Member Chalkboard & Other News
A Goodly Heritage, Part II
By Morgan SimmonsFormer Organist and Choirmaster at Fourth Presbyterian Church, ChicagoMorgan and Mary, his wife, served there together for 28 years Morgan Simmons (right) and wife, Mary Last month, I asked Morgan Simmons if he would share some of his life’s story...
Other News
The Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society is always welcoming new members! The OHS celebrates, preserves, and studies the pipe organ in American in all its historic styles, through research, education, advocacy, and music. Founded in 1980, the...
Member’s ChalkboardJune 2020
Brian Schoettler, Minister of Music & Organist at First United Methodist Church in Evanston, recently earned his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. Brian is thankful for the support of First Church,...
Guest Essay: A Goodly Heritage by Morgan Simmons
By Morgan SimmonsFormer Organist and Choirmaster at Fourth Presbyterian Church, ChicagoMorgan and Mary, his wife, served there together for 28 years Earlier this month, I asked Morgan Simmons if he would share some of his life’s story with us. Imagine sitting down for...
Spotlight on AGO Young Organists – AGOYO Initiative
AGO is committed to provide an environment where young organists feel welcome both nationally and locally into the organ community. Under the AGOYO program, organists under the age of 30, can connect with others in their generation to encourage each other as they...
Organic DiversionsJune 2020
Contributed by Royce Eckhardt and Jill Hunt Check out this funeral story: I promise you, this is as true as if it happened yesterday. And I needed to wait a while before sharing this out of respect to the deceased’s loved ones and family. There we were, playing...
Being Creative with the Worship Leaders during Shelter-in-Place Edict
Member’s Chalkboard May 2020
Members of our chapter were asked to share some of the things you are doing during this shelter-in-place time. Here are some things your colleagues are doing. (Some of them were too humble to send them in, so we had to use scouts in the field.) Barry Wenger: This is...
Doing “Church” in a Pandemic
On the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, I arrived at Winnetka Congregational Church about 2:00pm to prepare for 6:00pm handbell rehearsal and 7:00pm Chancel Choir rehearsal. By 4:00pm the decision was made to close the church for the foreseeable future and...
Organ Scholarship Initiative 2020 UPDATES
Many changes are needed during these days of COVID-19. Our Organ Scholarship Initiative is no different. We are going to need to postpone this Summer’s program due to the need to socially distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are someone who had hoped to teach...