Dean’s Column | March 2022

Dear Friends,

In my lifetime, I’ve been told to worry about: overpopulation, nuclear war, acid rain, holes in the ozone, an impending food shortage, an impending water shortage, an upcoming ice age, nuclear waste, soil erosion, the death of bumblebees, the collapse of Social Security and a dozen other things. 

So far, the sky hasn’t fallen and today we are facing a much more imminent crisis in the world arena.

Though it isn’t responsible to live in a bubble while real problems are out there, we also have to navigate our own daily life, especially where we can make a difference to those around us. Hopefully, for many of you, a big part of that involves music.

In this newsletter, a new slate of candidates for the North Shore AGO Board is introduced. You will have the opportunity to vote to confirm them next month, but meanwhile, I am thrilled each of these chapter members said yes to the nominating committee chaired by Lee Nelson. Rich Spantikow and Royce Eckhart also served on the committee.

March will be a quiet month for us as a chapter, as we just had a wonderful evening of listening to Colin Andrews play a powerful concert of Olivier Messian’s monumental Livre du Saint Sacrement. You can read more details in Richard Clemmitt’s review.

 Our thoughts and prayers continue for Morgan Simmons as he prepares to celebrate Mary, his partner in music and life for all these wonderful years. Her service will be held on March 26th at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago at 2:00 pm.

Stay safe – on the ice and from anything else that would keep you from doing what you love in life.

Warmly,

Judy Kohl, Dean

Past Overtones

Dean’s Column | May 2026

Passing the Baton This is the final Overtones newsletter of my 2-year term as Dean. I want to thank all of the board members who I’ve served with for their time, dedication, and energy in support of organ music here on the North Shore. I especially want to thank...

Dean’s Column | March 2026

A Christmas Carol February 28, 2026 marked one year since the passing of long-time member and former NSAGO Dean Morgan Simmons. I hope that many of you are already acquainted with his “Prelude on Christmas Carol” published by MorningStar...

Dean’s Column | January 2026

Join us on February 1 for our next chapter event at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston: our NSAGO Members’ Recital on February 1 at 3:00pm in observance of Black History Month. Our Sub-Dean Marianne Kim is coordinating this program and performers include Bridget de la...