Trinity Church, New York City, Hires New Assistant Organist

John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois

Opus 42, St. Bridget Catholic Church, Richmond, Virginia

From the builder

The new organ at St. Bridget Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia, is the 42nd new organ to come from the workshop of John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders in Champaign, Illinois. It was completed on October 1, 2013, and inaugurated by Ken Cowan in concert on November 15.

The organ’s visual design was guided by the parish’s desire to reclaim a large stained glass window, which the former organ completely blocked. Pastor Monsignor William Carr, who began his clerical career at St. Bridget as the assistant pastor in the 1970s, remembered the beauty of the occluded window and began discussions with John-Paul Buzard in 2005 about the possibilities. The deteriorating mechanical condition and musical limitations of the previous instrument hastened the desire to proceed. The Great Recession delayed the start of the project until the parish raised all the funds to purchase the organ, as their bishop required. 

The gallery’s floor space is quite limited and the window is large. But, the church’s acoustical volume and musical needs required an instrument of a larger tonal size than that which would have been possible with a traditional design. This required some outside-the-box creative thinking, and resulted in our recommendation that the Great division be suspended over the gallery rail, and that the enclosed divisions be thought of as more a divided Swell than independent Swell and Choir divisions. Area organist Grant Hellmers was invited to consult, and enthusiastically agreed that the design met both musical and architectural requirements. The Great’s profile is kept low in order to keep this portion of the organ below the field of glass. The former heavy wood railing was replaced with a more transparent wrought-iron rail. The two enclosed divisions are located in matching cases on either side of the window. The cases’ designs utilize shapes and details found elsewhere in the Tudor-revival building. The result is that the organ cherishes the window, and the gallery and organ are architecturally integrated into the entire worship space rather than being set apart.

Executive Vice-President and Chief Engineer Charles Eames created an instrument whose physical essence truly flows from the building, therein creating room for a larger instrument than the space would have otherwise held. With the new organ in place, the gallery has an additional 100 square feet of usable floor space for the choir and other musicians, which it did not have previously.

This is indeed a three-manual organ. The three-division design evolved from the original two-manual divided Swell concept. The introduction of the 8′ Claribel Flute into what became a somewhat untraditional Choir division allowed the instrument to take on its three-manual identity. The organ exhibits a far greater variety of tone colors and pitch ranges than is typical of many instruments of its size. And it has the uncanny ability to take on the appropriate tonal characteristics of various historical and national styles to fit the character of the musical composition. All of history informs and directs us in the evolution of our singular “Classically Symphonic” tonal style.

The engineering, mechanical systems, and pipe-making all support the artistic end result. The main manual windchests are all electrically operated slider and pallet chests. The chests for the unit stops have expansion chambers built into the very thick toe-boards, to replicate the winding characteristics of the slider chests. All of the pipes are made of high tin content pipe metal, even in the bass, rather than zinc. The large pipes play promptly without having to use beards. The result is fullness and warmth without any hardness or inelegance of tone quality, all the way to the bottom of the compass.

The church’s acoustics change drastically when the room is filled with people, and the church is nearly full every time the organ is used. Tonal Director Brian Davis ably met the challenges that this condition presents by scaling and voicing the instrument for optimal performance when the room is full. The result is that the organ is never too loud, but it fills the room with sound even when played softly. An entire congregation can be supported in its singing with a single 8′ Diapason; the strings are voluptuous and shimmering; the haunting Flute Cœlestis provides an air of mystery; the Choir reeds provide some of the most beautiful cantabile colors imaginable; the smooth and stately Tuba soars above full organ. Nearly every stop can be used with any other to create a new musical color.

Superior tonal design, sensitive voicing, and painstaking tonal finishing result in the exquisite blend and balance of the individual stops and their choruses, relating to both themselves and to the room. And, as Ken Cowan demonstrated to the delight of his audience, there are many ways that this instrument can render seamless dynamic changes. As is the case with all Buzard organs, symphonic color and romantic warmth never sacrifice sprightly clarity and transparency of tone for rendering polyphonic music. 

The church’s growing music program is under the direction of Allen Bean. The children’s program, which Bean instituted and includes both boy and girl choirs, has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Alice Tully Hall in New York City.

Thanks to the staff of Buzard Pipe Organ Builders whose professionalism shines forth in all the work we undertake!

