The Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

ANN ARBOR PIPINGSMarch 2014 annarborago.org

POEA Ann Arbor June 29–July 4, 2014

Article One: Introducing the POEA

& Planning TeamDo you remember when you were first introduced to the pipe organ, and how you felt? If you recall how wonderful it was to find peers who shared your enthusiasm, you can imagine how excited high school organists will be to join together in a Pipe Organ Encounters Advanced (POEA) in Ann Arbor, June 29–July 4, 2014.

Our Ann Arbor AGO board members Kipp Cortez and Joshua Boyd initiated the idea of hosting a POEA, as they are both highly successful alumni of previous POEs, and fondly treasure their experiences. We plan to offer our POEA participants a stimulating week exploring organs and carillons with lessons and master classes in Ann Arbor and at EMU. On July 2, we’ll have a day in Detroit, starting with POEA participants being interviewed live on WRCJ by Dr. Dave Wagner about why they love the organ. Then, Stephen Warner will take them on a tour of the mighty Skinner at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church, and then entertain them with a silent film accompaniment at the Senate Theater.

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And yes, we need your help! If you know of any high school organist who might be interested, please encourage them to apply ASAP via our web site: h t t p : / / w w w. a n n a r b o r a g o . o r g /AnnArborAGO/POEA.htmlWe would welcome any and all helping hands from our chapter, particularly during the week of the event to help with transportation and chaperone duties. You could inspire and be inspired by these young organists and assist by walking the students to and from venues, staying with them in facilities as they practice, and facilitating logistics in general. If you are available any or all of the days between June 29 and July 4 and are willing to help this great cause, please contact the POEA Directors,pamela.ruiterfeenstra@gmail.com or joshboyd@umich.edu. The work for POEA is all volunteer labor, including faculty and chaperones. With a tight budget, we warmly welcome your tax deductible donations (checks made out to POEA, and mailed to Sherri Brown, 2842 Walton Blvd., Waterford, MI 48329)!

As we recently restructured the planning team, we offer here a list of people involved in that team: Joshua Boyd, Co-Director of Planning Team and On-Site Coordinator; Sherri Brown, Treasurer; Kipp Cortez, On-Site Coordinator; Timothy Huth, Ann Arbor AGO Chapter Dean; Colin Knapp, Publicity Coordinator; Gale Kramer, On-Site Faculty Coordinator; Andrew Meagher, Facilities

Coordinator; Meghan Meloy, Web Site Manager; Marcia Van Ooyen, Funding Coordinator; Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra, Co-Director of Planning Team and Faculty Coordinator; and James Wagner, Services Coordinator (Housing, Meals, Transportation). We are grateful to the faculty who generously donate their time for the POEA week and to donors who help make this event possible. We also offer huge thanks to AGO’s CONO Director Nicole Marane, who is graciously helping us to navigate the myriad of details.

To see the list of faculty, and to share the brochure with potential participants, check on the Ann Arbor AGO web site link here: h t t p : / / w w w. a n n a r b o r a g o . o r g /AnnArborAGO/POEA.html

Coming next: POEA Schedule-at-a-Glance (April)POEA Faculty and Programs (May)POEA Details and Logistics Volunteers (June)

Respectfully submitted,Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra

Marilyn Mason Scholarship for POEA At the end of the newsletter you can find updated information for the Marilyn Mason Young Musician’s Scholarship which will be awarded to an attendee of the Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced in Ann Arbor.

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A Letter from the Dean Greetings Ann Arbor AGO!This is my third-in-a row Dean letter written in a snowstorm!  As one english translation of the Brahms chorale has it 'With joy I await the lovely summertime"!

Lent is here with all of its attendant musical duties providing us another opportunity to dust off our chops and dig into the splendid treasury of Lent and Easter organ music. 

'Performance Anxiety: Managing your musical fears' with Dr. Julie Jaffee Nagel drew over 50 participants. You may view it on Youtube under “Annarborago” or go to our website. I commend to you Julie's book (available on Amazon) 'Melodies of the mind, Connections between psychoanalysis and music' as well as her excellent website julienagel.net.  I admonish

teachers and those students and performers who experience performance fear to cultivate an awareness of this debilitating phenomenon. Psychology, neuroscience and medicine are showing us that performance anxiety can be well managed. Dean Robinson, an organ student at U of M provided a wonderful review of the workshop that is found later in this newsletter.   

Please enjoy this month's Newsletter and please visit and explore our expanded and comprehensive website.

