Someone You Should Know

“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...

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...

Computers, organs, and Chicago! I never expected any of it. Well, to be truthful, I guess the organ part was to be expected. Visiting my aunt and uncle in suburban Pittsburgh when I was growing up was always a treat. Along with helping my uncle’s woodworking shop...

When I moved to the North Shore in 2010, recently married and freshly hooded from the University of Iowa with a DMA in Organ Performance and Pedagogy, I immediately sought NSAGO membership. After a summer spent interviewing for church jobs, an issue of Overtones...

First, thank you for inviting me to share my story with fellow members of the NSAGO, an organization near and dear to my heart. The church has always played an important role in my life, particularly First Presbyterian Church in Wilmette. I was baptized, confirmed and...

Sometimes I marvel at the twists and turns of my path in music, considering that no one else in my family really reads music. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio and began in third grade with $1 piano lessons! In sixth grade, I was blessed with an amazing organ teacher. Her...

I am the Director of Worship and Music at Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston where I direct three adult vocal and handbell choirs, play the organ/piano for all worship services and the choirs, and do worship planning in consultation with the pastor and coordinator of...

My interest in music began at an early age, while growing up in Deerfield. My late grandmother was my first piano instructor. She and my grandfather brought me to weekly services at Trinity United Church of Christ in Deerfield, where I first heard the wonderful W....

Growing up on a farm in a small community in Central Illinois (Paxton), I was very fortunate to have excellent teachers and mentors who helped to foster my love of architecture and music. All throughout grade school and high school I played French Horn and trumpet in...

Music has been a part of my life since I started taking piano lessons at the ripe old age of five. The piano that I had was a player piano, so pumping the pedals was a lot of fun – I loved the music “I” was able to create.  Who knew?  My dad, however, thought my hands...