John-Paul Buzard, Artistic Director

Brian K. Davis, Tonal Director

Charles Eames, Vice President and Chief Engineer

Keith Williams, Director, Service Department

Shane Rhoades, Foreman, Production Department and Cabinetmaker

David Brown, Foreman, Service Department

Christopher Goodnight, Master Cabinetmaker

John Jordan, Service Technician

Michael Meyer, Cabinetmaker

Dennis Northway, Chicago area representative and Service Technician

Jay Salmon, Office Manager

Stuart Weber, Senior Service Technician

John Wiegand, Service Technician

Ray Wiggs, Console and Windchest specialist

Jonathan Young, Tonal Department Associate

—John-Paul Buzard

As a first-time voicer on any project, let alone one of this size, the installation of the St. Bridget’s organ was an eye-opening experience for me. The tonal design of the instrument was set before I was brought onto the Buzard team, but I had the opportunity to voice several stops under the tutelage of Tonal Director Brian Davis. Because of the acoustical characteristics of the room, the organ had to have plenty of treble ascendancy while still maintaining warm foundations and good blend. Thus, the higher pitches “sang out” a bit in the voicing room, but the effect in the church is a lively sound, not at all top-heavy but not dark or muffled.

The organ proved an overwhelming success—clear choruses and the proximity of the Great case to the seating area mean contrapuntal music can be rendered quite effectively; the variety of reed colors available lend themselves to solo work as well as forming a striking Swell reed chorus; two contrasting strings in separate boxes add variety to the foundations; and the presence of two cornets, one in the Great, enables the organ to reproduce French Classical music particularly well. However, it is equally adept at handling more modern literature and orchestral transcriptions, as was demonstrated by Ken Cowan at the inaugural recital. 

Throughout the process of voicing and tonal finishing, I was struck by how each installed stop expanded the ability of the organ as a vehicle for improvisation and interpretation of literature. The body of music this instrument will render is indeed large, and with that in mind I went back to Richmond at the beginning of November to record enough music to demonstrate some of its capabilities, including pieces by Guilmant, Langlais, de Grigny, and several major Bach works. All came off admirably, a testament to the versatility of the instrument and the integration of colors not usually found on American organs, such as the large Pedal 4′ open flute.

The St. Bridget’s organ represents a tremendous outlay of time, energy, and planning in pursuit of an instrument that will handle repertoire of any period with a clear but rich sound, and one which I hope the congregation will treasure for years to come.

—Jonathan Young, Tonal Associate

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders

From the director of music

St. Bridget Parish, a Roman Catholic parish of about 7,000 registered members, is among the largest in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Established in 1949, with the building completed and consecrated in 1950, the parish has thrived since its inception. 

The church building is Tudor style with Gothic elements. Seating only 500, the church provides five regular Masses every weekend to accommodate parishioners. Four Masses are led by organ and cantor, with assistance from choral ensembles. The Sunday evening Mass is led by piano, guitars, and a contemporary choir.

I became Music Minister at St. Bridget in October 2005. The primary accompanying instruments at that time were a transplanted E. M. Skinner organ, which was ¼-step flat and in need of restoration, and a mid-1920s Steinway M, also in poor condition. The Parish Adult Choir of about 20 singers sang for one Mass on Sunday morning, and the other Masses were led by volunteer cantors.

Since then, the music ministry has grown. The Parish Adult Choir has grown to 35 voices, and choirs for children (absent from the music ministry for more than 30 years) include a Boy Choir of 11 singers, and a Girl Choir of nearly 30 choristers. The Boy and Girl Choirs, using the RSCM Voice for Life Program, have established themselves as important and valued ensembles, and distinguished themselves in performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Alice Tully Hall in New York City.

As the parish’s music ministry has grown, so has the need for an organ that could accompany an ever increasingly diverse music ministry, in a church whose acoustics change dramatically depending on the number of worshippers in the church.

The installation of our new instrument evolved out of conversation between Monsignor Carr and me in August 2005. The 1920s E. M. Skinner organ that so nobly served this parish since the 1970s, brought here from the now deconsecrated Monumental Church in downtown Richmond, was in need of restoration. Conversation quickly turned to action. Within a few months we had explored restoring and enlarging the Skinner organ, with additions that would give it the flexibility required for our growing program. We also received from John-Paul Buzard a proposal for a new instrument, one that would be tonally designed for our acoustical space, give us the flexibility we need to support choirs, cantors, and congregation, and uncover a great west window that is an architectural feature of the church.

The original design proposed by Mr. Buzard underwent several modifications over the following months. The stoplist was refined, as the organ became slightly smaller in scope than we originally envisioned, yet considerably more flexible. Mechanical components were also addressed in this process (another nod to flexibility), including independent swell shades on two sides of each enclosed division. The design process of this instrument was a delight for me as parish musician. The parish is forever grateful for the work of our Organ Project Consultant, Grant Hellmers, whose wisdom and experience helped define the parish’s needs in an instrument, and brought clarity to the process as St. Bridget personnel and I worked with the Buzard shop in the design phase.

Once the design was finalized, the Buzard shop began to plan the physical design of the instrument, and, under the direction of Tonal Director Brian Davis, began to envision the tonal color of each and every stop in the instrument. Mr. Davis’s ability to take the numbers that represented the (ever-changing) acoustical properties of the church, and to determine scale and timbre of each of more than 2,000 pipes in 38 ranks, producing more than 48 stops, proved to be remarkable. Charles Eames also worked magic, engineering the organ that John-Paul and Brian envisioned to fit into a relatively small space.

