The Open Console event dates for the Eccles Organ Festival have changed. Instead of two dates in December 2019, there will be two dates in January 2020. These two events have been updated on our Events Calendar.
Registration is required. Please see the event web site.
Update 26/Sep 2019: Unfortunately, Mr. Ramirez has had to cancel this concert at the last minute. Our newsletter subscribers have been notified, and the Event record (below) has been updated on our calendar. We look forward to a future opportunity to listen to this excellent organist play in Salt Lake City!
All Eccles Organ Festival Recitals are given on Sundays at 8:00 PM at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, UT. All events are offered free of charge and open to the public. Donations are welcome.
Here are links to the first few events. You may be particularly interested in the open console events that are offered this season!
Welcome to the beginning of a new year of programs, activities and events of the Salt Lake Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. I invite you at the beginning of this program year to become acquainted with our Chapter website. There you will find the Chapter’s calendar of events and other resources and information aimed at assisting you in your work and love of the organ. Our Webmasters, Max Walker and Chad Staten have done a wonderful job with the website. They wait upon your further advice and input as to what would you would like to see as far as information or other resources as we continue in the effort to give you the best resources available via the website.
During this coming program year you can expect to see some organizational changes designed to promote the efficient operation of the Chapter and also designed to expand the breadth and quality of events for both professional and amateur organists. It is our aim in so doing to expand the positions and assignments for Chapter programs and events so that as many of our Chapter members who would like to participate will have the opportunity to do so, without the fear or anxiety of having to make a large commitment of time. We believe our upcoming organization changes will enhance the quality of being a member of this Salt Lake Chapter – the Best Chapter of the West.
The mission of the Salt Lake Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ. We have a thriving community of musicians. I have visited and experienced the services of the Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, Protestants, Baptists and other denominations in our community, not to mention the Mormon services, (whoops – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ services – one can hardly say all of that in one breath). I enjoy and I am enthused about the professionalism of our organists and the choirs and choral groups in all the denominations in our community. I invite our members to do as I have done and visit and become acquainted with the amazing organists and choral groups of other services. Listen, learn and appreciate as they play for their services. They really are amazing. In fact, if you choose to visit a service of any denomination, invite me along, because I want to visit new services and venues and promote the sharing of our excellent musicians’ knowledge of the organ and music.
We hope to schedule events in this calendar year where you will accomplish exactly what our mission calls for – sharing knowledge and inspiring passion for the organ.
So here is to a great year coming up. In closing, I ask you this question. What is the definition of an optimist?
Dean: John K. Rice
I got a few questions today in email from an organist who is considering attending the Certification Showcase this Saturday and wanted to understand more about what was going to happen. So let me share with you the answers I sent back — in hopes that YOU will also come this Saturday!
There will be handouts about the requirements. You’ll leave with everything you need to know to go choose your pieces and prepare the exam. (Well, we won’t give you all the music; that would be illegal. But you’ll know what to go buy.)
This will be one single demo session at the organ, or in the room with the organ. There won’t be breakout sessions. But there will be a reception afterwards where you can ask the questions that your forgot to ask, or were too nervous to ask. 🙂 There will also be some more exam-related materials for you to peruse then.
While my initial vision for the event was to do a mock exam. There would be a mock candidate who would play through the exam, in order, with a mock proctor, etc. But after some discussion, we decided that a thorough demonstration of all the exam skills would be more beneficial.
So, Ryan North, who proctors all of our chapter exams, will do that demonstration. He is very dynamic and explains things very clearly. Questions will be most welcome, too.
For example, the exam has one play a repertoire piece from each of three groups of repertoire. Instead of just playing one from each, Ryan will play parts from many of those pieces, giving you a good feel for them and helping you identify ones that may be best suited for you.
Another section is transposition (prepared, not sight-read), and Ryan will discuss various ways that students tend to approach learning transposition.
I expect only a moderate turnout, so it should be very easy to see, hear, ask questions, and really get a vision of how you may approach your own exam.
Oh, and we consciously chose to do this on a digital church organ instead of a grand pipe organ. Most organists play organs like these every Sunday, and I want to help volunteer organists to see that these skills are just as relevant — and just as effective for uplifting their congregations and encouraging singing — on their own instruments as they are on the grand instruments.
Alas, I will not be in attendance. I am out of state handling a family emergency. I am so tempted to change flights to get there in time. My sister is trying to talk me in to doing that. I am really excited about this event!
And as a final aside, I am one of these volunteer organists. I started playing the organ 7 years ago. I am not certified and am technically not really trained, apart from two years attending BYU’s organ workshop. I have set a goal to certify SPC in 2020. With that in mind, I thought an event like this may be beneficial to all volunteer organists.
Even if you do not intend to certify (yet!), this event will demonstrate all the organ skills that make you an effective organist in any service, whether LDS, Catholic, or Protestant. You need to play hymns well. You need to play for choirs. You need to play for large conferences. You need to play for funerals. And by studying and preparing for the Service Playing Certificate, you can be prepared for all of these services.
Don’t just be an “organist.” Be an “ORGANIST!”
I hope that you will attend … and drag along with you 2-3 more volunteer organists!
Young German organist Sebastian Greim will give a recital at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Salt Lake City on Tuesday evening, September 3rd at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free. The church is located at 1975 South 2300 East.
Sebastian Greim was born in 2000 in the vicinity of the Fichtel Mountains in Bavaria, Germany. At a young age he began playing the accordion and later branched out to the organ and piano. He currently studies the organ under Reinhold Schelter in Wunsiedel, Bavaria. In 2018, he won first prize in the German “Jugend Musiziert” (“Young Musicians”) competition. Since that time, he has given numerous organ recitals and performances with soloists, including mezzo-soprano Anna-Katharina Hilpert. Having successfully passed his A-level examinations in 2019, Sebastian will begin his university studies in church music in 2020. During his spare time, he volunteers as a paramedic for the German Red Cross.
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.
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:
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!
Subscribe to our newsletter! Teachers and students alike, please subscribe to the newsletter using the form at the bottom of this page to be sure you get notified of all our events!
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!
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.
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?
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.
Subscribe to o ur newsletter below to get all the news when we release our events calendar for 2019-20!
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!
