which were published in the February 2018 Guilder. I was determined to be at King’s College Chapel on Christmas Eve. As it turned out, that was not to be. Our daughter and her boyfriend were able to get some time off at Christmas to visit us. They arrived on December 17, and we happily showed them many attractions in Bath. Those attractions included the ruins of the Roman bath (which explains the name of the city), the Royal Crescent (a 17th-century archi-tectural masterpiece in urban housing for the super-rich), and of course Bath Abbey (where we have been attending church services). We also made day trips to Stratford-upon-Avon and Stonehenge, two places our daughter had spe-cifically asked to see. After their short but lovely visit, we put them on a plane bound for the U.S. At that point there was simply not enough time to drive to Cambridge and get in the Lessons and Carols ticket line, which would begin to form in the wee hours of December 24th. Fortunately, Bath Abbey had its own service of Lessons and Carols for which we had gotten tickets ahead of time. We arrived at the Abbey at 4:30 in the af-ternoon, a half hour before the start of the service. It was already dark outside, and the Abbey was bathed in candlelight. It was warmer than usual inside the Abbey because they had just installed heating in the floor. Even so, I kept my winter coat buttoned up throughout the service. Like the service at Cambridge, the Abbey service began with a solo voice sing-ing “Once in Royal David’s City.” The choir and then the congregation joined the singing in subsequent verses. The last verse featured the familiar David Wilcox descant soaring above the full organ. It was inspiring. The rest of the service of carols, readings, and anthems was equally as beautiful and inspiring. It included pieces by John Rutter, Paul Manz, and John Tavener, to name a few. I realized, too, that the building itself played a vital role in the service. Its acoustics enveloped the music in an ethereal patina of echoing sounds, while at the same time requiring the Scripture readers to speak at a stately tempo that lent an air of solemnity to the service. The visual immediacy of the candlelit building, with its stones, carved and placed there centuries ago, reminded me that countless generations had celebrated the birth of Christ in that space. Although I was not able to check off King’s College Lessons and Carols from my bucket list, I mentally added Bath Abbey Lessons and Carols to the list and, with the satisfaction of a compulsive list maker, simultaneous-ly checked it off as completed. —Mark Meuser
February 2020 Page 5
Sketches: Jan Linker by Michael Schreffler
Editor’s Note: At one of our Executive Committee meetings, I asked if we could try profiling some of our members in the newsletter. Michael Schreffler took on the challenge with zest and great cheer. Please send your suggestions for members to profile in future issues, or if you yourself have a story that you would like to write up. What inspires you and gives you focus? “My faith, my students, and their achievements,” says Jan Linker, well known to our local chapter and to organists, teachers, and choral directors beyond. Jan grew up in northwest Ohio, in the little town of Delta, attending church with her family in nearby Wauseon as part of an Evangelical Mennonite congregation. As a little girl visiting the homes of relatives, she’d often find a piano lurking in some room on which she’d pick out tunes, developing a fine ear for music early on. Although Jan did not, at first, have a piano at home, her public school music teacher (an aunt) told her parents they needed to purchase one and start her on lessons. Thankfully, Jan’s parents complied and she began piano studies at age 7. As a 15-year-old, still attending church in Wauseon, she learned that the regular organist was going to be out for an extended period for medical reasons. Knowing how well she played pi-ano, the church leaders tapped her on the shoulder to take on the position. Her parents dutifully followed up by purchasing a Hammond organ so she could practice at home, and she began organ lessons as well. While her father initially couldn’t understand why his daughter would reject an opportunity to go into the family business (a chicken hatchery operation), he nonetheless became very supportive as Jan pursued her degrees and a music career. She completed her undergrad work at Capital University, where piano majors were “allowed” to also take some organ instruction. Her first organ teacher there, William S. Bailey, tended to regard composers such as Handel as coming from the younger generation, so Jan received little if any exposure to those of the Romantic and 20th century eras. By her sophomore year, a new organ instructor, Marjorie Jackson (later Rasche), had taken over, and Jan declared an organ major. Ms. Jackson was the first to introduce her to composers such as Langlais and other 20th century masters. Jan met her husband, Jim, while a student at Capital, and they were wed in 1961. Jan went on to complete a master’s degree in organ performance at the University of Michigan, under the tutelage of Dr. Marilyn Mason and Hans Vollenweider. It was also while at U of M that she took a shine to improvisation and composition. Jan and Jim Linker moved around a bit following graduate school, initially spending time in Lubbock, Texas, where Jim, a navigator in the Air Force, was undergoing pilot training. It was in Lubbock that Jan undertook some of her earliest teaching, in piano no less! She and Jim eventually expanded their family to five, with a daughter and two younger sons. While many of us think of Jan as a composer, it was not until 1989 that her music was first published, four years after the tragic death of their daughter, Jenni, following brain surgery. As we talked about her composing, Jan made it clear that she does not think of herself as a composer, but ra-ther as an arranger. I felt inclined to gently argue the point, noting, somewhat tongue in cheek, Bach’s organ arrangements of the chorales in the Leipzig autograph. Of course, we never think of Bach as an arranger, and Jan, with typical and natural humility, immediately noted the depth of complexity and imagination in the works of the ‘great’ composers. All this aside, she says the focus of most of her output has been for church and teaching use, including hymn settings for congregational singing, several sets of hymn variations, a pi-ano/organ duet book, collections for weddings and funerals, five choral anthems, and over sixty published works for handbells and organ, piano or brass (published jointly with Jane McFadden, with whom Jan has collaborated over the years). Quite a number of her works have been composed on commission, as well, and she has also published four choral anthems. Among her favorite composers of literature for her chosen instru-ment, she lists Bach, Mendelssohn, Widor, Vierne and Locklair, among others. As we wrapped up our visit, Jan shared a number of high points, and some humorous ones, that have punctu-
February 2020 Page 6
ated her career. Among these, certainly, were her early recitals when just out of grad school, direct involve-ment in an organ rebuild project while serving a church in Waco, Texas, and serving as chapel organist at the Air Force base in Sacramento, where she and Jim were stationed for a time. She also, quite joyfully, remi-nisced about the piano and organ duets she and her daughter Jenni, then 15, and later with her two sons, would play together as part of the annual Christmas music offerings given by businessman John W. Galbreath in the lobbies of the Borden and Bank One buildings in downtown Columbus. In 1983 Dennis James (then “house organist” at the Ohio Theatre) offered Jan some lessons in theatre organ music, and for about ten years she played the “Mighty Morton” for “The Christmas Carol” and some of the movies, as well as other events. Jan taught at Capital for 33 years, but remembers often using Trinity Seminary’s instrument for performances and teaching when Capital was without a larger instrument. She even played one of the three dedicatory pro-grams on Trinity’s new Steiner-Reck. Speaking of Trinity, she recalls a time when the authorities at the Seminary contacted her to complain of one of her (more diligent) students having been caught practicing in the chapel at 2 or 3 a.m. Having herself “stowed away” in the bowels of Hill Auditorium while a graduate student in Ann Arbor, so she could practice after hours when the building had been locked up, she found herself hardly sympathetic toward the concerns of Trinity’s administration regarding her student! Jan has contributed significantly to our local AGO chapter, including considerable involvement in the last re-gional convention here, serving on the Executive Committee a number of times and, more recently, conduct-ing a very successful workshop, “Seasonal Sunday Selections,” in partnership with Chad Baker as part of last year’s February Flourish. When asked about hobbies outside of her work, Jan tells me her husband, Jim, was her favorite hobby of all (all you married folks, take note!), recalling a supportive and loving marriage of many years and the joy she took in raising their family. She enjoys gardening, traveling, being involved in many church activities within her parish at Trinity United Methodist in Marble Cliff, and her family, which includes six “wonderful” grand-children. We are indeed grateful to Jan for her decades of musicianship, teaching, support, and grace through it all, an example to all of us.
Positions Available
The following positions were posted on the chapter’s web site in the last twelve months. Please see http://www.agocolumbus.org/index.php/forum/positions-available for fuller descriptions, as well as for positions posted longer than twelve months ago. Part Time Organist, Trinity Episcopal, London, OH Organist/Choir Director, St. James Episcopal, Clintonville Organist, Community UMC, Circleville Organist/Accompanist, Mifflin Presbyterian, Gahanna Organist, Bethlehem (Wheeling), WV Organist, Ministry/Dayton (Oakwood) Church Organist/Pianist, Springfield Business Manager, Sacred Music Institute of America Part Time Music Director, East Columbus Music Director, St. Patrick, London, OH 8:30 Service Music Coordinator, North Broadway UMC Organist, Faith UMC, North Canton Pianist(s), North Broadway UMC, Clintonville Organist, First Presbyterian, Newark
February 2020 Page 7
Dean’s Committees
Communications Ryan Boyle
Education & Examinations Robert Wisniewski [email protected]
Guilder Editor & Publisher
Rebecca Abbott [email protected]
Professional Concerns,
Placement & Substitutes Chad Baker
Registrar Stan Osborn
Webmaster Anthony Fabro
AGO Mission Statement
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.
Concerts and Other Events
The Columbus Chapter’s on-line calendar may be found here. Angela Waite Recital: Kenyon College Students Saturday, January 18, 7:00 p.m. Kenyon College, Brandi Recital Hall Gambier 43022 The semi-annual Angela Waite recital features the best performers from the end of the semester’s student juries. Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather and to arrive early to find a parking space, possibly parking at the Kenyon Athletic Center down the hill, due to heavy construction on Ken-yon’s campus. Free and open to the public. Annual AGO Student Recital Sunday, January 19, 3:00 p.m. Worthington Presbyterian Church 773 High Street, Worthington 43085 Please see notice on front page. Choral Evensong Sunday, January 19, 4:00 p.m. First Congregational Church 444 East Broad Street, Columbus, 43215 Sumsion and Howells’ “St. Paul.” U.D. Brass Quintet with Alan Kimbrough, Organist Sunday, January 26, 3:00 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 33 W. Dixon Avenue, Oakwood, 45409 http://www.stpauls-dayton.org The University of Dayton’s Brass Quintet with Dr. Alan Kimbrough at the organ will present a lively program of music from over four hundred years, from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Don’t miss this eclectic concert by the region’s top musicians and teachers, all U.D. faculty. Freewill offering. “How Sweet the Sound”: Eastern Orthodoxy and Black Gospel Saturday, February 1, 3:00 p.m. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral 55 North High Street, Columbus 43215 https://howsweetthesound.net Newly composed setting of an Orthodox Vespers in the style of black gospel music, written by Dr. Shawn Wallace, Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Orthodox practitioner. Drawing on familiar tunes from both black gospel and Orthodox musical settings, this setting will highlight the sometimes unacknowledged connections between these traditions and reveal our com-monalities as Christians. Free, but tickets must be reserved by January 30. See web site for more details.
