The Worcester Organist

Transcription

1 The Worcester Organist Official Newsletter of the WORCESTER CHAPTER AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS POST OFFICE BOX WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2009 A Message from the Dean As many of you were unable to attend the Chapter s recent Clergy/Organists Dinner and Recognition of Barclay Wood, held on November 9 at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, I am including Barry s biography and a brief review of the evening as my Dean s letter for this issue of The Worcester Organist. About fifty people gathered to celebrate the relationship of the Clergy/Organist and the tribute to Barclay Barry Wood. William Ness, Minister of Music and Arts at First Baptist Church of Worcester, Rev. Tom McKibbins, Senior Minister at First Baptist Church of Worcester, Malcolm Halliday, Minister of Music at First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, and Brad Hendrickson, Chapter Sub-Dean and Minister of Music at Salem Covenant Church all paid tribute will serious reviews and wonderfully humorous anecdotes. Also, my appreciation to E Lary Grossman, Regional Councillor for New England, and to Cheryl Duerr, Regional Coordinator for Education, for joining us. Thank you, Barry, for all you have given to the many of us who have had the opportunity to know you. Ronna Davis Dean, rrarchbold@hotmail.com Barclay Barry Wood Barclay Wood was educated at Yale University and the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he graduated with honors. He holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in organ performance, and he was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda National Honorary Society for Musicians. In 1998, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Assumption College. Prior to his tenure as Minister of Music and Arts at First Baptist Church, from which he retired in 1999 having been named Minister of Music and Arts Emeritus, he was successor to the late E. Power Biggs as Organist and Choirmaster of the Harvard Church. Earlier, he also served as Associate Organist of the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul in Boston, Organist and Choirmaster of Christ Church in Waltham, as as Interim Organist and Choirmaster of All Saints Church in Worcester, where he now maintains parish membership and was a member of the Vestry. (Continued, next page.) VOLUME II, ISSUE VI INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Dean s Message Front Cover 2010 AGO Nat l Convention Page 2 Member News ACDA Eastern Conference Grievance Notice Page 3 Featured Organs of 2009 Page 4 Calendar of Events Page 5 Positions Available Page 6 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Ronna Davis Dean Bradford Hendrickson Sub Dean Carolyn Graham Treasurer David Moulton Secretary Deborah O Driscoll Registrar Rev. Thomas Garlick Chaplain MEMBERS AT LARGE: Diane French Thomas Ingrassia Dawn Thistle

2 PAGE 2 THE WORCESTER ORGANIST (Continued from previous page.) He is a past Dean of the Worcester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and he has served on the boards and committees of such organizations as the Worcester Music Festival (Young Artist Award Committee), Arts Council of Worcester and the Worcester Area Council of Churches Fine Arts Commission. He has been an adjudicator in major competitions and was General Program Chairman for the convention of the combined AGO and Organ Historical Society, held in Worcester in A member of the organ restoration committee for the famous E.&G.G. Hook Organ in Mechanics Hall, he was a featured performer at the instrument s rededication in 1982, playing the Poulenc Organ Concerto with the Worcester Orchestra. He has been active as a concert artist, having been presented in organ recitals and/or master classes at such venues as Yale, Harvard, M.I.T., New England Conservatory, Worcester Art Museum and Mechanics Hall, Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Wesleyan University, Saint Michael s College, University of Delaware, Ithaca College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Assumption College, Portland City Hall Auditorium, Holy Cross College, John Hays Hammond Castle Museum, Methuen Memorial Music Hall and Mount Holyoke College, among others. He has been a featured performer for several conventions of the American Guild of Organists as well as for many churches and AGO chapters in the United States. (Photography by James LeClaire.) 2010 AGO National Convention Next year marks the centennial anniversary of the District of Columbia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Convention will be a celebration in very grand style from July 4-8. We expect a large attendance, so please be sure to register on time. Speaking of registration, we are proud to present our state-of-the-art online registration program. Registering online allows access to detailed information about programs, workshops, personalities and organs with just a click of the mouse. Your choices of concerts, services and workshops will be instantly confirmed. Programs that are fully booked will disappear from the list of choices: another reason to register early! Online registration also helps the AGO to go green, as do our publications, including the full-color program book, printed with vegetable ink on paper from managed forests. The Convention program features 25 organs, 17 renowned recitalists, 14 choral and instrumental ensembles, 74 workshops, 8 worship services and 12 commissioned works, and still plenty of time to visit exhibits and to socialize with colleagues old and new! The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, a Washington, D.C. landmark, is the Convention Hotel. The largest hotel in town with 1,335 guest rooms and suites, it is located 2½ miles from the White House and 1 mile from Washington National Cathedral. With a Metro station right outside its door, it s just a few minutes to downtown. The hotel has multiple restaurants, several large lobbies and one of the largest exhibit halls an AGO convention has ever seen! We hope you will consider coming early and/or staying late to explore the many attractions of the nation s capital. A special hotel rate will be in place from June 30 through July 10. Keeping costs down without cutting corners has been a priority, and so our prices and fees reflect those of years past. For more information about programs and registration, please visit For the AGO2010 Steering Committee, Ronald Stolk Convention Coordinator

3 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2009 PAGE 3 As we come into this holiday season, we offer our most heartfelt condolences to: Tom Ingrassia for the passing of his father Brad Hendrickson for the passing of his infant grandson Jean Breidenbach for the passing of her mother Member News We congratulate Chapter Member Randy LaRosa who recently accepted the position of Organist/Choirmaster at the Church of the Epiphany in Walpole, MA. We wish Randy continued success in his ministry. To all friends and colleagues of the Worcester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, we send warm holiday wishes to you and yours. Compliments of the season to all! ACDA Eastern Divisional Conference Breaking new ground, the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) are working in cooperation to make the ACDA Eastern Divisional Conference in Philadelphia, February 11-13, 2010, a magnificent experience for both organizations. ACDA is extending its discounted ACDA member registration rate to AGO members attending the winter conference in Philadelphia. This will allow AGO members to attend the three-day conference while enjoying financial savings on registration rates. Conference presenters will include Helmut Rilling, Helen Kemp, and ACDA Executive Director Timothy Sharp, along with the Conspirare choral ensemble from Austin, TX, and choirs from Temple University and Westminster Choir College. Several honor choirs also will be performing. Of particular interest to AGO members is the first-ever United in Praise Festival Chorus, which has drawn its members from select church and synagogue choirs in the ACDA Eastern Division states (Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia). This 200- voice choir will be presented in worship at the United in Praise Interfaith Worship Service on Friday, February 12, at 5:00 p.m., at the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia. After a day of rehearsals with Craig Courtney, noted American composer of sacred music and editor for Beckenhorst Press, the chorus will be ready for a major role in the service. For further information, please Ken Steele, Chairman, Music in Worship Repertoire and Standards, ACDA Eastern Division, at krsteele45@comcast.net with Festival Chorus in the subject line. Grievance Notice (Reprinted) On June 23, 2009, an Boston AGO member filed a formal complaint against Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Sudbury, Massachusetts for wrongful termination of employment. The Guild is investigating the matter according to the AGO s Procedures for Dealing with Complaints about Termination. No determination has been made at this time. Although Guild members may provide substitute or interim services, no member may seek or accept regular or permanent employment with Our Lady of Fatima Parish while these procedures are pending. Please visit for more information and to view the current status of this case.

4 PAGE 4 THE WORCESTER ORGANIST Featured Organs of 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Top Left: Masconomet High School, Methuen, by Randy LaRosa. Top Right: First Church, Millbury, by David Moulton. Center: Holy Cross College, Worcester, by Andrew Fladebow. Bottom Left: St. John s Church, Worcester, by David Moulton. Bottom Right: St. Peter s Church, Northbridge, by James LeClaire.

