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Volume 1, Number 4 - - March 2003

AGO Annual Fund - - Special Appeal

Not so very long ago I naively thought that annual dues covered all the expenses of the AGO. I was recently very surprised to learn how much of our AGO budget is actually funded by private gifts, bequests, and investment income. Did I say "investment income?"

Enter these uncertain times! The AGO has unfortunately proven to be subject to the same financial shortfalls that all similar organizations are also experiencing. Whereas we want to sustain and enhance our national program initiatives, the resources are temporarily dwindling.

Therefore, each Region VIII dean has a personal letter from me, making an more local appeal for support of our mutual worthwhile AGO endeavor.

In my letter, I ask all Region VIII deans for two considerations:
  1. Bring this matter up within your chapter, and consider making a chapter contribution. (If you have already done so, thank you!)
  2. Please promote the Annual Fund to your membership.

I think it would be wonderful if EACH Chapter of Region VIII made a gift, however large or small, to support our Annual Fund. Please consider this.

Deadlines approach for our Salt Lake City Regional Convention!

March 31 is the deadline for:
  • Early Bird Registration (saves money!)
  • Submission of ads for Convention Booklet

    • Meet your District Convener (Part 2)

    Sorry that all the District Conveners could not be introduced at once. Here are more of our excellent volunteer leaders!

    Meet Gerald "Jerry" Kaminski, District Convener for Washington

    kaminsky
    Jerry is Music Director at Saint Paul (RC) Cathedral in Yakima, where be plays for three of the six weekend liturgies and directs the Cathedral choir. Located in an acoustically reverberant structure, this venue with its Richard Bond Organ was proudly featured at our 1993 Regional Convention.
    Jerry also serves as Director of Music and organist at Wesley United Methodist Church where he directs both the chancel choir and the handbells. Due to his complicated rehearsal schedules, you can best reach Jerry between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.
    Jerry holds a Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he studied with Quenton Faulkner and George Ritchie. Jerry has been involved with the AGO since his student days. He previously served churches in Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
    The Kaminski family have been Washington residents since 1996. Jerry's wife, Linda, is president of Yakima Valley Community College.

    Meet Alice Branton, District Convener for Alaska

    Alice Branton is a graduate of Oregon State University, where she studied organ with Dr. Thomas Roberts, and theory from Dr. Joe Brye. Alice is a member of Euterpe--the music honorary society. Since graduation, Alice has continued her musical education via piano master classes at University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, studying with professors from University of Alaska Anchorage (Jean-Paul Billaud) and the Univ. of Washington, Dr. Alberto Rafols and Dr. Neal O'Doan.
    Alice taught private piano and organ lessons for 28 years in Juneau, where she was organist at Chapel-By-The-Lake, accompanist for the Univ.Singers, and keyboard in the university's "Big Band." She was also high school accompanist for about 15 years.
    In Juneau, Alice gave Friday noon concerts on the Historic Kimball Pipe Organ located in the State Office Building as a working museum display. This Kimball was used as a silent movie theater organ in downtown Juneau. After falling into disuse and disrepair a group of citizens rescued, repaired and installed the instrument on the eighth floor, a 4-story atrium space. Whenever the Branton's visit Juneau, Alice continues to offer Friday Noon Concerts.
    Alice was the organist for Bill Egan's Memorial Service (governor of Alaska), in fact she has played in some capacity for every Alaskan gubernatorial inauguration from then until the election of the present outgoing Governor (Tony Knowles). She performed in the Governor's Mansion for Christmas programs and other functions and also played piano in several of the restaurants in town.
    Alice first began conducting bell choirs at Chapel-By-The-Lake (Juneau) circa 1973 when the minister brought in a set of bells to the church and asked her to "make music" with them.
    Moving North to Wasilla eleven years ago, Alice was immediately in demand as organist in Palmer (10 miles from Wasilla) at the historic "Church of a thousand logs" (United Protestant Presbyterian Church) -- the very same church were Alice and husband Thomas were married almost 43 years ago. [This church also procured a set of handbells, which Alice now directs.]
    In her spare time, Alice busies herself in the community, providing keyboard support in the Valley Performing Arts theater for musical productions.

    ALL Chapters: Place your local Conveners on your mailing list! Thank you!

    "Silence at St. Patrick's" - True Story from Portland, Oregon

    As Regional Councillor I share this not because you will agree with all the sentiments, but only that you might find interesting a local news item reflecting the state of our musical art in the churches. Perhaps your churchly community has a similar story to share?

    The following article is shared with the kind permission of author and columnist, David Stabler, of The Oregonian staff. The story is Copyright, "The Oregonian." All rights are reserved.

