ENCHAMADE THE CHARLOTTE CHAPTER OF THE DECEMBER 2017 AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS Next Charlotte AGO Chapter Meeting Saturday, January 6, 2018 5:00 8:30 PM Epiphany Celebration St. Martin s Episcopal Church 1510 E 7 th St, Charlotte, NC 28204 5:00 pm rehearsal 6:00 pm Epiphany Service 7:15 pm Chapter Potluck Dinner AGO members are welcome to attend the service and dinner, or take a more active role by singing in the choir, or playing a voluntary or hymn. IN THIS ISSUE Dean s Message Your AGO Board at work Member Recommendations Featured Chapter Member: Chase Douthit Upoming Concerts Student Competitions Charlotte AGO Programs 2017-18 Advertisements "The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ."
Jane Cain, AAGO, Charlotte Chapter Dean E-mail: jcain@dcpc.org Office: (704) 892-5641 A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Around this time of year, friends start making sympathetic noises about what a busy time of year December is for church musicians. I think they expect some moaning back from me. But in truth, I love Advent and Christmas. I love the things we do the same every year: the same Advent wreath, the same script and costumes at the Christmas pageant, the same Christmas Vespers program that Davidson College presents, the same candles and Silent Night on Christmas Eve. And I love the things that are different: all the myriad Christmas anthems and carols to choose from, whether to use brass or harp, which cantata or lessons and carols service to plan, whether to begin the Christmas Eve service in darkness and quiet or with a blaze of light and sound. How blessed I feel when a 30-something who grew up singing in children s and youth choirs and has moved to New York shows up on Christmas Eve with a big hug. And for those people who only ever attend church on Christmas Eve and Easter, they come because we have an enormous gift to give them. You can bet they don t go home humming the sermon. So yes, with all the busy-ness of the season, I feel privileged to have this beauty and tradition that helps people slow down and touch something transcendent. And then when it s all over, our chapter offers us an opportunity to gather for some collegiality on Epiphany. St. Martins Episcopal Church will host a chapter-led Epiphany service, followed by a potluck dinner. Bring your best dish or your leftover fruitcake (just kidding!) and we will relax together in a social evening. I hope to re-connect with colleagues and make new friends. See you there. Grace and Peace, Jane
Your Board at work.... Your Charlotte AGO executive board met on November 6, 2017 at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. Important business matters that were discussed include: Discussed the well-received performance of the Atlanta Master Chorale program in October Appointed the Nominating Committee to make board member recommendations for chapter voting Continuing to work on making our website and forms more USER-FRIENDLY! Ideas to improve communication between chapter members Discussed upcoming chapter programming details Member Recommendations: Music for Christmas Carol of the Light, by David Barton Organ Accompaniment, unison voices. An original carol with a memorable melody surrounded by rich harmonies provided by the keyboard. Barton has created an attractive work in a refreshing, contemporary style. This could be used as a choral blessing at Christmas as well as a promise for the New Year. Paraclete Press, Easy. Daquin and the French Noel, A CD recording performed by Robert Bates Robert Bates plays the complete organ works of Daquin on the multi-temperament Fisk organ at Stanford University s Memorial Church. Loft Recordings.
Featured Charlotte AGO Member: Chase Douthit Chase Douthit, one of our Chapter s youngest members, probably loves the organ as much as anybody you ll ever know. Chase can talk about organs and organ music with the enthusiasm of youth and the knowledge of experts. I met Chase when he competed last March in the High School Music Competition sponsored by the Piedmont Institute for Communication, Music and Art at Pfeiffer University. His stupendous performance of the well-known Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor still echoes through my ears. He showed a depth of understanding for the music he performed that often eludes experienced professionals. By the way, he won the competition! Chase lives with his family in Mooresville, NC, and he is in his Junior year at Lake Norman High School. He is a student of David Ubel at Masterworks School of the Arts in Davidson, NC. I asked Chase how he became interested in organ and his response was, It s a long story. Already by the age of three Chase was picking out melodies on his grandparents old piano. He was exposed to organ and church music at the same time. Before services the organist would help him pick out the hymns for the day on the organ. She put tape on the keys to indicate where he should play. He loved it! When his parents took him as a five year old to an organ concert at Calvary Church, he fell in love with the instrument. Calvary s organ remains one of his favorites. Last summer Chase was selected to attend the AGO s POE Advanced (Pipe Organ Encounter) in Birmingham, AL. One of the highlights of this experience was a visit to Independent Presbyterian Church to see, hear, and experience the large three-manual Dobson organ built in 2012. Chase s enthusiasm for the instrument was obvious as he described his memory of the visit: I only got to play it for about two minutes, but the space combined with the organ was amazing! Chase s love for the organ also spills over to a love for organ music. French Late Romantic and French Modern organ music hold special places in his heart. His favorite composers include Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Duruflé, Jean Langlais, Charles-Marie Widor, and Louis Vierne. He aspires to play the most difficult pieces by these composers, including the Toccata of Duruflé s Suite (Op. 5), Prelude and Fugue on the Name of Alain by Duruflé, and various works by Messiaen. Don t think that Chase doesn t have time to be a normal teenager! He enjoys playing football, boating, fishing, and golfing. His church members often show concern during football season lest he break a finger or a leg. In the winter you are likely to find him with his father fishing in bass tournaments. Chase describes our Charlotte Chapter AGO functions as Awesome! He enjoys all of the programming, but he enjoys the progressive dinners the most because he meets more people. If you see him at an upcoming AGO meeting, take a moment to get to know him. You ll be thrilled to meet an enthusiastic, friendly, wholesome, and nice young man!
Upcoming Concerts November 30 at 7:30 PM and December 3 at 3:00 PM, Pfeiffer University Choir, The Village Ringers, and the Pfeiffer Band perform the Sounds of Christmas in the Henry Pfeiffer Chapel at Pfeiffer University (Misenheimer). Free admission. December 9 at 8:00 PM, The Belmont Abbey Chorus, Instrumental Ensemble, voice and organ students present the Annual Holiday Concert at the Abbey Basilica in Belmont Abbey. Free admission, donations accepted. For more information, www.bac.edu. December 11 at 7:30 PM, Michael Lehtinen, Organist and Associate Director of Music at St. Stephen s church, in concert at Davidson College Presbyterian Church. Free admission; Freewill offering received. For more information, see http://www.dcpc.org/. December 11, at 7:30 PM, The Choir of Clare College (Cambridge, UK) present Of One that is So Fair and Bright as a concert of choral music for Advent and Christmas featuring works by Tallis, Palestrina, Tavener, Wood, Britten Willcocks, Rutter, Mathias, and others, at St. Michael s Episcopal Church (Raleigh). Tickets $20, $10 (Students). For more information, contact Kevin Kerstetter at 919-946-5721 or HolyMichaelMusic@icloud.com. December 16 at 2:00 PM, St. Patrick s Cathedral Choir and Children s Choir present the Annual Christmas Concert featuring works by Vivaldi, Morales, Reger, Grancini, and others, held at St. Patrick Cathedral (Charlotte). Free-will offering. December 16 at 7:00 and 8:30 PM, Carolina Pro Musica presents Christmas at St. Mary s at Historic St. Mary s Chapel (Charlotte). Tickets: $16, $8 (students/seniors). For more information, www.carolinapromusica.org. Student Competitions January 26-28, High School Organ Festival and Competition, sponsored by the UNC School of the Arts and the Piedmont AGO Chapter. For rules, prizes and application, see http://www.timothyolsenorganist.com/hs-competition.html. March 10, Organ Competition: Grades 9-12, Sponsored by the Greater Columbia AGO Chapter. For rules, prizes and application, see www.columbiaago.org. March 18, High School Competition for Vocalists, Keyboardists, and other instrumentalists, sponsored by the Piedmont Institute for Communication, Music and Art at Pfeiffer University. For rules and prizes, see www.pfeiffer.edu/picma.
For more information, see www.bacharlotte.com. January 6, Saturday, 5:00-8:30 pm: Epiphany Celebration St. Martin s Episcopal Church, 1510 E 7 th St, Charlotte, NC 28204 5:00 pm: rehearsal; 6:00 Epiphany Service; 7:15 Chapter Potluck Dinner AGO members are welcome to attend the service and dinner, or take a more active role by singing in the choir, or playing a voluntary or hymn. February 9, Friday, 7:30 pm: Peek Memorial Recital: Renee Anne Louprette February 10, Saturday, 9:00 am-12:00 noon, Master Class Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1000 East Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28204 Renee Anne Louprette serves at both Rutgers University and the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City. If you were lucky enough to hear her performance at Friendship Missionary Baptist during the 2015 Regional Convention, then you know this is a recital not to be missed! April 21, Saturday, Sm(organs)bord: Saturday morning workshops St. Stephen United Methodist Church, 6800 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270 9:00-10:00 Choral Techniques: John Blizzard Whether you work with an aging choir or a children s ensemble, John will show you ways to maximize your choir s potential through vocal and choral techniques. 10:15-11:15 The Organ and Your Body: Brenda Sorkin How do you navigate between the complexity of the organ and your own comfort? Are you enjoying pain-free playing? In this Feldenkrais workshop we will develop your ability to play with greater ease and efficiency. Brenda Sorkin has over 30 years of experience in movement education. For more information see: www.movementdialogues.com. 11:30-12:30 Hymn Playing Reminders: John Cummins David Craighead always said, "90% of teaching is reminding." We will look at examples of tunes and texts from various stylistic periods, as well as registration, tempo, breathing, and phrasing relative to each. JW Pepper and Choirboy will have sacred music displays in the narthex. Beverages and light refreshments will be provided. May 20, Sunday, 5:00 pm: Pentecost Festival and Officer Installation Myers Park Presbyterian, 2501 Oxford Pl, Charlotte, NC 28207 AGO members are welcome to attend the service, or take a more active role by singing in an AGOmember choir.. Charlotte AGO Programs 2017-18
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The Charlotte AGO Chapter wishes you and yours the Happiest Holidays!
www.charlotteago.org AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS CHARLOTTE CHAPTER Dr. Elizabeth Beth Harrison, Newsletter Editor Submissions to: ElizabethAHarrison@icloud.com or elizabeth.harrison@pfeiffer.edu Charlotte AGO Executive Board 2017-2018 Chapter Officers Jane Cain, Chapter Dean jcain@dcpc.org Michael Lehtinen, Sub-Dean michaellehtinen@aol.com Lee Northcutt, Secretary LNorthcutt@myersparkpres.org Gay Pappin, Treasurer gpappin@carolina.rr.com Executive Board Members Class of 2017-2018 Robert Ivey Ginger Wyrick Class of 2018-2019 Kevin Haney Jacqueline Yost Class of 2019-2020 Nicholas Haigh Elizabeth 'Beth' Harrison