Free Pedal Board Available

Chapter News / By

T. L. Thatcher has built a lovely four-manual Virtual Pipe Organ (VPO) in his home and along the way has ‘collected’ a very nice Allen AGO pedal board that needs a home. It is free. Mr. Thatcher received it free, and so it is willing to part with it for free so that it can find a good home.

If any AGO members that are looking to put together their own home VPO, this would work well for them. Mr. Thatcher comments, “My experience was that finding a decent pedal board was the most difficult part of assembling a VPO.”     

The pedal board is available for pick-up in Orderville, Utah, about 4 hours south from SLC, located just outside Zion National Park on Hwy 89. For details, contact Max Walker at max@slcago.org.

Volunteers Needed – 2020

Chapter News / By

Have you enjoyed your experience this year with SLCAGO? We hope that you have enjoyed recitals, concerts, Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza, and more!

The SLCAGO Board is asking for a couple of volunteers to help us with the chapter work and events. The time commitment is minimal! See below.

Chapter Historian

  • Time Commitment: Only about 1 hour per month
  • Role Description: The Historian helps us capture the history of the chapter. Examples include short write-ups about events to go into our archives, short write-ups of events to submit to The American Organist (TAO) magazine, event picture gathering, etc.
  • Value of Contribution: Your contribution will have a great impact on the chapter in the future. Future Boards will reference your work to learn from past events. Future generations will look back with joy on learning what their forbears did.
  • Reports to: Chapter Dean

Membership Committee Member

  • Time Commitment: Only about 1 hour per month
  • Role Description: Assist Membership Coordinator/Registrar, Holly Brinkle, in reaching out to new members, encouraging event attendees in joining the chapter, assist members in joining or renewing membership online or by mail, help to create member welcome kits, etc.
  • Value of Contribution: Membership is the lifeblood of the chapter. With minimal time commitment, you can have a great impact on members of our chapter by helping them remain active in the chapter and encouraging new members.
  • Reports to: Holly Brinkle, Membership Coordinator

We hope that you will consider joining other chapter volunteers to support quality events and membership participation.

Recap of Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza 2019

Certification & Training / By

On Saturday, 02 November 2019, we held our 2019 Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza. You can find some details about the organs we played, etc., in our last newsletter and on our web site.

Emily Spencer led the planning and execution of the event. Thank you, Emily! She has posted some pictures on Facebook here. Go have a look and make a comment! I think my favorite picture is of the young students exploring the working bellows on one of organs they played.

With students, parents, teachers, and staff, we had about 100 people at the event. It’s a thrill to enjoy students of all ages muster the courage to play in front of their peers and strangers. (We’re very friendly strangers, but strangers nonetheless!)

Our special thanks go to Bill Hesterman from Temple Square. As volunteer assistant to the Temple Square Organists, he is a great friend to the SLCAGO.

You can count on Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza next year around October. We’ll work on details next summer. We look forward to seeing you again.

Dean’s Message – November 2019

Chapter News / By

I am extremely grateful for all those who sacrificed their time and energy to make our Pedals Pipes and Pizza event one of the best ever.   Thank you.  And thanks to all those who brought their piano students, organ students and other young people interested in an organ experience.

I brought three grandchildren.  They said “Thanks Grandpa – for the coolest day ever!”  How about that.  All of us worked hard to pull off a “Coolest Day Ever” event.   I agree with them.  It was the coolest day ever. 

It was cool because:

            My life was enriched by experiencing my grandchildren’s awe, amazement and glee in having a pipe organ encounter.  I watched the members of our chapter throughout the event and I know that all of our lives were enriched, as mine was, in experiencing the young people’s awe, amazement and glee.

It was cool because:

            We could see the ideas germinating in our young people’s minds to learn more about the organ, to play and to advance their skills. 

It was cool because:

            I saw a community of members within our Chapter who really work well together, who are fun to be around, and who are just exemplary human beings. 

It was cool because: 

            We advanced the mission our Chapter to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ.  I saw passion in those of you who helped pull off this event as well as passion in the teachers, students and all the young people who attended. 

This is what our Chapter is about.   Thanks to all of you and have a Very Thankful Thanksgiving.  (And may your turkey taste like something other than chicken.) 

In closing, here is a handy excuse for you organists out there:   “Who put the Contra Bombarde toe piston next to the Swell pedal anyway?  Geez!”

Virtual Organ Showcase and Open Console

Certification & Training, Concerts & Recitals / By

Christiansen III-109 Home Virtual Organ by R. M. Ballantyne Organs, Opus 33

Come learn about virtual organs!

