The official site of the Salt Lake Chapter

The SLCAGO Organ Teachers List and SLCAGO Substitute Organist Lists have been updated (July 2019). Four new substitutes and five new teachers are now included!

Chapter members are eligible to be included on our lists. We maintain these lists in hopes of helping chapter members in their professions, and to help students and others who need to find qualified teachers or substitutes.

So go find your new organ teacher today!

Your AGO membership just became more valuable!

Effective 11/June 2019, the AGO entered into a partnership with the Church Music Institute to provide discounted membership rates for AGO members. You get all the benefits of CMI membership, including access to its online Sacred Music Library with over 18,000 choral selections and over 13,000 organ compositions.

Check out the details here an “upgrade” your membership!

The AGO (national) needs your input. Take the AGO Strategic Planning Survey here!

The survey is being distributed to all Guild members following each regional convention. You may already have gotten an email from the AGO about the survey.

John Rice and I attended an AGO Leadership Conference a few months ago. There is great energy and investment around this strategic effort. It is a multi-year effort.

May of the national concerns mirror our own local concerns: engaging both professional organists and volunteer organists, expanding educational offerings, and attracting new members and continuing to renew members.

Your input on the survey will be most helpful. Please take a moment to respond.

The Utah Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists (UVAGO), jointly with the Salt Lake chapter, hosted a chapter-level competition in the Quimby Regional Competition for Young Organists (RCYO) on February 26, 2019. Amber Dahlberg was awarded first place, and Riley Palmer received second place. Amber will compete as a chapter winner at the 2019 West Region AGO Convention in Orange County, CA this summer.

Held at The Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on the Bigelow Opus 35, a 3- manual, 33-voice, 40-rank organ, judges for the competition were Dr. Clay Christiansen, Dr. Gabriele Terrone, and Dr. Kenneth Udy. Jennifer Morgan of the Utah Valley chapter and Heidi Alley of the Salt Lake chapter served as competition coordinators.

Amber Dahlberg performed “CORONATION” as a hymn accompaniment, “Trio Sonata No. 2 in C Minor; Largo and Allegro” by J. S. Bach (BWV 526), “King David’s Dance” by Stephen Paulus, and “Variations de Concert” by Joseph Bonnet. Amber is a junior at Brigham Young University where she is studying organ performance with Dr. Don Cook. This past Spring she attended an organ study abroad in France where she had the opportunity to play thirteen of the notable organs. She is a carillonneur for BYU’s Centennial Carillon Tower and plays weekly recitals and for graduations. With her love of music, Amber is looking forward to continuing her performing, teaching organ and piano, and having a studio of her own in the future. She also enjoys show jumping horses and spending time outdoors with her family.

Riley Palmer performed “CORONATION” as a hymn accompaniment, “Suite Gothique, Opus 25, Movement II” by Léon Boëllmann, “Three Pieces for Organ, Movement II” by Calvin Hampton, and “Prelude and Fugue in D Major” by J. S. Bach (BWV 532). Born in 1998, Riley Palmer is currently an organ student of Dr. Daniel Kerr at BYU Idaho. He has studied in the past with Julie Eberhard and Dr. Linda S. Margetts, and has been a student of music for years. He has performed many personal recitals, accompanied and sung in a number of choirs, and has also played with the YACP Orchestra. Currently on an off semester, he is teaching beginning organ lessons in his hometown of Farmington, Utah.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Over the Christmas Holidays I was the recipient of many great Christmas presents and blessings.  One was the opportunity to worship in St. James Episcopal Church and enjoy the superb service playing and music direction of Tyler Ballou.  Tyler is a joy to watch.  St. James Episcopal in Midvale is blessed with a pipe organ rebuilt and updated by David Chamberlain and the Bigelow Organ Company.  Tyler is very proficient at registering and playing in a manner that brings out the most from this instrument.  He is talented.  If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend this service simply to enjoy Tyler’s talents.

Another was the opportunity to worship in the service at Cottonwood Presbyterian Church.  To my surprise, the organist was our own Cool Canadian – Kathy Fisher!  I understand she is now the resident organist at Cottonwood Presbyterian Church.   I thoroughly enjoyed listening and singing to her playing during the service.   The Cottonwood Presbyterian Church is blessed with a host of talented musicians including a superb choir.  I highly recommend this service, just to here Kathy play and to hear the choir.  

Yet another was the advent or our new SLCAGO Website!  Thank you Max Walker, Sean MacFarland and all the others who have put so much effort to finally get this blessing launched!  I thank them, especially Max, for all the effort and sacrifice to get this site up and running.  SLCAGO.org will be of great service for all or our members.  Please extend your thanks to them. 

With the advent of this new year, our Chapter is moving forward many quality programs, events and projects for the benefit of our members.  Our current executive committee members and volunteers are putting in a ton of time and sacrifice to provide the best programs, events and projects for our members.  I thank them.  You should to.  I suggest that the best way to thank them is to personally attend the programs and events, bring a guest to the programs and events, and volunteer to help with one or more of the many positions or projects our Chapter sponsors.  We need your help.  Make it your New Year resolution to give a little time to the Chapter.   We will all benefit.