There is much happening with our Guild and it is all of us who make it strong.   

In closing, to paraphrase Ecclesiastes -- enjoy the riches that you have, beautiful hands, the sound of the flute and diapason, the sharing of music. God has put the timeless into our hearts, unfolding, ever old and ever new.  

Peace and all good thingsTimothy Huth

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A Letter from the Sub-Dean Greetings A2AGO members!        There are always many things for us to be looking forward to, whether it is here in our backyards or abroad. We are currently working on formulating and assembling the 2014-2015 calendar. As has happened in the recent past, we have more ideas and concepts for events than we have time to do them all! Look for an outline of the 2014-2015 season in our next newsletter.     The two events to keep on your radar as we look at events still left in our 2013-2014 season include our rescheduled Epiphany party and our re-worked Lenten Recital series. This Sunday is our Epiphany/Fat Tuesday potluck gathering. The fun begins at 7pm on the 9th floor of Burton Tower and we ask that everyone bring an appetizer or dessert to share. The next event follows soon after our party. On Friday, March 7 Shin-Ae Nam with the help of soprano Imani Mchunu will begin our Lenten Sunset Concerts by performing the Eleven Chorale Preludes of Johannes Brahms. The performance begins at5:15pm at the First Congregational Church in Ann Arbor. You will not want to miss what promises to be a captivating evening of music!         As we take a look a bit further into the future there are a variety of opportunities to help or to attend wonderful educational presentations. The first opportunity, if you have a desire to take a road trip to the eastern part of our country, is the AGO National Convention being held this summer in Boston. The schedule of events and registration information is online and I encourage you to

take a look at what is being offered. Visit w w w. a g o b o s t o n 2 0 1 4 . o r g f o r m o r e information.         The next opportunity for you to help and learn is the Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced which our very own chapter will be hosting this summer. There are plenty of ways in which members can be of help beginning immediately and continuing through the week the camp is taking place from June 29 through July 4. If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra.         The final opportunity I want to bring to your attention now is the upcoming Hymn Society Conference being held fromJuly 13 through July 17 at Trinity Lutheran Seminary and Capital University in Columbus, OH. I know, for some of us even thinking about stepping foot into "that state" can cause us physical and mental grief. But I know this summer's conference will have something for everyone. The theme this year, "Beyond the Page: The Power of Teaching to Strengthen the Congregation's Song" aims to help musicians, pastors, text writers, composers and lovers of congregational song in their own education which in turn can be brought home to their congregations. As always, if you ever have any questions about this conference or the Hymn Society I am happy to answer them. For more information about the conference, visit www.thehymnsociety.org.

Submitted by Sipkje Pesnichak

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Lenten Recital Series The Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

Lenten Recital Series

First Congregational Church608 East William Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Fridays in Lent at 5:15 pm

March 14 - Students from the organ studio at EMUMarch 21 - “Happy Birthday, Dear Johann”

Organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) performed by organ majors at the University of Michigan

ProgramPrelude and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 546 performed by Ye Mee Kim

From Orgelbüchlein performed by Kipp Cortez Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 616

O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, BWV 622

From Sonata IV in E Minor, BWV 528 performed by Andrew Lang I. Adagio; vivace

From Clavierübung III performed by Andrew Lang Dies sind die heilgen zehen Gebot, BWV 678

Fughetta super Dies sind die heiligen zehen Gebot, BWV 679

Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV 671

From Sonata VI in G Major, BWV 530 performed by Andrew Earhart I. Vivace

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 performed by Daniel Mikat

March 28 - Dr. Timothy Huth and Steven Flick April 4 - Cornell Women's Chorus

April 11 - Aaron Tan on piano

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Upcoming Public Organ Events at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, March 12, 3:30 pm:Hill Auditorium (enter and leave by back doors only)

Public recital and masterclass by Christopher Lane, Harvard University, Boston, MA

Wednesday, March 19, 3:30 pm:Hill Auditorium (enter and leave by back doors only)

Public recital and masterclass by Vincent Dubois, Strasbourg Conservatory and Soissons

Cathedral, France

Wednesday, March 26, 3:30 pm:Hill Auditorium (enter and leave by back doors only)

Public masterclass by Daniel Roth, St. Sulpice, Paris, France

Spring 2014 Visiting Artist

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Julie Nagel Workshop Review

On February 1, Julliard graduate and psychiatrist Dr. Julie Nagel visited the University of Michigan to host a small workshop on the bane of every performing musician: stage fright. Dr. Nagel was very knowledgeable on the subject, and gave an extensive and informative overview of its causes. She sought to help her audience better understand the psychological makeup of a musician and how our experiences can both help and hurt our musical self-esteem.

