Volume 12, Issue 1
March-April 2015
En Chamade
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Dear AGO Friends,
Southeast Minnesota Chapter of the American Guild of Organist is alive with activity in the dead of
winter! As you read the newsletter, you will note that the concert season is in full swing. These are just
a handful of area concerts and recitals. Make and take the time to immerse yourself in these harmoniously rich musical opportunities.
SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
Isabelle Demers
As a chapter member, I hope you can join us for the social event after Stephen Distad’s concert on
March 1. It’s a wonderful way to welcome back our old friend of the chapter. Join us on April 18 for a
Masterclass with Isabelle Demers. This class will focus on the younger members of the chapter, the
scholarship students. I encourage you to “save the date”, May 30, for an Organ Crawl in LaCrosse with
the Riverland Chapter.
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Thanks to Glen Meyer, we now have a Facebook page called “Southeast Minnesota Chapter AGO”. It
is in the infant stage of development. We will be posting pictures, comments and updates about the
concert, activities and events in our area. Like us to join!
St. Marys Chapel Concerts
2
Festival of Music
2
Lenten Recitals
3
Cantori Concert
3
Upcoming Concerts
3
Newsletter Deadline
4
The last few months have busy for me. In January, the congregation that I serve purchased a pipe organ from a church in Ames, Iowa. This 1932 Moller, rebuilt and expanded by Fabry and Sons, Inc. in
1985, has a two manual console with 16 ranks. With the directive assistance of Jeff Daehn and Jim
Hammann and seven congregational members, we removed the instrument mid-January. Now the
cleaning, repair and assembling process is underway. The project has sparked electrifying interest in
all things pipe organ and how it works. For Holy Cross’ members, they are looking forward to hearing
their first organ music for the worship services. I am too.
Have a peace Lent season and a magnificent Easter.
Matt Lehman, Dean
Concert and Masterclass for Scholarship Students with Isabelle Demers
Masterclass
visit the Chapter News tab
on our website for updated information.
www.semnago.org
Saturday, April 18, 2015
9:00 am – Gathering Time
9:30-11:30 am – Class
Organ Concert
Sunday, April 19, 2015
4:00 PM
Join us on Facebook
“Southeast Minnesota
Chapter AGO”
How wonderfully blessed are we to have the J. Isabelle Dyck and the Southeast Minnesota Chapter of
the American Guild of Organist Student Organ Scholarships that facilitates for the young people in our
area learn about the church organ. To continue and enhance the scholarship students’ learning process,
we will be having a masterclass for them with Isabelle Demers, Organ Professor and Head of the Organ
Program at Baylor University in Texas. Southeast Minnesota Chapter of AGO Members are invited to
listen and learn from Isabelle Demers, as she instructs and encourages the chapter’s scholarship
students. What an excellent opportunity to observe a few more teaching and playing techniques.
First Presbyterian Church
512 3rd Street SW
Rochester, MN
P a g e
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Chamade
Saint Marys Hospital Chapel Concert Series
3:00 pm
2nd Avenue and 11th Street SW
Rochester, Mn
Andrew Galuska at St. Marys Chapel organ console
Organ at St. Marys Chapel
The concert series at the chapel of St. Marys Hospital continues and is
projected to run to Fall of this year. Concerts are held once a month on
Sundays generally the first Sunday of the month. The series is in place
to celebrate the renewal of the 1932 Aeolian/Skinner pipe organ. In
2014, the organ was totally rebuilt and slightly enlarged; the work was
performed by the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio.
Upcoming Concerts
March 1 – Stephen Distad, organ, and Justin Langham, trumpet will present a varied program for organ
and trumpet. Both these gentleman are from Houston, Texas, where they are both in full time church music
position. As many of you know, Stephen grew up in Rochester and his initial organ studies were with
Robert Scoggin. Later in his career, Stephen was also Organist/Director of Music at Christ United
Methodist Church.
April 12 – Julie Kim, organ. Julie is the organist at the Congregational Church in Rochester and is also
a doctoral student of Dean Billmeyer at the University of Minnesota. A fine young player, take this chance
to come hear this concert the week after Easter.