Several weeks of voicing accomplished by John-Paul Buzard, Brian Davis, and Jonathan Young brought St. Bridget Parish’s organ to completion. The instrument’s design, its pipes, its mechanicals, the construction of the instrument’s beautiful casework, its installation, its voicing, the work of St. Bridget Church’s own organ project committee, building committee, and staff, altogether required more than 20,000 hours of labor. I believe that even when it was labor bought and paid for, it was a labor of love, and that the Buzard shop always acted with a sense of vocation.

St. Bridget parishioners gave freely of their time to make sure the church was ready to receive the instrument. John McCulla coordinated our efforts with the Buzard shop. Richard Lewis designed the mechanical and electrical components the church provided. Terrence Kerner arranged for the addition of HVAC for the organ gallery. Patrick Ross and the St. Bridget maintenance staff were always on hand to help subcontractors and the Buzard crew with whatever they needed. These parishioners have remained involved even after the organ’s completion to assure the project is truly complete and in keeping with the church’s beautiful architecture.

Several enabling gifts allowed this project to move forward. In all, some 265 parishioners, a relatively small number of our many parishioners, made this instrument a gift to the parish. Additionally, still more parishioners have contributed to the Friends of Music Fund at St. Bridget, to enable an inaugural concert series, so that we can make it a gift to the Richmond community.

Because this platform is here for me to do so, I want to express my special gratitude to our Pastor, Monsignor Carr, who began this conversation more than eight years ago. He envisioned a pipe organ for St. Bridget Parish. He let the donors to the project know of our need. He guided Parish Council, Parish Finance Council, and all who made decisions about the organ throughout the process. And, if there is anyone who delights more in this instrument than I do, it is Monsignor Carr.

—Allen Bean

Minister of Music, St. Bridget Parish

Part one of two

Edward Maki-Schramm is director of music at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit, Michigan. He received the MMus and DMA from the University of Michigan and BMus from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. While a student he was the first place winner two years consecutively, 1994 and 1995, at the Jean and Broadus Staley Organ Competition in Organ Improvisation, sponsored by the American Center for Church Music. In 2005, Dr. Maki-Schramm was the organist for the Grammy Award-winning recording of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and Experience. In September 2004, Maki-Schramm made his European debut playing a recital at the Schlosskirche in Altenburg, Germany (the church of Johann Ludwig Krebs). In 2003 he was the organist for the Detroit Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and was the organist for Ann Arbor’s Annual New Music Festival featuring the music of composer-in-residence Richard Webster. He performed the commissioned work for the AGO Region V Convention in 1999, and in 1995 was a featured soloist of the OHS national convention. His recordings have been featured on Pipedreams. He is now beginning his sixth year as Dean of the Ann Arbor AGO Chapter. For information: .

Joy Schroeder, FAGO, teaches at the Flint Institute of Music and the Monroe County Community College. She worked in church positions for 36 years, and is now a substitute organist and choir director. In 1999, she was the convention coordinator for the Region V convention held in Ann Arbor, spent six years as the District Convener for Michigan, and is now the Education Coordinator for Region V and serves on the AGO National Committee on Seminary and Denominational Relations. She has a DMA from The University of Michigan in organ performance and a MM from Wayne State University in choral conducting.
 

In beginning a daunting task such as reviewing a national convention, I thought it best to canvas convention-goers for their reactions. Not surprisingly, everyone asked had an opinion not only about the convention but also how the review should appear—easier than filling out the questionnaire tucked into the mammoth, 400-page convention book or losing it in the largest convention bag of recent memory. I received all kinds of advice on not only content but also style: “Don’t let it be boring,” and “nothing too long.”
In deference to them, I offer this concise opinion of convention events: Peter Gomes, Janette Fishell, Stefan Engels, Rollo Dilworth, the Bach Week Festival Orchestra, St. Clement Choir and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin—fabulous. 7:00 a.m. bus rides, long evening concerts that cut time away from the exhibits, competition with fireworks, and the final concert—not so fabulous.
If you’ve made it this far, perhaps you’ll read a bit further for more details and highlights.

Chicago

Chicago—it was my kind of town. The love affair began the moment I arrived in the Loop. Organists from all over the world met in Chicago, July 2–6, to convene for the 48th time. And Chicago was an excellent choice of city. Visitors to Chicago experience a virtual explosion of cultural activity, civic pride and multicultural expression. The first thing that struck me was the greenery. There were parks everywhere—not just tennis courts and country clubs like Los Angeles—but real parks with ample areas of grass and 29 miles of Lake Michigan lakeshore in the heart of the Midwest. Organists sampled everything from stunning architecture and world-famous museums, churches and concert halls, to lakefront parks and vibrant ethnic neighborhoods.
The almost 3 million residents of Chicago and the city’s organists and enthusiasts were hosts to over 2,000 organists in some of the best weather for which one could have asked. Chicagoans were approachable and helpful. Temperatures were pleasant, which made making use of the buses a bit easier as attendees had the expected lines waiting their turn to board. So thank you, Windy City, for one spectacular week.
It is impossible to attend every event at a convention in a city such as this. The varied opportunities and scheduling options leave each attendee with a slightly different experience. All convention attendees had an early shock on Monday morning when they had to start boarding the buses at 7:00 a.m. I think no one but organists would be asked to board a bus for their first weekday session the day before a national holiday when most people are in a vacation frame of mind. The buses were prompt, and passengers quickly boarded for their transportation to Valparaiso, Indiana. At the annual meeting, attendees applauded G. Ronald Vanderwest, convention coordinator, and the convention committee’s decision to get the early day over early in the week. Little did we realize that we would be asked again on Thursday to board buses at 7:00 a.m. Some people simply gave up at that point and rejoined the convention midday.

Monday, Annual Meeting Rockefeller Chapel

The annual meeting at Rockefeller Chapel began the Monday afternoon sessions. We were greeted on the lawn by the sounds of the carillon and the impressive grounds of the chapel. After the official welcome by President Frederick Swann, organist Dan Miller played Mendelssohn’s Sonata No. 3 in A. The tuning of the instrument was so excellent that upon hearing it, I made a note to personally thank the organ technicians for their good work. After reading the back page of the program and hearing President Swann’s announcement that the historic Skinner organ was inoperable and we were listening to a Rodgers Model 957, I crossed out my note. We were duped by those enviable acoustics.
At the meeting, things went as smoothly as possible. These are the types of events where our president really shines. Fred Swann graciously and humorously guided us through what could have been an interminably long meeting. The need and pressure to keep the meeting on time is immense. President Swann asked Dan Miller to cut his playing of the Fanfare by John Cook. This is just the behavior we try to teach our clergy colleagues to avoid. In turn, Miller must have felt that pressure. It was disappointing to hear Miller’s carefully prepared pieces rushed and cut. The acoustic just did not allow a rushed performance of Bach’s Toccata, BWV 538.
Awards were given and noteworthy to mention among all the awards is membership. Memberships were up, especially in Singapore by 47.5%. A higher percentage of young people in attendance was noted several times at this convention. The future of our craft seems to be ensured for another generation.

Monday workshop

All afternoon sessions were marked by their variety and diversity, and Monday afternoon was no exception. The “Celebration of Black Saints in Hymns” given by Wallace M. Cheatham was an incredible excursion into the lives of Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, Martin Luther King, Jr., St. Monica, Augustine of Hippo, Simon of Cyrene, Cyprian of Carthage, and Philip the Evangelist. Dr. Cheatham’s enthusiasm for this treasury of hymnody was contagious. He possessed a thorough knowledge of and passion for his selected material and painted the picture and circumstances in which these saints were born. As Cheatham pointed out, they were not derived from theological differences but from the atrocities of our history. He was very generous in giving all attendees of the session a copy of all the hymns with permission to copy one of his works to distribute as widely as possible. After the afternoon sessions, convention-goers dispersed for dinner and either evening fireworks on the Navy Pier, the NCOI Finals, or other events of their choosing.

Tuesday
St. James Episcopal Cathedral

In contrast to Monday’s beginning, attendees had to walk to all of the Tuesday events. This was welcomed by most as a way of getting to know the Windy City and its people. With cool, sunny skies and the help of a city map, we all made our way to the various worship opportunities made available. The service at St. James Episcopal Cathedral was packed, and began with the prelude: The Joy of the Redeemed by Clarence Dickinson, well suited for the instrument. The voicing was typically Victorian, a bit tubby, but the use of color stops and full organ brought the full import of the piece to the fore. Guest organist Jonathan Oblander’s playing of Sowerby’s Prelude on “Deus tuorum militum” made judicious use of the chamade. And it was gratifying to hear Sowerby’s music at the prelude and his Toccata at the postlude because of Sowerby’s connection to Chicago. (For a complete discussion of this connection one simply had to attend Robert Parris’s afternoon session, “Leo Sowerby: A Chicago Legend.”) The service of Morning Prayer that followed the prelude was executed exceedingly well by the clergy and musicians of the cathedral, Bruce J. Barber, II, director. The Reverend Joy E. Rogers, homilist, spoke with passion leavened with humor. Her support and respect of church musicians and her feeling of a shared call was welcomed by all. The most memorable line of her homily was that she never told her music director “no.”
The recitals that followed the worship services were the type where a recitalist’s tires hit the road, so to speak. With the services beginning the day and the recitals starting shortly thereafter, a recitalist has little or no time to warm up to reduce any performance anxiety. And yet the two recitals that morning were among the most well played of the convention.

Holy Name Cathedral

Janette Fishell at Holy Name Cathedral was up to the task, and played a flawless recital. Fishell plays music about which she is passionate, and her choice of program, “Music That Moves,” allowed her to be just that. While one could argue her choices of interpretation of the two Bach trios on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr—especially the added zymbelstern on the final cantus firmus entrance in the pedal, which I actually liked—one could only admire her sense of skill and bravura. It was wished, however, that the organ was up to the organist’s task. Out in the sanctuary near the altar, the sound did not carry, which was surprising. It seemed to be the fault of the building and not the organ. After all, the organ comprises 117 ranks! The building carried all the upperwork but not much foundation.

Fourth Presbyterian Church

The other stellar recital of the morning was that given by Stefan Engels at the Fourth Presbyterian Church. Here was the perfect marriage of organist and instrument. Engels’ thorough knowledge of the organ from his time as an assistant organist there allowed him a full expression of the extremely difficult and complex repertoire. In Karg-Elert’s Partita Retrospettiva III, op. 151, Engels made good and thoughtful use of the instrument, including the required harp and celesta, while managing extremely wide contrasting dynamic ranges that included an extended use of the antiphonal organ in the rear gallery. It was simply the right piece on the right organ played by the right person. The commissioned piece by Naji Hakim that followed was a pure delight. The Capriccio for Organ and Violin is a fine work. The crowd loved this piece and expressed their appreciation to Engels, violinist Yuan-Qing Yu, and finally the composer who was in attendance. The piece has a clear form, a carefree theme in an abridged sonata form that developed and kept a good balance between solo violin and accompaniment, and also allows the organ a few shining moments. The beginning, based loosely on a dominant seventh chord, set the expectation of things to come. The work leans toward romanticism with wit in the middle percussive section.
The program concluded with Max Reger’s little-known Fantasie über den Choral “Straf’ mich nicht in deinem Zorn,” op. 40/2. The work is typically dense, but in Engels’ capable hands it unfolded in a wave of tumultuous sound. It was again Engels’ experience with the instrument that allowed him to take full and convincing advantage of the piece’s contrasting sections of solo stops and organo pleno. It was nothing short of thrilling.

Tuesday workshop

The Tuesday afternoon sessions offered again a great variety. Rollo Dilworth undertook “Gospel Music and Spirituals for Your Choir.” His focus was on introducing the works of newer, lesser-known artists as well as the tried and true. Clearly apparent was this man’s talent as a leader and director. His charisma and skill brought out his desired results from the attendees as they sang the pieces so generously provided by the publishers. If your choir needs a kick in the pants, Dr. Dilworth is your man. He knows his repertoire, and he knows what to do with it.

Bach Week Festival Orchestra
The Cathedral Singers

One of the two concerts on Tuesday evening featured the Bach Week Festival Orchestra, Richard Webster conducting, and the Cathedral Singers, Richard Proulx conducting. Both groups made some spectacular music but the program was simply too long. In the very hot Holy Family Roman Catholic Church with its many statues and light bulbs tracing the antebellum architecture, many people suffered what one attendee called “fanny fatigue.” The first half of the concert, which consisted of two major Bach works and the Concerto in C Major of Mozart, would have sufficed as the entire concert. It lasted one hour and 20 minutes—and then a 20-minute intermission—and then another 45-minute program by the Cathedral Singers. Because the concert ran longer than expected, even by the performers and convention programmers, people complained that their shopping time was cut short. I was told the first half of the concert was cut for the repeat performance on Wednesday evening. To add to the discomfort of the concert, some very loud fireworks were set off near the church. One had the feeling that we were near Beirut.
Despite all of these obstacles, the musicians met the high mark for which their reputations are known. The Bach Week Festival Orchestra played with all the stylistic interpretation appropriate for the music: Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. David Schrader’s performance of the Mozart Concerto was played flawlessly, entirely from memory. His command of the harpsichord (not a piano!) was stellar. The Cathedral Singers, despite the distractions of the fireworks and heat, sang accurately and seemed at ease. The women sang in straight tone but the choir still had a full and warm sound.

Wednesday
St. Luke’s, Evanston

Wednesday morning was spent in Evanston, where Thomas Murray played at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The Skinner organ, Op. 327, a.k.a. “Lucille,” was in capable hands. She seemed best suited for the final work of the recital, Elgar’s Severn Suite transcribed by Murray. The crescendi and decrescendi were seamless, suave and his playing dry but poised. And he managed all of this with only five generals.

