Chapter News

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/

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.

Contact information:

Newsletter editor:

• Janet Folster, Newsletter editor – jfolster@slcago.org

other board members to contact:

• John K. Rice, Dean – john@slcago.org
• Max Walker, Sub-Dean – max@slcago.org
• Kenneth Udy, Treasurer – ken@slcago.org
• Ryan North, Education – ryan@slcago.org
• Emily Spender, Program Committee – Emily@slcago.org
• Lora Kelly, Membership & Program Committee – lora@slcago.org
• Jan Clayton, Program Committee – jan@slcago.org

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.

Bi-annual Elections

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!

Membership Directory Now Online

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

This month, Max Walker, Sub-Dean, is standing in for John Rice, our Dean, and writing this column. 

Welcome to spring! Well, sort of. I think that by the time most of you open this, Salt Lake is supposed to be having snow again. I’m content with that. I got my few days of 60F weather, so a brief snow storm, even if it dumps 2 feet, will be fine. 60F is still coming back soon….

Last Month’s Successes

First, let’s talk about last month. We had a great event in Ogden at the Egyptian Theater and the Ogden Tabernacle. It was well-attended, and there were cries for more of that! For a few reasons, I think that you can expect an uptick in events in Ogden over the next year.

Coming up…

Next, let’s talk about what’s coming up. Certainly, some events in the next 30-60 days are being delayed or canceled because of the evolving protocols around COVID-19 prevention, and because even organ events can muster crowds larger than 100 people! That’s the silver lining! We expect that these changes will be temporary, and that many of these excellent events will be rescheduled.

Here are some changes that we know of now: 

March 2020: We have no scheduled chapter events in March. There are events at other venues, and you should confirm their schedules, delays, etc., with them directly. 

For April, there are two advertised and sponsored events that are affected: 

• April 17: James Welch on Temple Square: this event has been canceled for now. 
• April 28: Our masterclass with the guest artist at Utah State University will be delayed until their larger festival event is rescheduled. 

For May, we are still on schedule for now! We have our Season Finale scheduled for May 16. You can read about it below. We think it will be a fun event for the chapter! 

We are also beginning work on our 2020-21 schedule. Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza will obviously make its return in October. And our big event next season will be the return of Super Saturday! It is currently scheduled for February 6, 2021 at the University of Utah. Jan Clayton is leading that planning and already has a great line-up of classes, activities, and recitals for the day. You will not want to miss that next year! You can start building excitement about that with your students and colleagues now!

Wanna come be selfish with us?

Finally, the SLCAGO Board is grateful to all of you who volunteer in the chapter. We are a volunteer organization, from the Dean on down. Everything is volunteer hours. There are lots of ways that you can volunteer as little as an hour or two to help with an event every now and then. In fact, there is a great need for that in our chapter.

Please don’t be intimidated. We are willing to accept an hour or two, and not harass you for more! I did no volunteering in the chapter before assuming the Sub-Dean role. Since then, I figured out that volunteering is the best way to meet chapter members and to make those contacts with other organists. In that sense, volunteering is selfish! Some come be selfish with us! 

God bless you all for what you do for our community. You inspire, you lead, you teach. Thank you for including SLCAGO in what you do so that we all can enjoy what you are doing, learn from each other and, hopefully, increase the good things you do.

When: Friday, March 13
Where: Bigelow & Co. Inc. Organ Builders
130 West 100 South, American Fork, UT
Time: 6 to 9 PM

Now’s your chance! See the inner workings of a tracker pipe organ, hear it played, and try it yourself! 

You and your friends and associates are invited to a shop tour at Bigelow Organ Builders! The tour features the newly completed Opus 43 tracker pipe organ, which will be installed soon at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Healdsburg, California.

Invite organ-enthusiast friends and piano and organ students and their families! More on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/222578715455037/.