While acknowledging that stage fright is far too complex a condition to fully understand and remedy, she explored several factors that contribute to the phenomenon. Travelling back to early childhood, she explained the importance parents have in deve loping a source o f comfort and confidence for their young. Unfortunately, the amount of support children receive is inevitably un idea l , damag ing our perception of having a natural protector and opening the door for conditions such as performance anxiety. Dr. Nagel was also careful to m e n t i o n t h a t b e c a u s e musicianship is a skill learned early in life and developed over time, it especially is something that needs the

supportive environment that we all lack. Her interaction with the audience clearly reflected her understanding that such a connection with other people is essential. She was very welcoming and amicable to her audience and spoke in a very peaceful and reassuring tone of voice. She encouraged her audience to volunteer any experiences they may have had with stage fright and answered questions in a very detailed manner. She was also open herself, sharing some of her own regrettable experiences with performance anxiety. Dr. Nagel not only discussed the causes of stage fright, but tried to exemplify a way to lessen it through her demeanor.

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Dr. Julie Nagel

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Continuing with the theme of a supportive environment, Dr. Nagel also emphasized the importance of enjoying music. She discussed with the audience why the mysterious power and beauty of music is enough to compel musicians to continue playing in the face of fears of performing. In addition, she pointed out that our frightful perception of an audience is often our own view of ourselves reflected onto those other people, such as a concern that the audience may find s o m e t h i n g r e g r e t t a b l e a b o u t t h e performance or that we must play perfectly for the presentation to have any merit. Dr. Nagel argued that the audience should not be something to fear. Instead, like us, it is a p a r t o f t h e m u s i c a l c o m m u n i t y, understanding of a musician’s flaws and willing to support him or her through thick and thin. To illustrate her point, she presented a video of a young singer forgetting The Star-Spangled Banner at a professional basketball game, in response to which the arena’s crowd and even Mo Cheeks came to her rescue. Likewise, we should embrace our musicianship for what it is and not worry about the inevitably imperfect performance; this can help our enjoyment of the experience immensely. Dr. Nagel was also able to incorporate humor into the workshop, including in her slides videos of a young child playfully conducting Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and a talented elderly couple playing a piano duet. Not only did both videos demonstrate individuals enjoying music to the fullest, but the

humorous nature of both videos proved that the audience can relate to the fun involved with even the most casual and unrehearsed music-making.

Personally, I found Dr. Nagel’s discussion on performance anxiety a helpful one. Her clear explanations and mastery of the material she discussed helped me to understand myself better as a musician. I have often struggled with confidence and self-esteem, especially with respect to performing in front of other people. Dr. Nagel was very reassuring that perfection and excellence should not be the diehard goal of our music making. Rather than pursue such impossible goals, a performance should be something surreal and enjoyable both alone and with other people. Performances can be a rewarding experience for player and audience regardless of the outcome. Though stage fright is inexpungible, remembering that support for our music is always present can improve our confidence and bring anxiety to a manageable level. For me, Dr. Nagel’s workshop helped to shed new light on the concept and purpose of performances. The whole musical community should take to heart her thoughtful and insightful words of wisdom.

Submitted by Dean Robinson, Freshman Organ Major at the University of Michigan

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New A2AGO Board Members! The Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is excited that two students joined the board this year. Here’s a little bit about your newest board members and members-at-large

Joshua Boyd and Mary Zelinski!

Mary Zelinski began her organ studies with Ms. Heather Nofar at the age of 12. She has accompanied the St. Edith adult choir in Livonia, Michigan on various occasions for the past five years and is currently the organist at St. Dunstan Catholic Church in Garden City, Michigan. She has participated in many competitions and performances in Region V of the AGO in past years. Mary is a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying organ performance under the instruction of Dr. Karl Schrock.

Joshua Boyd started studying piano at the age of nine in the small town of MarsHill North Carolina. When his family moved to Anderson South Carolina he studied piano and organ with Fran Pinson. In 2009 he was accepted into the piano department of Dr. Stephen Taylor at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. While at Governor's School he performed with the Wind Ensemble on piano, the Concertato Orchestra on harpsichord, and the Cantus Choir on organ. Today he attends the University of Michigan studying organ performance. His private instructors have been Dr. Marilyn Mason, Dr. Timothy Tikker and Dr. Karl Schrock. He frequently performs with the University’s Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra. He has performed in many venues in Michigan and South Carolina. In February of 2014 he made his Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts debut as part of their Conservatory Project concert series. He is the Keyboardist at Lord of Light Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor and is an active member of the American Guild of Organist both in the Anderson South Carolina and Ann Arbor Michigan.

Josh’s recent performance at the Kennedy Center can be found at http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M5752 and is about 89 minutes into the video.

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Upcoming Concerts! Daniel Roth in Concert Sunday, March 23rd at 4 p.m.First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti

French virtuoso organist Daniel Roth will be performing a concert at First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti on Sunday, March 23rd at 4 p.m. as part of the Ypsilanti Pipe Organ Festival. The concert is free and open to the public. Roth has been widely acclaimed as one of the leading French organ virtuosos, and has held several prestigious positions as an artist and teacher. His performances are full of “... fiery style ... virtuosic modulations ... imaginative effects ... a friendly partnership between player and organ which produced an astonishingly unified work of art” as described by the Halifax Chronicle-Herald and the New York Times says “Daniel Roth’s performances – careful, thoughtful … imaginative.”

Renowned for his brilliant interpretations of organ literature and for his thrilling improvisations which are regularly included in his concert programs, Daniel Roth has concertized extensively throughout Europe, Great Britain, The United States, Scandinavia, Japan and Korea.

A former student at the Paris Conservatory, his teachers have included Marie-Claire Alain and Maurice Duruflé. Daniel Roth has won several competitions, among them the Grand Prix de Chartres in 1971 for both interpretation and improvisation. At age twenty he made his debut at the organ of the Basilique du Sacré Coeur in Paris, as assistant to his teacher Madame Falcinelli. He later succeeded her as Titular Organist, a post he held until 1985 when he was appointed Titular Organist at St. Sulpice, the famous Paris church where his predecessors were Charles-Marie Widor, Marcel Dupré and Jean-Jacques Grunenwald. From 1988 until the summer of 1995, Mr. Roth taught at the Musikhochshule in Saarbrücken; he then served as Professor of Organ at the Musikhochschule in Frankfurt am Main, succeeding Edgar Krapp and Helmut Walcha, until his retirement in 2007.

A reception will follow the concert, which is co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti is located at 300 N. Washington Street, Ypsilanti, MI. For more information on the Ypsilanti Pipe Organ Festival, please visit www.ypsipipes.com or by calling 734-482-1525.

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Aaron Tan in ConcertAaron presents a concert of solo p i a n o m u s i c a t E M U ’ s Alexander Recital Hall on Friday, March 14, at 7 PM. The eclectic program consists of mu s i c f ro m Re n a i s s a n c e Eng land to 20th century America and includes some rare gems of the literature such as Mozart’s late F Major sonata, Debussy’s evocative Épigraphes Antiques, and Schumann’s subtly virtuosic Toccata. Full repertoire list at www.AaronTan.org.

Admission is free. The concert is part of the EMU School of Music and Dance’s Steinway Campaign, which is a multi-million dollar effort of the school to upgrade their piano inventory with all Steinway instruments.

The Cathedral Music Society presents…Saturday, March 29, 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.Bach Marathon Musicians from all over the Detroit Metro area will join for a five-hour musical celebration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Twenty-minute “mini concerts” will take place throughout the day. All performers are donating their time and talent for this fundraising program to help support the Cathedral Choir’s tour to England in July, 2014. Come for the whole day, or drop by for a few sets…come join in the celebration of this musical master. The day ends with a reception at 5:00 p.m., including a slideshow on Bach presented by Dr. James Kibbie, chair of the organ department at the University of Michigan. Your free-will donations will be graciously accepted and will directly benefit the Choir’s England Fund.  The Cathedral Church of St. Paul is located at 4800 Woodward Avenue at Warren Avenue in Detroit.  Ample, well-lit parking is available by entering the Cathedral complex via eastbound Warren Avenue.313.833.7547.

