Overtones
The monthly e-newsletter of the North Shore Chapter AGO
Dean’s Column | May 2025
Happy Mother’s Day!
Spring has sprung and Tom Trenney will lead us in what promises to be a spectacular hymn festival this Sunday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. This is a free event BUT you will need to reserve your tickets in advance and you can do that here: https://bit.ly/trenney
Following the hymn festival, we will gather nearby at Firehouse Grill for our annual banquet where we will announce the result of our recent election. Thank you to everyone who has RSVPed and voted!
Finally, we have two events on Saturday, May 17:
- 10:00am Hymn Playing Masterclass with Tom Trenney at Loyola’s Madonna della Strada Chapel
- 2:00pm Memorial Service for Morgan Simmons at Fourth Presbyterian Church
If you are interested in playing on the masterclass, please email me at dean@northshoreago.org
Here is our schedule for Sunday, May 18:
- 4:00pm Hymn Festival at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston (arrive early, street parking)
- 5:30pm Cash Bar at Firehouse Grill in Evanston
- 6:00pm Buffet Dinner is served ($40/person due on arrival)
Looking forward to seeing many of you this weekend!
Brian Schoettler, DMA
Dean, North Shore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
dean@northshoreago.org
Make a donation to support our chapter: https://northshoreago.org/donate/
Submit an event: https://northshoreago.org/submit-an-event/
Post or search for a local position: https://northshoreago.org/for-members/job-listings/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northshoreago
Upcoming Events
Tom Trenney Hymn Festival
May 18: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
939 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202
We partner with the Chicago AGO chapter and Opus 327 to host renowned church musician Tom Trenney at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston for a hymn festival and masterclass. The event is free but you must reserve your tickets in advance using this link: https://bit.ly/trenney
NSAGO members and friends will gather after the hymn festival for our annual banquet. If you have not already RSVPed, please email dean@northshoreago.org.
There will be a cash bar at 5:30pm prior to our buffet dinner being served at 6:00pm. The cost is $40/person. Firehouse Grill is located at 750 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202.
May 19: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
A Gift of Music
Elliott Chapel 3131 Simpson Street, Evanston, IL, United States
As a Gift of Music in May, Dr. Dana Robinson will present a program of Bach’s organ music. Please feel free to join us and immerse yourself in the beauty of Bach’s music this Monday afternoon!
Free
Woman Composer Sunday Members’ Recital
3.9.25 NSAGO Members Recital group photo
On March 9, 2025, the North Shore AGO gathered at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights to present a program in observance of Woman Composer Sunday – the same weekend as International Women’s Day. Our five female organists were Meg Cutting, Marianne Kim, Christine Kraemer, Hyunah Lee, Sharon Peterson and our featured woman composers were Marilyn Biery, Marianne Kim, Fanny Mendelssohn, Shirley Munger, Florence Price, Elizabeth Stirling, and Rebecca te Velde.
Our event organizer Marianne Kim noted:
“By performing works from female composers across different eras—many of whom have remained in the shadows—these remarkable pieces once again captivated the audience.” A light reception followed the program. Thank you to all of the performers, to Marianne for organizing, and to Chris Urban for hosting.
Organ Scholarship Initiative
Summer is a great time to try new things! If you know of someone who is curious about the organ but is not ready to dive into lessons, encourage them to explore the NSAGO’s “three free lessons.” Interested students should be able to play at the level of a Bach Invention. Please feel free to share the link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12IJzp4g0Qts8hXE6q56myWo9jgJiUC3ntLjR0dzy02c/edit
The deadline for beginning and continuing organ scholarships has been moved to Oct. 1st.
For complete details, visit: https://northshoreago.org/scholarships/
Dr. Mary Beth Molenaar
NSAGO Scholarship Chair
m-molenaar@northwestern.edu