St. Clement Choir
First United Methodist Church, Evanston

The St. Clement Choir (of Chicago) sang at First United Methodist Church, Evanston. I enjoyed this choir the most, if only for their diversified, impressive and still useful repertoire. It was a refreshing change from the Cathedral Singers’ all-Latin program the night before. Randall Swanson, conductor, was energetic, clearly understood, connected and at all times sensitive to the music and text. The choir has 32 singers, eight of whom were sopranos who sang in a warm straight tone; the repertoire alternated between a cappella and accompanied works. Marie Rubis Bauer provided superb accompaniment—she followed every nuance given by Swanson. This was no small task as she had to see around that massive console. The choir displayed their artistic mettle in Colin Mawby’s Ave verum corpus. The contrasting, lush and expressive portions of the work were handled most ably by the choir, with muscle for the fortissimo sections and sensitivity and grace in the pianissimo sections.

Thursday workshop

The final event of particular note was the workshop given by
Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin on Thursday afternoon, “Improvisation in the French Manner,” a packed event in St. James Cathedral. Cauchefer-Choplin outlined the French education system; since 1968 one could choose interpretation, improvisation or both. She then went on in her wonderful accent to outline the graduated steps of learning and teaching improvisation. The crowd ate every word. Other than her gift for improvisation, which she demonstrated, she was zealous to share her knowledge and passion for the art.

Final concert

The final concert held at Moody Memorial Church was, in a word, disappointing. I understood where the convention committee wanted to go with this event. As the celebratory culmination of a national convention, it missed the mark. The organ did not speak well in the room, and the acoustical tile on the ceiling didn’t help. To make matters worse, Mickey Thomas Terry’s memorized solo performance on the worst organ of the convention was not to the level one would have expected. It simply was not on par with the prior performances of the convention. With missed notes and inappropriate rushed sections, added to the boredom of the audience in a dimly lit sanctuary after a long week at the convention, we simply didn’t care at that point. Dupré’s Variations sur un Noël, op. 20, called the most life out of the Reuter organ, even though most of the movements were played under tempo.
The concert was salvaged by the Chicago Community Chorus. The second half of the concert began with an impressive procession by the chorus, an unauditioned chorus reflective of the diversity that is Chicago. The procession resulted in a crescendo as each choir member was added to the chancel. The choir’s sound is dark and robust, not unlike a good cabernet, with sopranos who have gusto and stamina for days. Their charismatic conductor, Keith Hampton, was entertaining to watch. His choice to include two movements of Mozart’s Mass in C Minor was a curious one. Although the chorus handled the work well, the pacing of the Gloria was a bit pedantic and unlike anything else in the program. Moreover, it seemed to prove their spirit as a community chorus as well as a possible symphony chorus. Where the chorus really shone was in the published works of their conductor and Moses Hogan. At only three years old, this chorus will be interesting to watch grow and prosper.
Dr. Hampton played the world premiere of the AGO Celebration Suite for Organ. This memorized performance proved him to be an able player and was refreshing to hear, especially after the first half of the concert. This commissioned piece by Sharon Willis was well proportioned, useful and improvisational in style. Of all the commissioned works for this convention, I highly recommend this work and the piece by Naji Hakim. Note to future convention committees: choose your performers carefully; they really do sell the piece.

Closing reception

The final reception was chaotic and unnecessarily so. The ballroom was packed with extremely long lines waiting for liquor and food; all the while Paul Bisaccia played the piano and was largely ignored by the crowd. He tried to play above the noise of the assembly to no avail. With long lines and a grumpy crowd, the convention ended in a whimper instead of a grand Amen. —Edward Maki-Schramm

The ChicAGO 2006 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists was hosted July 2–6 by the Chicago, Fox Valley and North Shore AGO chapters, with all three chapters planning and presenting events. Events were not only held in Chicago, but also in Valparaiso, Evanston, Lincoln Park, Naperville, and Wheaton. Some of these venues are a fair distance from downtown Chicago and the convention hotels.

Sunday, July 2

The gala opening concert took place at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. The Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Julian Wachner, joined with organists Philippe Bélander, David Schrader, Maxine Thevenot, and Thierry Escaich for a program of newer compositions for organ solo and organ with orchestra: Triptych for Organ and Large Orchestra by Julian Wachner, Ha’llel-an organ solo by Shulamit Ran (a convention commission), Concerto for Organ and Strings by Richard Proulx (AGO 2006 Distinguished Composer), Sleepy Hollow—a tone poem for organ and orchestra by Aaron David Miller (also a convention commission), and Concerto pour Orgue et Orchestre by Thierry Escaich. In this memorable event—long memorable event—all music was performed with great skill by soloists and orchestra alike, and the crowning jewel was the 1998 Casavant organ, inspiring even those of us who had tickets in the very last row of the top balcony. Long after the concert was finished, musicians spoke of two works as standing apart and fresh from the rest, due to changes in medium—the Proulx work used only the strings of the orchestra—and due to a change in composition style—the Wachner work, which was written to be performed in St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, with a 10-second reverberation.