Clay Christiansen has invited chapter members to his home where he has a 3-manual virtual organ installed, the Christiansen III-109 Home Virtual Organ by R. M. Ballantyne Organs, Opus 33 (see organ spec attached).

  1. Recital: Clay will do a 20-minute recital of the five movements of his Suite, which shows off the organ well. 
  2. Virtual Organ Discussion: The organ engineer who work on this project, Charlie Raasch, will also join us by video conference to talk about the project and the organ’s design and installation. Learn about virtual organs from an expert! 
  3. Open Console: Finally, attendees will have the opportunity to play the organ, so bring your music and your organ shoes! 

Seating is limited to 35 attendees, so registration on the event page: https://slcago.org/event/virtual-organ-showcase-and-open-console/.

Dean’s Message, October 2019

Chapter News / By

We now approach a new holiday season. Halloween is around the corner followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. Thanksgiving is a mere six weeks away – Christmas another four weeks after that. I don’t intend to create any stress or anxiety. Instead I want to issue a challenge to you and your family to fill your coming Holiday Season with worship through music; in particular, organ and choral music. Here are some suggestions: 

1. Our chapter partners with the Eccles Organ Festival to bring professional organ recitals to our community, free of charge. Benjamin Sheen performed this last Sunday. His repertoire was exceptional. Johann Vexo is performing November 10th, 2019, followed by the Brass and Organ Christmas Concert December 15th, 2019. Do plan to attend and bring your family and friends. 

By the way, the Eccles Organ Festival Board of Trustees is beginning the selection of professional organists for the 2020-2021 season. Who would you like to see perform? Now is the time to give us your input. 

2. Mozart’s Requiem will be performed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Sunday November 3rd, 2019. What a marvelous way to begin the celebration of Thanksgiving. 

3. I’ll bet you did not know that I sing in a choir. (Those that know I sing in a choir wish they didn’t know). It is the SOJO Choral Arts Choir, and Orchestra. Our 2019 Sounds of the Season Concert is December 7th, at Bingham High School. You should attend. It’s a riot. 

I know this is not all the events planned for this season. I personally would like to know what other events, in any denomination, are planned, particularly if they involve a member of our Salt Lake Chapter. Let’s share the information we have and make this a wonderful, worshipful, pleasant and stress free holiday season, together. 

John K. Rice, Your Dean. (I had no idea this magazine and website existed: theladyorganist.com. Who knew?)

Registration is open for Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza 2019

Certification & Training / By

Registration is now open for Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza! Please see the event page at https://slcago.org/event/pedals-pipes-pizza-2019/ for all event details and to register.

Registration will remain open until 24 October.

Here’s a quick summary:

  • Check in on Saturday, 02/Nov at 8:00 a.m. at the West door of the Assembly Hall.
  • Plan on playing 5 temple square organs, including some you may never have seen before!
  • We will probably finish things up 1:30 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Pedals, Pipes, & Pizza 2019

Benjamin Sheen to perform on October 13, 2019

Concerts & Recitals / By

Benjamin Sheen, Associate Organist at Saint Thomas Church in New York City, is one of Great Britain’s brightest young organists. Hailed as a “brilliant organist” by the New York Times, he is the 2013 winner of the Pierre S. du Pont First Prize in the inaugural Longwood Gardens Organ Competition, and that same year received Second Prize and the Jon Laukvik prize at the St. Alban’s International Organ Competition. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford and the Juilliard School, is a prize-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and the 2011 recipient of the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medal.

Benjamin Sheen will present a wonderful recital for the Eccles Organ Festival on Sunday 13 October 2019 at 8:00 PM at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Whitlock, Duruflé and others.

Eccles Organ Festival Recital: Benjamin Sheen

Christophe Mantoux in Recital on Temple Square

Concerts & Recitals / By

Christophe Mantoux will do a recital at Temple Square and a Master Class in Libby Gardner Hall during the last week of October 2019. Event details are at the end of this article.

French organist Christophe Mantoux is Professor of Organ at the Pôle Supérieur and the Conservatoire Régional de Paris where he teaches students from all over Europe, the United States, South America, South Korea, and Japan.

Prior to his appointment in Paris, he was Professor of Organ at the Conservatoire National de Région of Strasbourg. He also holds the post of Titular Organist at the famous Church of Saint-Séverin in Paris where he has served since 1995.

A downloadable bio and outline of his recital is available on the Events pages below.

Master Class with Christophe Mantoux at Libby Gardner Hall
Christophe Mantoux in Recital at Temple Square