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Colin Knapp is a senior at the University of Michigan studying organ performance with Dr. James Kibbie in addition to music theory and arts administration. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, he previously studied with Thomas Bara at Interlochen and Jacqueline Stilger in his hometown of Battle Creek. In 2009 he was awarded the E. Power Biggs Fellowship by the Organ Historical Society, won the University of Michigan Undergraduate Organ Scholarship Competition in 2010, and received an honorable mention at the 2013 Grand Rapids AGO Regional Competition for Young Organists. Knapp is currently the organist at First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti, serves as Communications Chair for the Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and directs the Ypsilanti Pipe Organ Festival.

ProgramWidor: Allegro from Symphony No. 6Brahms: Chorale Preludes for Organ, Op. 122- Herzliebster Jesu- Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen - Herzlich tut mich verlangen - O Welt, ich muss dich lassenFranck: Pastorale Bonnet: Variations de Concert, Op. 1 Langlais: Suite Médiévale

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In May, the Community Chorus of Detroit (CCD), with three outstanding guest choirs, full orchestra, and world-class soloists, with Dr. Edward Maki-Schramm conducting, will present the great Verdi Requiem.  

The concert is on Sunday, May 18, at 4:30, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 9844 Woodward Ave. (at Boston Blvd.), Detroit, MI 48202, and it will commemorate the 16 performances of the Requiem by the prisoners of the Terezin concentration camp in WWII.  With 175 voices and full orchestra, and featuring Metropolitan Opera-affiliated soloists Irina Mishura mezzo soprano, Jennifer Barnickel-Fitch soprano, Dustin Scott tenor, and Stephen West bass, Dr. Edward Maki-Schramm will conduct one of Detroit’s greatest musical offerings of the year, set in one of the city’s most magnificent historic venues. Sponsored by the Community Chorus of Detroit, the concert includes eminent guest choirs – the Archdiocesan Chorus of Detroit, the Cantata Academy Chorale, and the Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir.  General admission tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door, and tickets may be purchased starting in mid-April at the chorus website, below, where there is also information about mail-in options, concert patronages, and program ads. Secure parking is available.  

The Community Chorus of Detroit was founded in 2010 to bring community members from both the city and the suburbs together through music. Chorus members represent more than 40 zip codes in the Metro Detroit area.  Rapidly becoming known in the city for its musical excellence and exciting programming, the chorus welcomes new members in August for its fall, 2014 season, which will culminate in three exciting holiday concerts.

For more information about the chorus and the Verdi Requiem concert, visit www.communitychorusofdetroit.com or contact info@communitychorusofdetroit.com.

How to get in:For submissions to the newsletter, please send articles in publishable form (Microsoft Word or Pages documents preferred) to knappcr@umich.edu. The deadline for each newsletter is the 25th of the antecedent month. Classified ads, calendar events, and other announcements will also be featured on the chapter website. Submissions are subject to editing. Summer editions will be abbreviated or curtailed.

Deadline for submissions for the April issue is: Tuesday, March 25th.

Substitute List

Need a sub? Please see our website for an updated list: www.annarborago.org

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Marilyn Mason Young Musician’s Scholarship THE AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS

ANN ARBOR CHAPTER The Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists established a scholarship fund in 2008 in honor of Professor Marilyn Mason in recognition of her 60 years on the faculty of the University of Michigan. Each year a scholarship of $400 is made available to a young person between the ages of 13 and 18 toward the cost of attending a Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) sponsored by the American Guild of Organists in our region. Held in the summer months, a POE is an introduction for young persons who have had little or no previous experience with the pipe organ. The event includes lessons with renowned teachers, recitals by faculty and participants, workshops and visits to area pipe organs and organ builders. The scholarship is paid directly to the sponsoring AGO chapter. This year the scholarship will be awarded to an attendee of the Pipe Organ Encounter (Advanced) to be held in Ann Arbor June 20 – July 4, 2014. An application for the Marilyn Mason Young Musician’s Scholarship is not an application to attend the POEA and does not guarantee acceptance into it. For information about this summer’s POEA, consult the website of the American Guild of Organists: http://www.agohq.org/education/indexpoe.html or the Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists: www.AnnArborAGO.org. Applicants for the Marilyn Mason Young Musician’s Scholarship may download the Award Guidelines and Application for 2014 at the website of the Ann Arbor Chapter of the AGO: www.AnnArborAGO.org. For more information about the Marilyn Mason Young Musician’s Scholarship contact Gale Kramer by telephone 734.769.1466 or by email gkramer@provide.net.

Marilyn Mason Young Person’s Scholarship Winners 2008 - Reuben Seward 2009 – Emily Seward 2010 - Sarah Simko

2011 - Quinn Reichard 2012, 2013 – no award