Have Questions on Repertoire? Fingering? Harmonization? Hymn-Playing?
Join in this free organ music workshop with Facebook Live on Saturday at 2 PM EDT (12 noon MDT), hosted by former NYC AGO Dean, David Enlow, a seasoned organ teacher and workshop presenter for national and chapter events. Bring your questions, read others’ comments and join in the discussion!
The AGO announced today in email the cancellation of its National Convention. From the email:
The AGO National Council, the Committee for Conventions, and the Convention Steering Committee for the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists regret to announce the cancellation of the AGO 2020 National Convention scheduled for July 6-10 this summer. The uncertainties surrounding the spread of the coronavirus require us to take this action. We felt that we could not adequately guarantee the health and well-being of our convention attendees, performers, presenters, exhibitors, worship leaders, and all others who would have been involved in the convention. We are deeply saddened at having to make this very difficult decision, but we feel it is in the best interest of all AGO members, their families, friends, and colleagues.
Email from AGO 2020.04.16
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic presents severe and unprecedented challenges for our organists and church musicians. Never in our nation’s history have places of worship been faced with indefinite closure and on such a scale. While we are all left to figure out how to navigate this difficult time, the AGO Committee on Career Development and Support would like to offer this page as a resource to members. As the situation evolves, more resources will be added. We welcome any additional resources from members – simply fill out the comment form at the bottom of the page. We send our very best wishes for continued health and peace at this time.
Read more about the AGO’s COVID-19 response and review helpful resources here: https://www.agohq.org/responding-to-covid-19/
Born in San Francisco, California, in 1943, Bonnie Goodliffe is one of the Salt Lake Tabernacle organists. She has been an organist on Temple Square since 1979 and has a considerable background in music theory, composition, and organ performance.
Goodliffe attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, where she studied piano and organ. She also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Brigham Young University. From 1974 to 1976 she sang with the Cleveland orchestra and Chorus.
Goodliffe regularly performs with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Temple Square Chorale, and Bells on Temple Square. Goodliffe and her colleagues perform daily organ recitals in the Tabernacle and Conference Center. When she is not performing, she teaches music theory for the 16-week Mormon Tabernacle Choir training school, which is held each winter.
She is a published composer and arranger and has served in the Music Committee for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She composed the music for, “We Meet Again As Sisters,” which is included in the current Church hymnbook. She said the hymn was intended to “highlight the text and be easily learned and easily sung. I used a narrow vocal range, simple rhythms, and relatively easy key. Because I’m an alto, I wanted the hymn to have an interesting alto part.”
Click the link below to view or download the biographical summary for each of the current Tabernacle Organists, or check out https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/about/organs/bios.html.
With the uncertainty of events and the suggested self-quarantine guidelines in place, the SLCAGO chapter Newsletter might be a good venue to connect with the organ & choir community and our chapter friends.
If you feel that this source (SLCAGO Newsletter) might serve you with continuing news through the summer or perhaps more often or less often, please send feedback.
Input from our readers and members are very welcome: comments, suggestions, feedback, articles/stories, links to interesting websites, etc.
Bear in mind our community consists of professional organists, professional choir leaders, volunteer organists (young and [I strongly dislike the word “old” – so “experienced” organists], hobbyists, general musicians and probably some composers and likely quite a few dabblers.
In that light, I would like to feature our professional organists beginning with the Tabernacle Organists and acknowledging the recently retired, Bonnie Goodliffe.
I invite other professional members to submit a picture and short biography for future publication.
Newsletter editor:
other board members to contact:
The AGO is excited to release new AGO Achievement Awards!
The AGO Achievement Awards are designed to assist and encourage early-level organists of any age as they improve their skills. A qualified mentor from the SLCAGO volunteers his/her time and energy throughout the process – from planning through completion. The candidate, who must be a chapter member, prepares the requirements independently or with the help of the mentor, teacher, chapter member, or friend. He/she may then complete the requirements at any time during one or more appointments with the mentor. After completing the requirements, the chapter prints the certificate, presents it to the member during a chapter event, and reports the results to National Headquarters. This provides a way for the chapter to involve new organists in chapter activity, and to encourage them to continue their education through AGO certification.
