Dean’s Column | August 2022

Midsommer greetings to all!

I trust that everyone has been enjoying their time off from the weekly church responsibilities of the necessary choir rehearsals and significant time spent with the weekly practice on the organ. I also hope that many of you were able to take the opportunity to take advantage of attending the National AGO Convention in Seattle recently or one of the many denominational workshops that have been held or will be presented at some point during the rest of this summer.

Please let me welcome the new North Shore Chapter AGO Board members: Dean, Robert Woodworth Jr., Sub-Dean, Rich Spantikow, Secretary, TBD, Treasurer, Beau Surratt, Terms ending 2023, Linda Cerabona, Paul Cochran and Gary Wendt, Terms ending 2024, Brian Schoettler, Evan DuVall and Chris Urban, Terms ending 2025, Derek Nickels, Pat Radosavljevic and James Janssen. At this time I also need to say a very sincere thanks to our retiring Board members Judy Kohl, Richard Clemmitt, Dave Hiett and Isabella Wu. These Board members certainly have worked diligently in the last few years to bring the best programs and events to all North Shore Chapter members!

Please let me say that this new Board is ready to be very active with some creative ideas for programming, especially in this year building up to the Regional Convention during the last week of June 2023.

I look forward to the Chapter programs that have already been planned for this season however please be assured that the Sub-Dean is working on filling out the season for a full complement of programs/events.

As we look forward to the coming year I am also planning on some creative and unique ways to encourage Chapter membership growth. I am sure that each and every member of this Chapter certainly knows musicians of neighboring churches that are not members of the Chapter and I would encourage you to bring them to our programs and then to join our unique Chapter of the North Shore.

Best wishes and I hope to see you at our next events – please enjoy the rest of your summer!!

Bob Woodworth Jr.

Dean

Past Overtones

Dean’s Column | July 2026

Please mark your calendar to join us for our first event of our 2026-27 season, a Choral Reading Session and Reception at St. Augustine’s Church in Wilmette on Sunday, September 27 at 2:00 p.m. We’d love to have you with us! We will gather that afternoon to sight-read...

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...