August 2019

SLCAGO Sponsors Eccles Organ Festival

Chapter News, Concerts & Recitals / By

This year (2019), the SLCAGO is formalized and increased its sponsorship of and partnership with the famous Eccles Organ Festival. The Eccles Organ Festival is an internationally recognized organ recital series, which seeks to provide the highest quality and most engaging organ performances free of charge to Salt Lake audiences, as well as masterclasses and public lectures.

An important part of the AGO’s mission is to provide opportunities for organists to hear great organ music. Recitals and concerts are important both for enriching the community’s arts programs and for inspiring organ students’ vision of what is possible on their chosen instrument.

The SLCAGO fulfills this part of its mission—recitals and concerts—primarily through its partnership with the Eccles Organ Festival. Please visit https://ecclesorganfestival.weebly.com/ to see what the 2019 season has in store! All of the Festival’s event are also included in our Events Calendar.

Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza 2019 — Early Notice

Certification & Training / By

Update 2019.08.17: PPP will now be in early November. Keep checking back for details!

It’s mid-August now, and we’re already getting inquiries about this year’s Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza (PPP) event! We are so glad that you enjoy this event so much!

We are still working out details. We can tell you this much now:

  • PPP 2019 will be held during October November
  • PPP 2019 will be held on Temple Square

We are still working to lock down the date and time, and which organs we will be able to play.

So, get ready! Start looking at which organ piece you would like to play on these famous organs. Pick something that you’re comfortable with so that you can spend your energy just enjoying these organs and not distressing about your playing. Besides, no one is going to worry about what you’re playing. We grown folks just thoroughly watching you students being brave enough just to play. Don’t you worry about a thing. You just come enjoy these organs!

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Get ready for the 2019-20 season!

Chapter News / By

This year, it’s all about growing as an organist. What are you going to do this season to be sure that you will be a better organist in May than you are now in August? Check out our planned concerts, recitals, volunteer organist training, certification, and open console events!

Northern Utah Events

We are making good on our threats to support better our organists in northern Utah. This season, we have two significant events planned in Ogden and Logan, respectively. These include an open console event, guest artists, and maybe even a theatre organ demo, complete with a short silent movie!

Subscribe to the newsletter using the form at the bottom of this page to make sure you get notified as details are solidified.

Certification Showcase and Volunteer Organist Events

Utah enjoys one of the largest populations of volunteer organists anywhere in the country. The SLCAGO is working to support these organists. This year, we wil spotlight AGO Certification as a primary benefit for volunteer organists.

Certification Showcase: Take the mystery out of AGO certification! This season, we’ll do a mock exam for the Service Playing Certificate. Come see what an exam is really like, and what level of skill you’ll need to attain a Service Playing Certificate. You may be more prepared than you think!

More Volunteer Organist Training: Playing on the past successes of Super Saturday training events, this year, we will try a smaller format that may be more accessible for more organists. If this is successful, we hope to offer more frequent training events like these. Check the newsletter for details as they emerge.

Certification Recital: We plan to wrap up the season with a member recital and reception that highlights new certificants.

This year, it’s all about growing as an organist. What are you going to do this season to be sure that you will be a better organist in May than you are now in August?

Concerts & Recitals

We are partnering with the Eccles Organ Festival and with Temple Square Performances to bring you a full season of exciting organ concerts and recitals. You can find all these events on our Events Calendar.

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AGO Certification Showcase Event!

Certification & Training, Chapter News / By

A showcase of proficient organ skills that every organist should possess to play effectively for worship services for many churches—including ​LDS Sacrament Meetings and Stake Conferences, funerals, weddings, ​and even for accompanying choirs​—and a certification program to help you develop those skills!

Each year, many AGO members receive certification of their service playing skills with the Service Playing Test. The Service Playing Certificate is recognized by many churches and employers as a demonstration of proficiency at the organ and brings organists many professional benefits.

Achieving certification also provides two important benefits for volunteer organists. First, the certification sets a plan that an organist can work on to become a well-rounded musician. Second, many organists find not only that the expanded skills give them more confidence, but also that the certification itself gives them a sense of accomplishment and legitimacy, which also lead to greater confidence when playing in new situations.

The test itself is entirely practical (no music theory tests), and the required skills come into play at the worship service(s) that most organists play each week. This includes practical skills that every organist should possess to play effectively for worship services for many churches—including LDS Sacrament Meetings and Stake Conferences, funerals, weddings, and even for accompanying choirs. The Service Playing Certificate sets out a path for you to develop all of those skills!

Click below to view the Event page and download a flyer to share with your students, your church organists, and your church’s music leadership. All organists are welcome, especially volunteer organists!

AGO Certification Showcase: Service Playing Certificate (SPC)