SLCAGO Organ Teachers have information about this new program. If you are interested in this program, please reach out via the Contact form on the web site, or discuss it with your organ teacher. This is an excellent way to improve your organ skills one by one, and to make sure that your organ skills are well-rounded. It is excellent preparation for eventual AGO Certification, too!
These are also excellent ways to approach topics that may be intimidating to new organists: pedals? transposition? harmony? You really can achieve practical and useful skills in these areas, and we’re here to help!
There are currently 5 AGO Achievement Awards that you can work towards:
Click here for a flyer with more information, or visit the program web site.
We hope that you will embrace these skill areas and become even better organists!
As John indicated in his Dean’s Message, we are working to adjust our approach to events, chapter business needs, etc., and we are beginning to think of alternative ways that we can bring you value as chapter members. Here are a few updates in that vein.
Normally, our bi-annual elections would have been held during our May Season Finale and Business Meeting. That event now being postponed, we will conduct our required officers election online. The election deadline is 31 May 2020, so watch for email from us in early May regarding the online election process. I promise: we’re using an online election tool built just for these kinds of elections, so it will be easy and straightforward!
I am very excited to tell you that the SLCAGO membership directory is now online! See https://slcago.org/membership-roster-access/. The content is passworded. I will email the password to all current members, and users may request the password via the web page. We requested, the password will only be shared with current members and staff.
We hope that access to the membership directory will encourage you to reach out to each other and to take care of each other during this time of restricted public activity.
To protect personally identifiable information (PII), this access will be restricted to current SLCAGO members and AGO staff. I will update the list quarterly, and will also update the password quarterly. We each have a role in protecting PII, so please do not share the password with anyone; have them request it from me via the web site.
The SLCAGO regrets that all events for spring 2020 have been postponed until further instructions are given by the State regarding gatherings.
In looking at the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, the current projections show that infections are expected to continue to surge in Utah and not peak until the third or fourth week of April. With churches and schools shut down, this leaves many members of our Chapter sitting at home without much to do. Though I firmly believe that you are a creative bunch and you don’t stop making music.
I’m guessing that some of you are sneaking off to church to continue practicing. I would like to see posts of you playing the organ and singing. Perhaps we could set aside a Zoom Chapter Choir sing, (but don’t invite me if you want a good blend of voices). Share your experiences and pandemic survival stories with us all.
It is in extraordinary circumstances like this which we have the opportunity to realize some benefits of membership in the Salt Lake Chapter. One benefit comes from being part of a group that can remain connected in the absence of gathering together. We can look after each other. We are all just a phone call away, or try some Facetime calls.
Please think about any of our older members who might live near you and need assistance with getting groceries and supplies delivered so they can stay safely sequestered at home. A little creativity here goes a long way.
If you are a member who is stuck at home and not sure who to reach out to for assistance, I invite you to e-mail me with your need/request. John@slcago.org. E-mail is preferred to a phone call so that the information can be easily and quickly shared with others as needed.
Lastly, what a great time to just loaf around and catch up on your badly needed physical and mental health. Consider the fruits of loafing around as shown in the following example:
According to an ancient Chinese legend, one day in the year 2640 B.C., Princess Si Ling-chi was sitting under a mulberry tree when a silkworm cocoon fell into her tea cup. When she tried to remove it, she noticed that the cocoon had begun to unravel in the hot liquid. She handed the loose end to her maidservant and told her to walk. The servant went out of the princess’s chamber, and into the palace courtyard, and through the palace gates, and out of the Forbidden City, and into the countryside a half mile away before the cocoon ran out. (In the West, this legend would slowly mutate over three millennia until it became the story of a physicist and an apple. Either way, the meanings are the same: great discoveries, whether of silk or gravity, are always windfalls. They happen to people loafing under trees.)
John K. Rice, Dean
john@slcago.org