    [10/27/02] "On Saturday nights, as cars roar past on a freeway yards away, the choir of St. Patrick's Church draws a single breath. "Alleluia," they sing. "Confitemini Domino et invocate nomen eius." Silver-haired men and mothers with babies kneel and bow their heads. The melody, created about 1,200 years ago by an illiterate monk, echoes through the 113-year-old church, the unison lines restrained and contemplative. Light from stained-glass windows blushes the walls rose while the sharp, woody smell of incense fills the air. The ancient song, the Latin, the humble surroundings and the devout parishioners create a sense of timelessness. This is worship as it might have been in any Catholic church since the seventh century.
    But on Oct. 19, after 17 years of service, Cantores in Ecclesia chanted for the last time at St. Patrick's, a perennially poor parish in the heart of industrial Northwest Portland. Some of the choir members didn't know that this was the group's last performance, but many parishioners did, and they packed the small church.
    When the final notes faded, worshippers stood, turned their faces to the choir loft and, breaking a tradition at St. Patrick's, applauded the choir for several minutes. Many were crying, according to those who were there. "It's a huge loss to the city," said Susan Koe, who attended the emotional service. Koe converted to Catholicism two years ago precisely because of the choir. "I love that type of music. It's soothing and soaring. It kind of takes me away, like it's God, like it's being part of that."
    Although St. Patrick's offers other Mass services, Saturday's Latin Mass drew a particular kind of worshipper. They came from 64 different Zip codes that included Olympia and Government Camp.
    On the face of it, the dispute that led to the choir's departure was simply a clash of wills between a choir director, Dean Applegate, dedicated to the old music of the Catholic tradition and a new priest, the Reverend James Mayo, eager to embrace a new congregation and new traditions. Both men are almost the same age and converted to Catholicism as young men.

    Specifically, [Father] Mayo requested two things: an entrance hymn that the entire assembly -- not just the choir -- could sing, and a psalm to which the congregation responds that comes between readings from the Old Testament and New Testament. The psalm would replace a section that the choir sang by itself. Mayo permitted the language of the hymn and the psalm to be in any language, even Latin, he said.
    But Applegate viewed the changes as striking at the heart of his choir's mission, and rather than agree to them, ended his run at St. Patrick's. "I've never compromised about that, ever," he said. "Not ever. And it probably isn't time for me to start. [. . . ]
    Mayo versus Applegate Gregorian chant and the internationally acclaimed choir that sang it distinguished St. Patrick's from other American Catholic churches, where the majority celebrates Mass in English and with more contemporary music. When Cantores in Ecclesia began singing there in 1985, attendance at the church had dipped to alarmingly low levels. Many parishioners, drawn to the old style of Mass, credit the group with saving the church.
    Chant is sung prayer, Scripture sung in Latin, and creates a powerful atmosphere of worship when sung in its original liturgical context. It has been a fixture in Roman Catholic worship at least since the seventh century. As a reservoir of about 3,000 melodies, it influenced Western music for centuries, forming the contours of vocal melody through composers ranging from the 16th-century's Giovanni Palestrina to today's Arvo Part. [. . . ]
    David Stabler continues: [Cantores in Ecclesia] next public appearance will be Dec. 8 at Mount Angel Abbey, where the choir will sing music it has specialized in all these years: the three musical giants Claudio Monteverdi, Tomas Luis de Victoria and Palestrina [. . .] A group of parishioners hopes to meet with the archdiocese to resolve the dispute, but for now, the choir loft at St. Patrick's remains empty. [. . .]
    "I take no joy in any of this," Mayo said. "It is sad on every level. At St. Patrick's, the music is the finest I've heard in my life, and the finest choir I've ever heard in the context of Roman Catholic worship. Differences do not mean disrespect. My admiration for what Dean [Applegate] and the [Cantores in Ecclesia] choir do is immense. They're extraordinary."

    - - David Stabler, The Oregonian

    Chapter Newsletter Editors note . . .

    Stories and graphics used in this Regional Leaders Newsletter are fair game for copying and including in your local issues. Remember, when permission is given for you to use, you must include the statement of permission linking back to the original author.

    Around the Region . . .

    (the part of the newsletter where YOU are the news!)

    Salt Lake City beckons:

    assemblyhall

    Assembly Hall Organ to be featured
    Picture courtesy of: www.UntraveledRoad.com
    Click for larger view.

    News from SLC Convention Headquarters:
    Did you call for hotel rooms? Were you told the hotel is unavailable? You must register by calling the toll free number and mentioning that your are with the AGO to get a room -- trust us -- the entire hotel is reserved, reserved FOR YOU! Let's pack the place!

    Visit the SLC web page www.SLCAGO.ORG

    Masters Degree in Organ - for free???

    Prof. Craig Cramer writes:
    Many greetings, I hope that all is well.

    At the moment I am recruiting: do you know of anyone who would like a free masters degree? We can offer them full tuition plus a stipend of $10,000 per year for two years. Notre Dame also has much money with which to attract fine undergraduate students who qualify. If you know of anyone who might be interested, I would appreciate hearing from you. I am of course willing to contact prospective students directly.

    Our new Fritts organ will be available around the start of school in fall 2004, so I really want to have some quality students in place soon to enjoy the new organ!

    Many thanks and all the best,

    Craig Cramer, DMA, Professor of Organ
    University of Notre Dame 574-631-7836

    For information, please contact Professor Cramer directly: at ccramer@imap-c.nd.edu

    March checklist in your Chapter

    1. Deadline for your nominating committee to present a slate to your executive committee. The slate is then recorded in the minutes, and announced in writing to your membership.
    2. March 31st is the end of the special dues period. Dues received after this date are accepted for next year only.
    keys

    Sincerely, Walter Krueger, Region VIII Councillor

    Do not read this daffynition: CHOIR:

    Umm..., A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the Congregation to lip-sync.

    Well, I told you not to read it.

    :(

    Previous months' newsletters archive:
    Pipe up with your thoughts.

    The "wise gargoyle" me fecit, mmiii.