Beethoven Birthday Bash Sunday, February 2, 3:00-4:00 p.m. First Presbyterian Church 110 West Broadway, Granville 43023 740-587-0178 ext. 30 https://www.facebook.com/events/596991334415064/ Music for Sacred Spaces invites you to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday year celebration with us. Featuring Beethoven’s humorous Opus 11 Clarinet Trio and his hauntingly passionate “Ghost Trio,” Opus 70. Hild Peersen, clarinet; Hanna Hurwitz, violin; Jane Van Voorhis, cello and Philip Evering-ham, piano. American Spiritual Ensemble Sunday, February 2, 3:00 p.m. Secrest Auditorium 334 Shinnick Street, Zanesville, 43701 www.zanesvilleconcertassociation.com Comprised of some of the finest classically trained singers in the United States, the mission of the American Spiritual Ensemble is to keep the Ameri-can Negro spiritual alive. The Zanesville Concert Association and the Musk-ingum County Chapter of the NAACP presents this "spine-tingling" aural experience. Children, youth, and college students with a current i.d. are ad-mitted without charge. Adults $55 each, or $65 for the entire ZCA concert series. First Tuesday Recital Tuesday, February 4, 12:15 p.m. First Congregational Church 444 East Broad Street, Columbus, 43215 Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzes,” Op. 52. First Thursday Noontime Recital Series Thursday, February 6, 12:15-12:45 p.m. Asbury United Methodist Church 55 W. Lincoln Avenue, Delaware 43015 Music by Howells, Peeters, and Buxtehude will be performed by Matthew Nadalin, who is the Director of Music and Organist at Saint Joseph Parish in Dover, Ohio. As always, tables will be set and beverages provided for those who wish to enjoy lunch during the recital. There is no admission charge. Dessert and Discussions with Dene Barnard and Marti Rideout Monday, February 10, 7:00 p.m. Parish Hall of St. Mark's Episcopal Church 2151 Dorset Rd., Upper Arlington 43221 Please see notice on front page. Christopher Young, Organist Sunday, February 16, 3:00 p.m. St. Joseph Cathedral 212 East Broad Street, Columbus 43215 www.saintjosephcathedral.org A native of New England, Jacobs School of Music Professor Christopher Young is the winner of the 1988 National Young Artists Competition
February 2020 Page 8
Please follow this link to listen to Pipedreams from American Public Media.
February 2020 Page 9
(NYACOP) of the American Guild of Organists and the 1988 Arthur Poister Competition (Syracuse Universi-ty). Dr. Young has been a featured artist at national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organ-ists. He has been heard as a featured performer on American Public Media's "Pipedreams" and has appeared in concert with the Rochester (MN) Chamber Chorale, and the Minneapolis Chamber Symphony. A graduate of The Eastman School of Music, he earned the MM and DMA degrees and the prestigious Performer's Certifi-cate under David Craighead and Russell Saunders. Choral Evensong Sunday, February 16, 4:00 p.m. First Congregational Church 444 East Broad Street, Columbus, 43215 Rose and Sowerby in E Minor. Lecture Concert featuring Jubilee and Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle: “Shout for Joy” Sunday, February 23, 3:00 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church 700 High Street, Worthington 43085 This program will include the titular piece “Shout for Joy” by Adolphus Hailstork, as well as Negro Spirituals arranged by Stacey V. Gibbs, Mark Butler, Moses Hogan, and many others. Titles will include "My Lord, What a Morning," "Way Over in Beulah Lan'," "Get Away Jordan," "Honor, Honor," and many more. Formed in 2017 to fulfill a lifelong dream of Capriccio Columbus' founder and artistic director, Larry Griffin, Capric-cio Jubilee is an auditioned group of 32 singers taken from the larger Capriccio Columbus choir whose sole focus is to present and preserve the music arising from the African diaspora, including the concert spiritual, jazz, blues, gospel and music from the African continent. This event is part of the Adult Formation Commit-tee’s Becoming Beloved Community programming. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine Tuesday, February 25, 7:00 p.m. Secrest Auditorium 334 Shinnick Street, Zanesville, 43701 www.zanesvilleconcertassociation.com Direct from Kiev, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine makes a return visit to the ZCA concert se-ries. Their concert includes the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor to showcase its 90-member orchestra. Children, youth, and college students with a current i.d. are admitted without charge. Adults $55 each, or $65 for the entire ZCA concert series.