Dean’s Column | July 2021

Dear Friends, 

Perhaps as I did, you expected warm and sunny days ushering in the month of July. Instead,  it wasn’t just wind blowing through Chicago recently, but flash floods joined the tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms.

Unless you were cleaning up from a major flood in your basement as I was,  I hope you were able to catch every minute of Organfest 2021. Running June 27- July 2nd, each program offered a wonderful variety of performers, instruments, break-out sessions and various vignettes.  If you were not able to attend or would like to see the performances again, you will be receiving an email this weekend with a link to these six days of organ music. You won’t want to miss this!

Though our chapter programming has come to an end with our final program this past May, we eagerly look forward to being together for another full year of sharing events around the organ.

As always, I would encourage you to take this summer break to reach out to a fellow chapter member or someone you think might be interested in joining us. Take a small step to ask them. It’s worth the risk as life is so much richer sharing it with friends who appreciate the things we do.

I’ll end my column with a quote from one of my favorite stories.

“Why did you do all this for me?” he asked. 

“I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.”

“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. 

“That in itself is a tremendous thing.”

— E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web —

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...