Monday, July 3

Monday, July 3, conventioneers traveled to Valparaiso University for the opening worship service and a concert by James O’Donnell, then to Rockefeller Memorial Chapel for the AGO annual meeting. In the worship service, music of Bach (including the motet Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230), Mendelssohn, Richard Proulx (a convention commission), and Richard Webster (another commission) was sung interspersed with hymns, readings and a sermon by Rev. Peter Gomes. Martin Jean, the Valparaiso University Bach Choir, Guild Chaplain Rev. Gregory Norton, the Dean of the Chapel Rev. Joseph Cunningham, and guild dignitaries were part of this service that used historical and new ideas.
After this, James O’Donnell gave a recital of music by Michael Berkeley, J. S. Bach, Augusta Read Thomas (convention commissions Angel Tears and Earth Prayers), Alain, Ad Wammes, and Patrick Gowers. The Schlicker organ was refurbished in 1996 by the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders and gained stops in several divisions to make an incredible instrument.

Monday workshops

The bus then returned to Chicago for the national meeting. Buses were late returning to the hotel, and so the workshops were late starting and sparsely attended. Workshops offered an eclectic mix of presentations of music, methods of interacting with other musicians, computer programming advice, and two recitals, one by Alexander Fiseisky and one by Chelsea Chen. Emphasis in the workshops seemed to be on music of various denominations and cultures: Gregorian chant, evangelical church music, Hispanic resources, handbells, and the celebration of black saints in hymns. This reviewer attended the dramatic skit “Interviewing for a Job” with role players Donna Wernz, James Thomashower, Edwina Beard, Barbara Gulick, Roy Roberts, and James Owen (who was the job applicant). Because the workshop started late not all parts of the skit could be acted, but general, confrontational, overly broad, and illegal questions received sample answers for those who might find themselves in similar situations.

Monday night featured a dinner and fireworks spectacular at Navy Pier, and the NCOI Finals. Unfortunately, it was impossible to attend both.

Tuesday, July 4

Tuesday was Chicago day, beginning with worship services at St. James Episcopal Cathedral, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and Holy Name Cathedral. Hearing the liturgical music of Albert Alain in the liturgy of the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal at Holy Name Cathedral made the service one of great beauty. The service featured organists Matthew Walsh, Ricardo Ramirez, and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin, and the Cathedral Gallery, Chamber and Women’s Schola of Holy Name choirs, with the Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, participating.
Afternoon workshops were offered on music of Sowerby, the Netherlands, Wilhelm Middelschulte, Calvin Hampton, Colonial Mexico, organ methods, gospel and spirituals, the musician-pastor team, AGO chapter endeavors, the life of Russell Saunders, teaching organ, repertoire, and a composer’s forum. This reviewer attended the workshop on improvising hymns in jazz style, by longtime convention exhibitor Joe Utterback, who distributed examples of his improvisations on hymn tunes and performed at the piano.
Tuesday evening, half of the conventioneers went to the Bach Week Festival Orchestra concert—in the middle of what sounded like a war, but were fireworks just outside the church door—the other half to Trinity Church Wall Street’s concert.

Wednesday, July 5

On Wednesday morning, buses traveled to Evanston and got lost on return, so that we went many miles north, instead of south, and some were late for future events. Afternoon workshops covered organ restoration, music of Buxtehude, women composers, Canadian composers, handbells, Reger, psalms, African-American organ music, children’s choirs, anthems, counterpoint, assertiveness training, the new ELCA hymnal, teaching styles, reading sessions, and improvisation, plus there were two Rising Star recitals and the NYACOP winner’s recital.
On Wednesday evening, the choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street, gave a performance at St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church. After an introduction to the Marshall and Ogletree, Opus 1, Epiphany Series III/85 organ, which was situated in the front of the sanctuary, Owen Burdick, conductor and organist at Wall Street, played Bach’s Pièce d’Orgue, BWV 572, on a Werckmeister III tuning that had been set to sound “sweet” in G major. This was a startling experience for this reviewer, for it was truly “sweeter” and very different from the standard equal temperament tunings, or even Werckmeister in a C major home key; and it certainly could be argued to be an accurate historical event, for harpsichordists changed tunings frequently in the Baroque period. Only such a complex instrument of the 21st century as the Marshall & Ogletree instrument can now be programmed to apply these alternate tunings, and present such an alternate listening experience. The piece actually seemed more “major,” more “bright,” and was radically different from other hearings.
An audience rehearsal followed of hymns from A Song of David by William Albright, and after intermission, choir, conductor, organist Robert Ridgell, narrators, and audience performed this haunting, seemingly unending, highly repetitious, extremely melodious, and emotionally moving, even draining, 75-minute work.