5 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2009 PAGE 5 Calendar of Events December 12, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. Annual Boar s Head Festival, directed by Malcolm Halliday, with the Worcester Children s Chorus, Shrewsbury Ringers, instrumentalists and mummers players joining the Master Singers of Worcester to celebrate in Renaissance period costume the passage of the winter solstice. Advance purchase of tickets is recommended for this popular event. Tickets: $25 (general admission) and $20 (seniors and students), $10 (children 16 years of age and under). Wesley United Methodist Church (114 Main St., Worcester). Snow date: Sunday, December 13. Call or visit for tickets and more information. January 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. Chapter-Sponsored Event: Seasonal Recital. Please support four fellow organists and Worcester Chapter AGO members as they present a recital at Salem Covenant Church (215 East Mountain St., Worcester, MA). Additional information to follow. January 30, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. An afternoon of jazz with the Worcester Children s Chorus, featuring the Monica Hatch Trio. First Congregational Church (19 Church Rd., Shrewsbury). Tickets: $10. For information, call or visit December 16, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. Worcester Organ Concert Series and Mechanics Hall present Peter Stolzfus Berton, organist, with the Choirs of All Saints Church, Worcester. Mechanics Hall (321 Main St., Worcester). For more information, call or visit December 19, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Holiday Concert. Selected Choirs and Bell Ringers of the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury perform a broad range of secular and sacred music for the season, including Argentinean composer Ariel Ramirez cantata Navidad Nuestra in the courtyard of the Worcester Art Museum (55 Salisbury St., Worcester). Free admission. December 20, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. Messiah Sing. The Assabet Valley Master Singers directed by Dr. Robert Eaton and with soloists and organist Malcolm Halliday perform the Christmas portion of Handel s Messiah, which is open for all to come and listen or bring/borrow from AVM a score and sing along. Presented as an event in the First Congregational Church Arts on the Green concert series. First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury (19 Church Rd., Shrewsbury). Suggested donation of $5 at the door. January 3, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, sung by the All Saints Choirs and Alumni. Reception to follow; free-will offering. All Saints Church (10 Irving St., Worcester). For more information, visit or call January 10, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. EMCATOS / Pipe Organ Pops is proud to present its Young Organist Concert, featuring Donnie Rankin, the American Theatre Organ Society s 2007 Young Theatre Organist of the Year. Knight Auditorium, Babson College (Wellesley). Tickets are available via advance sale and at the door. To purchase tickets and/or obtain additional information, please visit January 31, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. Choral Evensong. Free-will offering, preceded by a tea at 4:00 p.m. ($5.00). No reservations required. All Saints Church (10 Irving St., Worcester). For more information, visit or call January 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. Chapter-Sponsored Event: Seasonal Recital. Please support four fellow organists and Worcester Chapter AGO members as they present a recital at Salem Covenant Church (215 East Mountain St., Worcester, MA). Additional information to follow. February 7, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. In its 25 th Anniversary Season, the Holy Cross Chapel Artists Series presents Heinrich Christensen of King s Chapel of Boston, and winner of the 1999 Erfurt International Organ Competition. Saint Joseph Memorial Chapel, College of the Holy Cross (1 College St., Worcester, MA). Handicap accessible. For more information, visit or call February 14, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. Chapter-Sponsored Event: Member Recital. Spend this Valentine s Day afternoon with your spouse, significant other or another loved one, in the presence of brilliant organ music, presented by several of our chapter members. Pakachoag Church (203 Pakachoag St., Auburn, MA). Additional information to follow. February 21, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. All Saints Lenten Music Series. Donald Meineke, organist. Reception to follow. Free-will offering. All Saints Church (10 Irving St., Worcester). For more information, visit or call Please submit future calendar and placement listings to Jean Breidenbach by December 15, Contact information can be found on the rear cover.

