|
Home > Our Chapter > Monthly Chapter Programs
Click on images for larger view
All evening programs are at
8:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Prior to the program there is dinner at 7:00 p.m.
preceded by punch bowl at 6:30 p.m. The cost for dinner this year is $15.00. For more
information contact dbuteyn@grago.org. You
may make dinner reservations by emailing agodinner@grago.org
|
|
|
| Monday, September 24, 2012
The opening program for the 2012-13 year was
a tour of the Basilica of St. Adalbert with
its 1980 Wicks organ located at 671 Davis N.W. and also an organ crawl at the home of Bill
Tufts with a 33 rank Kimball opus 7057. Peter Kurdziel,
Director of Music at St. Adalbert's, demonstrated the organ and accompanied our chapter
members in singing When In Our Music God is Glorified. Our chaplain, The Rev.
Herm Keizer, Jr. led in the brief service of installation of officers.
At Bill Tufts' home three of our members demonstrated the
Kimball organ in a variety of literature and organ builder Don Haan talked about the
installation of this large home instrument.
September Newsletter |

Chapter members at the Basilica of St. Adalbert
Mark Loring, Rhonda Edgington & Eric Strand
|
|
| Sunday, October 21, 2012,
3:00 p.m. The second concert in our Young
Organist Recital Series was held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21st at East Congregational Church located at 1005 Giddings
Ave. S.E. Our Artist was Dongho
Lee who was the winner of First Prize and Audience Prize at the 2010
AGO National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance. Ms. Lee also spoke to the
Chapter describing the process of entering and preparing for competitions on Monday
evening, October 22nd.
October
Newsletter |

Dongho Lee
|
| Wednesday, November 7,
2012 On Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. the
Grand Rapids Chapter of the American Guild of Organists presents Pipelines, a program for
fourth graders which introduces them to the pipe organ. This program was begun in 1995 and
is currently supported by funding from the Anne Heyboer Vander Heide Fund of the Grand
Rapids Foundation. The program is presented in cooperation with Central Reformed Church which has graciously
offered its facilities for this important event. |

Organ builder James Lauck directing the "human organ" |
| Monday, November 19, 2012,
8:00 p.m. The Grand Rapids Chapter of AGO
met on Monday, November 19, 2012, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids for their
monthly gathering, which included the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the chapter! Following appetizers and a delicious catered
dinner, the newly appointed GRAGO Archivist, Howard Slenk, gave an engaging presentation
highlighting the history of the chapter. He
also had many historical documents (such as letters, articles, and chapter rosters) dating
back to the initial formation of the group, on display for the members to peruse.
Following the 75th Anniversary presentation, members were invited into the sanctuary where
duet organ artists, Dana Robinson and Paul Tegels, addressed the group about literature
available for organ duets and performed several of their favorite arrangements. Having
played organ duets for thirty years, their insight and information provided the members
with a better understanding of what music works well for "two players and four
hands" on one bench!

Howard Slenk presenting GRAGO history
November Newsletter |

Dana Robinson and Paul Tegels
|
| No December
Meeting
Merry Christmas
|

Wanamaker Organ
|
| Sunday, January 20, 2013 On Sunday, January 20th, at 3:00 p.m. our members presented a
recital for the public at The Cathedral of St.
Andrew in Grand Rapids. The program may be listened to here by clicking on the title:
1 Rejoice - Noel Goemanne;
Jonathan Tuuk, Mayflower Congregational Church
2 Toccata Prima - Georg
Muffat; Gregory Crowell, St. Mark's Episcopal Church; GVSU
3 Chorale in A Minor -
Cesar Franck; Christopher Dekker, Trinity United Methodist Church
4 At Christmas-Tide -
Charles Villiers Stanford; Kit-Ying Law, Organ Scholar, Trinity United Methodist
Church
5 Toccata in D Minor - J.S.
Bach; Mikaela Bradley, student of Elizabeth Claar
6 Now Thank We All Our God
- Sigfrid Karg-Elert; Rebecca Hoeksema, student of Norma deWaal Malefyt
7 Suite Gothique: 1, 2
-Leon Boellmann; Jonathan Tuuk and Larry Biser, Aquinas College
8 Fanfare - Jaak-Nicolaas
Lemmens; Michael B. Adams, student of Larry Biser
9 Carillon de
Westminster - Louis Vierne; Nicholas Palmer, Cathedral of St. Andrew
Back row: Gregory Crowell, Jonathan Tuuk, Mike
Adams;
Middle row: Christopher Dekker, Rebecca Hoeksema, Kit-Ying Law, Nicholas
Palmer;
Front Row: Larry Biser, Mikaela Bradley
January Newsletter
|