Thursday, July 6

On Thursday, the buses left for Naperville, Wheaton, Lincoln Park or Fox Valley. My bus got lost in the city. Thierry Escaich’s concert at St. Pauls UCC (no, it doesn’t have an apostrophe, for it is a direct and proud translation from German) offered music of Tournemire, Messiaen, Escaich and Duruflé in the mezzo-forte to fortissimo range, with the improvisation on “Yankee Doodle” at the end serving to show the soft flutes and strings of the Aeolian-Skinner organ.
Going from a loud performance to the next, that of a nine-voice a cappella group in the reverberant St. Clement Church, made the ears twitter, for the tuning, vowels, selections, and blend of this group was excellent; this was a concert to remember, truly, forever. The group, Chicago a cappella, chose a varied repertoire, and actually started the concert twice, due to a mix-up in starting times, and buses arriving at different times from other venues. But they could have started 50 times—it was a magic moment.
Again, on Thursday, workshops were presented. Offerings included music of France, Karg-Elert, Hakim, Liszt, Hungary, Gerald Near, the Marilyn Mason library, Virgil Fox, AGO exam preparation, improvisation, fundraising, teaching, medical aspects of performance, computers, reading sessions, Indian pipe organs, worship questions, and regional conventions.
The closing concert was in a totally different style, with an African-American volunteer choir that has only been in existence for three years, and was a very enjoyable experience to finish the week.
Chicago is a stunning city. The convention was stunning with its near-perfection in music. Other than the endless bus rides, I would love to return and do it all again. Congratulations to the committees and all the hard workers for a fine convention!
—Joy Schroeder
 

Hymn Festival

The hymn festival was held at St. Raphael RC Church in Naperville. The organ is a Berghaus (III/60), completed in 2005, which incorporates portions of a previous Kimball. The venue was superb for a hymn festival, incorporating natural light from many windows and a clerestory. The theme of the festival, “Light from a Fire Within,” was enhanced by the marvelous, sparkling room. The quarry tile floor and lack of fabric and carpeting (minimal paraments and two small flags) created a resonant space for hymn singing. Aaron David Miller played the service with great expertise and was assisted by brass (Concordia University faculty), handbells (The Agape Ringers) and the Heritage Chorale. A good variety of tunes was provided, including “Splendor of God’s Brightest Glory” by Dr. Miller, “Ermuntre Dich,” “Delig Er Den Himmel Blaa,” “The Glory of Christ,” by K. Lee Scott, an Iona song, “Take, Oh, Take Me as I Am” and a rousing closing hymn, “When the Morning Stars Together” sung to the tune, Weisse Flaggen.
Commissioned pieces included an organ work, People Look East, by Emily Maxson Porter, and Lyric Piece for handbells by Carl Wiltse and Donald Allured. Choral anthems included Angelus and Take My Life by Dr. Miller. The readings continued the theme of “Light” throughout the festival.
Excellent hymn accompaniments, including alternate harmonizations and interludes, were provided, along with a cappella SATB stanza treatment and with nice, full accompaniments for female voices on selected hymn stanzas, instead of the usual and obligatory thin treble textures. This festival was so well done that its overall impact surely was “better than the sum of its parts.” A verse from Susan Palo Cherwien’s Music from Crossings best summarizes the event:

There is a noble sound of pipes and voice
That marries the mind and the heart
That transfigures the spirit.

House of Hope Choir with Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus

The concert was a partnership between The Motet Choir of the House of Hope Presbyterian Church and the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus. The venue was Grace United Methodist Church, Naperville. The choirs were conducted by Thomas Lancaster and Emily Ellsworth. Nancy Lancaster served as the organist. The organ is a Reuter III/41 with a few digital 16' and 32' sounds. Solos were provided by Sandra Schoenecker, mezzo-soprano. The adult and children’s choirs each numbered around 35 singers. The children’s group included approximately five boys. Works presented included an organ piece by Stephen Paulus, As If the Whole Creation Cried, which is movement three from Triptych, and the choral works There Is No Rose by Stroope and Psalm-Cantata(2000) by Frank Ferko.
The Stroope selection was memorized by the children’s choir and contained a beautiful accompaniment for piano and oboe. This challenging piece was sung with clear diction and good expression.
The composer’s program notes for the Psalm-Cantata indicated that the work’s “performing forces” include a mixed chorus representing the past and present and a children’s chorus representing the future. Sections of the work alternated between the two choirs and combined singing. The organ accompaniment was very well played, and it provided nice color and relevance to the work, as a whole. The Psalm and hymn texts built in intensity from “Lord Who May Dwell” to “Praise God, Hallelujah!” The aural accompaniments to these texts were enhanced by visual elements consisting of bright red and black vests over white shirts worn by the children and by the organ grille/screen which was a flame motif beautifully executed in a reddish hardwood.
—W. James Owen
(Reprinted from The American Organist with permission.)
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