We will gather after the concert for a social time and meal at Saints on Second Bar and Grill
A Festival of Music
First Presbyterian Church
512 3rd Street Southwest, Rochester, MN
4:00 pm
March 8, 2015 - Columbia Handbell Ensemble-Columbia MO , Ed Rollins conductor
This national recognized group is one of the longest running community based handbell
organizations in the country. Organized in 1988 by Tom Brintnall, Deb Carr, and Ed Rollins.
April 19, 2015 - Isabelle Demers, Concert organist, Baylor University, Waco TX
Organ Professor and Head of the Organ Program at Baylor University in Texas,
V o l u m e
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LENDING LIBRARY NEWS
The AGO Lending Library is moving to
Christ United Methodist Church. The
new location will provide a much more
accessible space. The library move and
set up should be completed by the end of
March. A new system to brose and
checkout will be developed and published in the next newsletter.
Thank You, Andrew Galuska for making
this space available to the Guild.
Rosalie Alcoser, librarian
Our music library is now available for
perusal on our website:
www.semnago.org.
AGO NORTH CENTRAL
2015 REGIONAL CONVENTION
Region: North Central (Formerly Region VI)
Host: Saint Louis Chapter, Saint Louis, MO
Date: June 22-24, 2015
Contact: Mr. Andrew J. Peters
Phone: 314-367-0367 (w)
Details and registration are now available
by going to www.ago2015.org
Plan to attend a Regional Convention
this summer
Visit our chapter web site for more information
Calendar, employment, lending library,
and more
www.semnago.org
Upcoming Events
Sunday, March 22, 4:00 pm ~ Organ Dedication at Christ United Methodist Church, 400 5th Avenue Southwest, Rochester, MN.
Tuesday, April 21, 7:00 pm ~ Rust College Choir at Christ United Methodist Church, 400 5th Avenue Southwest, Rochester, MN.
Saturday, May 2, 7:30 pm ~ Marissa Brengman Hansen & Nora O’Sullivan (singers),
Sebastian Modarelli (organ/piano) at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Rochester, MN.
Sunday, May 3, 2:00 pm ~ 2015 J. Isabelle Dyck and SE MN AGO Chapter Student Organ Scholarship Winners Recitals
First Presbyterian Church, 512 3rd Street SW. , Rochester, MN
Sunday, May 3, 3:00 pm ~ St. Marys Hospital Chapel Concert Series, 2nd Avenue and 11th Street SW., Rochester, MN
Thursday, May 28, 6:30 pm ~ Spring Concert at Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester, MN.
Saturday, May 30 ~
LaCross Organ Crawl, SEMN and Riverland Chapters of AGO meet for Organ crawl
in LaCross area & Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe. See SEMN AGO website for more information.
Sunday, May 31, 4:00 pm ~ Héctor Olivera at Christ United Methodist Church, 400 5th Avenue Southwest, Rochester, MN.
Albert Lea Cantori
Spring Concert
Sunday, April 26
3:00 PM
United Methodist Church
702 Hwy 69 S
Albert Lea, MN
including
Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb”
PDQ Bach’s “The Seasonings (S. 1/2 tsp)”
Daniel Gawthrop’s “The Pie Carols”
Eileen Nelson Ness, director
Gail Thurnau, organist and pianist
WE’RE ON THE WEB
WWW.SEMNAGO.ORG
A M E R I C A N
G U I L D
O R G A N I S T S
O F
Officers
Matt Lehman, Dean
Southeast Minnesota Chapter
Rochester, MN
All address changes: please email
Brian Poch at [email protected]
Brian Williams, Sub-Dean
Scott Schilbe, Secretary
[email protected]
507-252-5511
Brian Poch, Treasurer
[email protected]
Phone: 507-285-1683
Please submit news, calendar events,
directory changes, etc. for the SeptemberOctober issue of En Chamade by April 15.
Send to Eileen Nelson Ness at
[email protected] or
77574 170th St. Albert Lea, MN 56007
The
En Chamade is now sent via email.
Executive Board
John Albright
Rosalie Alcoser
Andrew Galuska
Glen Meyer
Eileen Nelson Ness Jon Nienow
Jeff Daehn
Ruth Monson
Nancy Wales
Those desiring a hard copy please contact Eileen Nelson Ness.
Eileen Nelson Ness
77574 170th Ave
Albert Lea, MN 56007
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE