October 2016New Beginnings

October 2016
New Beginnings

NSAGO Dean Andrea Handley

Andrea Handley

In a few short days, we begin our 2016-17 program season with a long-anticipated and exciting program by Vincent DuBois, from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. This program is part of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ernest Skinner, and features the magnificent Opus 327 Skinner instrument at St. Luke’s. DuBois is a world-renowned artist, and this is a great opportunity for not only those on the North Shore, but throughout Chicagoland. We look forward to seeing many, many of you there!

During this past month, our board has been busy with many things. Beyond planning all the programs in our new season, a scholarship committee has been doing a bit of researching through archival materials to reactivate our scholarship fund. While we have had the option for people to donate to a scholarship fund for some years, in recent years the task of actually advertising and giving out scholarships has gone dormant. In the coming months, we will be discussing what types of scholarships to offer, and how to communicate this opportunity with the organ community at large.

And lastly, over the summer, a member expressed interest in having a regular feature on our website or in the newsletter where our members share music ideas – mostly preludes and postludes that have worked well in worship. Whether you have ideas you’d like to share, or are looking for ideas, it would be a great resource for us all. If any of you would be interested in coordinating such a project, I’d love to hear from you at: dean@northshoreago.org.

Andrea Handley, Dean

July 2016
Report on National Convention in Houston

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Front row: Weicheng Zhao (student of Cherry Rhodes) Katelyn Emerson (first place winner), Morgan Simmons, Kirk Rich. Back row: Nicolas Capozzoli, Tamer Edlebi (oboist), Zachary Zwahlen (student of David Higgs).

On Friday, June 18, I was privileged to attend the competition in Houston preliminary to the National Convention of AGO and honored to have one of  my compositions, “Reflections for Oboe and Organ”, played as a required piece by all five of the finalists. I must say it was a heady time for this old codger!  Each of the organists did a super job of interpreting the piece with very beautiful and sensitive playing by the oboist Tamer Edlebi, a master’s degree student at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

A big thanks to Jay Peterson, who was in charge of planning the event and then executing all the details that made it such a success.  He was also responsible for choosing my piece, for which I’m grateful!

Several North Shore chapter members attended the convention: Michael Gagne, Jill Hunt, Jay Peterson, Joyce Robinson, and Barry Wenger among them.  Although I didn’t stay for the whole of the convention, I had opportunity of visiting with many treasured friends and hearing more excellent playing.  The future of the profession looks bright because of the wealth of talent exhibited by the young players who are already making names for themselves.  Keep an eye and ear on them!

Morgan Simmons

 
October 2016An Inevitable Accident

October 2016
An Inevitable Accident

Robert McConnell

Robert McConnell

“And when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.” (2nd Chronicles 5:13-14)

My journey in church music has been both accidental and inevitable. I had been deeply involved in the music program of my home church – Church of the Savior Lutheran in Paramus, NJ – serving as the pianist in the praise band, writing music for the choir, and filling in from time to time for the organist. This ended with college where I took a break from the Church altogether. I studied composition and conducting at Northwestern University with the intention of becoming a professional full-time conductor. By the conclusion of my Master’s degree no one had yet told me that making a living as a conductor was virtually impossible for someone in their 20’s. My mother had been telling me since high school to take organ lessons and I began studying with Maggie Kemper in the last year of my Master’s. I was by no means greatly proficient, but here’s where the accident appeared. Stephen Alltop recommended me for an organist job in Barrington which the church was desperate to fill. I could play hymns well enough and some easy repertoire, but I asked him if he thought I was qualified for such a job. He said no, but that I would become qualified. So I took the job and stayed a year, during which time I practiced a lot. This is what I mean by “inevitable”. During my Master’s degree, I had a spiritual reawaking in my Christian faith that not only got me back into church, but also catalyzed a vocation for church music. After a year of non-stop practicing, I was ready for a larger job and accepted the Music Director position at St. John’s Lutheran in Wilmette, where I have been since 2010. Since that time, I have received a DMA in orchestral conducting at Northwestern. Although my career as a conductor might change the way my vocation in church music is expressed, nevertheless I expect it to remain undiminished.

In writing this article, I unearthed the first newsletter article I wrote for St. John’s in October 2010 in which I described my philosophy of church music through the passage in 2nd Chronicles quoted above. It remains as relevant for me now as then. I see my vocation as a church musician to “bring the glory down.” When all is said and done, I judge the success or failure of my ministry on whether, through music, people have had a tangible encounter with the living God. I don’t mean to exaggerate the importance of music ministry in this encounter, but as the passage above makes clear, music is an important part of the process. Whatever I do in the future and however my vocation is expressed, I hope I can always be part of making the God’s presence real for the people.

Robert McConnell
Music Director and Organist, St. John’s Lutheran Church of Wilmette

October 2016
Treasurer’s Corner

We had deposits of $751 in September, consisting of renewals and donations. And we had no expenses!!