The Cathedral of St. Andrew

Back row: Gregory Crowell, Jonathan Tuuk, Mike Adams;
Middle row: Christopher Dekker, Rebecca Hoeksema, Kit-Ying Law, Nicholas
Palmer;
Front Row: Larry Biser, Mikaela Bradley
|
| Sunday, February 10, 2013,
3:00 p.m. On Sunday, February 10, the Grand
Rapids Chapter presented Dr. Andrew Kotylo in recital at the Basilica Church of St.
Adalbert. The Basilica boasts acoustics of lengthy proportions and Dr. Kotylo chose a
program to take advantage of both the acoustics and the 72 rank Wicks organ designed by
our own Jonathan Tuuk. The 1980 instrument has recently been brilliantly revoiced by Lauck
Organs under Mr. Tuuks guidance. The program included many pieces not in the normal
concert repertory including little heard works of Jongen, Wright, Parry, Hakim, Boëllmann, and Reger. He also included five of the Elf Choralvorspielen of Brahms. A large audience
enjoyed the excellent recital and in addition to Dr. Kotylos stunning technique,
comments were often heard about the artistic registrations, making impressive use of solo
voices as well as combined voices. At times the audience was bathed in dulcet tones and at
others lifted to the heights by the power and authority of the instrument. The concert was
a welcome breath of warmth following a severe snow storm. Andrew Kotylo should be more
widely heard.
February Newsletter |
 Peter Kurdziel,
Andrew Kotylo, Larry Biser |
| Monday, March 18, 2013,
7:00 p.m. On Monday, March 18, 2013, the
Grand Rapids Chapter of the AGO sponsored an AGO/Quimby Regional Young Organists
Competition at Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. Five
talented organists played for an audience of over 75 people! The First
Place winner was Morgan Ingleright of Lake City, Michigan. Morgan is a
college freshman, currently studying with Jack Mitchener at Mercer University, Macon,
Georgia. She will compete in the Region V Competition in Kalamazoo on
June 29th. The Second Place winner was Davids Heinze of
Kentwood, Michigan. Davids is a high school senior, studying
with Thomas Bara at Interlochen Arts Academy. Honorable Mention was
awarded to Colin Knapp of Battle Creek, Michigan. Colin is a junior at
the University of Michigan and studies organ with James Kibbie. The first place prize of
$1000 and the second place prize of $500 were made possible by a generous grant from the
Anne Vander Heide Fund of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Adjudicators
for the competition were Helen Hawley, Jonathan Tuuk, and Larry Visser. Bruce
Klanderman was the chair of the competition. Pictured are back row. Helen Hawley, Jonathan
Tuuk, Larry Visser. Front row: Bruce Klanderman, Lucky Middaugh, Morgan Ingleright, Davids
Heinze, Colin Knapp, Joshua Boyd.
March Newsletter |

Back row. Helen Hawley, Jonathan Tuuk, Larry Visser. Front row: Bruce Klanderman,
Lucky Middaugh, Morgan Ingleright, Davids Heinze, Colin Knapp, Joshua Boyd. |
| Sunday, April 14, 2013,
3:00 p.m. On Sunday,
April 14, the Grand Rapids Chapter of the AGO presented seven student organists in recital
at Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. The
performers included a high school senior, several undergraduate students from Hope College,
Aquinas College and Western Michigan University, and a graduate student, also from Western
Michigan University. Their fine playing of a
wide variety of repertoire, including a piano/organ duet, the "Grave" from Organ Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 177 by Joseph
Rheinberger, helped dispel the myth that no young organists exist! What an enjoyable afternoon!
You may listen to the
performers here:
Festive
Trumpet Tune
David German (b. 1962)
Allegretto
from Six Short Preludes and Postludes, Opus 101
Charles V.
Stanford (1852-1924)
John Deppe, organ
Prelude and Fugue in A Minor
(i), BWV 543 Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
Michael Adams, organ
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,
BWV 565
J.S. Bach
Lucky Middaugh, organ
Organ Concerto No. 2 in G
Minor, Opus 177 Joseph
Rheinberger (1839-1901)
I. Grave
Emily Solomon, organ, with Karl Schrock, piano
Prelude and Fugue in F Minor,
BWV 534
J.S.
Bach Stephanie
Pestana, organ
Deux Danses
á Agni Yavishta
Jehan
Alain (1911-1940)
Kristin Baron, organ
Fanfare
Jacques Lemmens (1823-1881)
Aaron
Goodyke, organ
PDF of Young Organists Concert Program
April
Newsletter |

l-r: Emily Solomon, Lucky Middaugh. John
Deppe, Aaron Goodyke, Kristin Baron, Stephanie Pestana, Michael Adams |
| Monday, May 20, 2013, 8:00
p.m. Our final meeting of the year will be a
Choral Workshop led by noted conductor Anton Armstrong. Anton
Armstrong, Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, became the fourth conductor of
the St. Olaf Choir in 1990 after ten years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he had served
on the faculty of Calvin College and led the Calvin College Alumni Choir, the Grand Rapids
Symphony Chorus and the St. Cecilia Youth Chorale. We will meet at Trinity United Methodist Church at 1100 Lake Drive
S.E. |

Anton Armstrong
|
|