6 PAGE 6 THE WORCESTER ORGANIST Positions Available East Longmeadow United Methodist Church (Music Director/Pianist/Organist) 215 Somers Rd., East Longmeadow, MA 01028; Immediate part-time opening. Plan and coordinate all music and anthems from diverse musical traditions for Sunday worship services in cooperation with pastoral staff, direct an established adult choir, build a youth music program for pre-k through high school. Lead in worship by providing piano, organ and/or keyboard music for church services and act as primary accompanist for assigned choirs, ensembles and soloists. Candidate should possess enthusiasm for worship and the ministry of music. Strong music skills are needed with emphasis placed on teamwork, people skills and creativity. Two rehearsals (weeknight and Sunday morning). Average of weekly hours. Moeller pipe organ. Annual salary of $12,000 to $14,000 based on experience, 4 weeks paid vacation. Forward resume, including address, telephone number and/or address to the address above, or contact: Diane Chandler (Staff Parish Relations Team Leader) at spr@elumc.org, or Rev. Kelly Turney (Pastor) at or pastor@elumc.org. United Presbyterian Church (Organist/Choir Director) 7 Spring St., Whitinsville, MA 01588; Seeking Organist/Choir Director for minimum of 8 hours per week with additional time required for special services. Playing on Skinner pipe organ and Gulbransen grand piano. Direct adult and children s choirs. Send resume to address above, or contact church office at or office@whitinpres.org. First Congregational Church (Organist/Choir Director) 138 Main St., Westminster, MA 01473; Part-time position (10-12 hours per week) in an active parish of 300 members. Provide music for one weekly service at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays, plus special holiday services (including, but not limited to Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, Maundy Thursday and Children s Sunday). Rehearse dedicated adult choir for 90 minutes on Thursday evening and before church service on Sunday mornings (September through June). Select and play preludes, offertories and postludes for services of worship. Select a variety of music for choral anthems, introits, prayer responses and benedictions. Input at staff meetings for worship planning. The music ministry includes a traditional worship service with blended elements. Proficiency in organ, piano and accompanying necessary. Quality digital Allen Renaissance organ. Grand piano in sanctuary. Position available January Response deadline: June For a complete job description, visit our web site (above). Submit letter and resume to Doug Washabaugh, Chair Organist Search Committee, c/o First Congregational Church, P.O. Box 477, Westminster, MA Catholic Communities of St. Joseph & St. Pius X of Leicester (Director of Music) Immediate part-time opening. Weekly commitment consists of two rehearsals and two Masses every Sunday; additional liturgies may be required throughout the year. Applicants should be proficient in organ and piano, possess a knowledge of the Catholic liturgy, and be willing to work with groups of all musical abilities, ages and styles. Please forward resume and references to Rev. Stephen D. Johnson, 759 Main St., Leicester, MA St. Boniface Catholic Church (Organist/Music Director) 817 Massachusetts Ave., Lunenburg, MA 01462; mysite.verizon.net/st_boniface/ Part-time position (10 hours per week). Play three Masses each weekend, plus major holy days. Familiarity with both traditional and contemporary music for the Roman Catholic liturgy is preferred. Responsibilities include selection of music and collaborating with pastor for liturgical planning. Salary of $15,000 to $18,000 based on experience and expertise, 2 weeks paid vacation and sick leave. Baldwin organ and Yamaha piano. Send resume via fax to or via e- mail to stbonifacereled@verizon.net.

7 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2009 PAGE 7 Worcester Chapter American Guild of Organists P.O. Box 20208, Worcester, MA Web: National Headquarters American Guild of Organists 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1260, New York, NY Phone: Web: Chapter Dean Ronna R. Davis 7 Davis Ledge Road, Sterling, MA Home: Mobile: rrarchbold@hotmail.com Region I Councilor E Lary Grossman 24 King Street, Hatfield, MA Phone: Cell: elg@bradygrossman.com Blog: Chapter Newsletter & Website David M. Moulton 10 Maple Drive, Auburn, MA Phone: dmm@dmmoulton.net The Worcester Organist is published six times annually: January, March, May, July, September and November. Newsletter items must be submitted by the 15 th of the month prior to publication. Region I Coordinator for Education Cheryl L. Duerr 267 Concord Avenue, Lexington, MA Phone: Work: clduerr@gmail.com Chapter Calendar & Placement Listings Jean Breidenbach 99 Waterford Drive, Worcester, MA Phone: jeansk8@charter.net Calendar items must be submitted by the 15 th of each month. Placement listing fee is $20.00 for 4 mos., payable in advance to: Worcester Chapter American Guild of Organists P.O. Box 20208, Worcester, MA Region I Coordinator for Professional Development Donald R. Funk 136 South Highland Street, West Hartford, CT Phone: dfnkjr@comcast.net