I’m reporting a checking account balance of $9,952.02. You may have noticed that the amount in our checking account is MUCH lower than reported in recent months. No reason for panic – we have moved some of our money into two savings accounts for more clarity on what our balance represents. So going forward, only our income from dues and donations and our operating expenses will be in our checking account.

We now have a separate savings account for the money that was received from the closing of the 2006 Chicago Foundation account ($35,000).   We will likely be using a small amount from that account to subsidize program expenses from time to time as needed, but are in discussion as to how to use those funds beyond that.

We also opened a second savings account to house the money we receive that is designated to go toward scholarships. As mentioned in the Dean’s Column this month, there is now a scholarship committee that has ascertained how much has been given in recent years toward scholarships ($5,300), and they will be proposing ways use these dollars for scholarships and communicate this opportunity with the organ community at large.

We extend many thanks to Jay Peterson, Donna Siemro, and Mary Simmons for their financial contribution to our chapter. And thanks to Morgan Simmons for his contribution to our Scholarship fund. Your gifts are very much appreciated!!

With all of the anxiety in the world today, it is reassuring to know that our North Shore Chapter is funded for today as well as the future.

Laurie Stivers headshot

Laurie Stivers

Laurie Stivers
Treasurer

October 2016New Beginnings

September 2016
Here We Go Again!

NSAGO Dean Andrea Handley

Andrea Handley

There is definitely a cyclical feel to our work, isn’t there? The major change that takes place in most of our lives in September has little to do with the liturgical year, as it falls right in the middle of ‘ordinary time’. But it is definitely a shift. Choirs begin again for most of us, some of us go from one back to two or more services, and we begin the gearing up for all the special Sundays ahead in coming weeks: All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. Not to mention Rally Sundays and Stewardship campaigns for many. Hopefully most of you have been refreshed over the summer by attending conferences and taking vacations, and are all eagerly looking forward to getting back to ‘full swing’ soon.

Of course, one of the benefits of fall is the beginning of the new NSAGO season of programs! Our first program of the fall is very exciting indeed – a recital by Vincent DuBois, of Notre Dame Cathedral – at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. We hope to see many, many of you at this delightful event which will begin our season on Friday, October 7, at 7:30pm! Continue to read this Overtones issue for more information on that program as well as others in the coming months.

Andrea Handley, Dean

September 2016Time Flies!

September 2016
Time Flies!

Tomoko Shibuya

Tomoko Shibuya

I never thought about myself living in the United States for 30 years when I first arrived O’Hare airport in August, 1986. Time flies. After 30 years, I work as a music cataloger at Northwestern University Libraries, and play the organ every Sunday at North Shore United Methodist Church in Glencoe. I am also a member of the North Shore Chamber Arts Ensemble, based in Glencoe.

Like some of you, I was a piano major. I still remember the very first organ lesson with Margaret Kemper, during my junior year in Northwestern. Playing organ was an epoch-making event in my musical life. I’ve never listened my playing so carefully until then. (I have to confess this to my piano teachers…) Organ produces the sounds as long as you press the key—yes, it is obvious, but I didn’t really understand what that meant, until I took lessons with her. Through the lessons with her, I was able to appreciate the true beauty of counterpoint, discovered the beauty of organ music, and fell in love with music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Cesar Franck, and other great composers. After received MMus in piano performance and pedagogy, I went to Eastman School of Music to study chamber music and collaborative piano. During my 2 years in Rochester, I was an organist at Avon United Methodist Church, playing 1895 Felgemaker tracker organ, but also worked in Sibley Music Library as a student worker. I was more interested in studying library science, particularly music librarianship, and headed to Indiana University in Bloomington for Master of Library Science program. My first job after the library degree was in New York City—at New York Public Library for Performing Arts, Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound (now a part of the Music Division), and my immediate supervisor was also an organist. I came back to Chicago North Shore area in 2008, when I was offered a music cataloger position at Northwestern University. Since then, I resumed taking organ lessons with Margaret Kemper through the Music Academy, and I am still enjoying lessons with her.

As a music cataloger, I create bibliographic records for scores and sound recordings so that our library users can search the online catalog. I am one of the first persons to take a look at newly published music coming from all over the world! Many of music librarians are also organists. Every year, the Music Library Association has an annual meeting in different cities, and one of my favorite activities is organ crawls. I squeeze clothes and other stuff in every possible way to make a little space for a pair of organ shoes in my suitcase while thinking which of my favorite organ pieces to take with me. I join other librarians/organists to visit several different churches, meet the organist, and try wonderful instruments. We also share lists of organ music published for each year.

I have been enjoying the workshops and recitals since joining NSAGO in 2015, and I am looking forward to the programs in the coming year.

Tomoko Shibuya