Programs

Monthly programs for 2023 – 2024

Here is the lineup of AGO meetings for this season, 2023-2024. Our meetings take place at various venues throughout the area and are typically the third Monday evening of the month although there are exceptions.

Monday, September 18, 2023

Dinner –  6:00 p.m.
Service – 7:00 p.m.

Service of Installation

Basilica of St. Adalbert
654 Davis Ave. N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Our first program is on September 18, 2023, at 6pm, at the Basilica of St Adalbert.  We will begin with dinner in the lower level.  Dinner will cost $20 per person.  Reservations may be made to Matthew Jakubisin at matthew@grcathedral.org.  Reservations are needed by Monday, September 11th.  This is a time to reconnect with your friends and colleagues and share what will be happening in the programs of the churches around the city. 

 

Monday, October 9, 2023, 7:00 p.m.

Organ Recital

Mayflower Congregational Church
2345 Robinson Rd. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Mondays at Mayflower in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Chapter of the American Guild of Organists presents Richard Elliott, Principal Organist of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Salt Lake City, in concert.

Richard Elliott is the Principal Organist for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.  For the past 31 years he has accompanied the choir on its weekly radio and TV broadcast, “Music and the Spoken Word,” as well as in general conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on dozens of CDs and DVDs, and in the choir’s annual Christmas concerts, which are broadcast each year on PBS.   As accompanist for the Tabernacle Choir, he has performed in many of the world’s great halls and appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, including the NBC “Today Show,” the “CBS Morning Show,” “A Prairie Home Companion,” and the nationally syndicated “Pipedreams” radio program.  In his work with the choir, Dr. Elliott has collaborated with many guest artists including Andrea Bocelli, the Canadian Brass, Kristin Chenoweth, Renée Fleming, Evelyn Glennie, the King’s Singers, the Sesame Street Muppets, Robert Shaw, James Taylor, and Bryn Terfel.

He also has a busy solo career, having given thousands of organ concerts on Temple Square as well as numerous performances on five continents.  He appears on seven organ CDs and is a published composer and arranger of music for organ, choir, and orchestra. In June 2022, Dr. Elliott was awarded the Governor’s Mansion Arts Award by Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox and First Lady Abby Cox. The annual award recognizes Utah artists who have a positive impact on the arts and their communities. A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, Dr. Elliott has been a featured performer at national and regional conventions of the guild.

Before becoming a Tabernacle organist in 1991, Dr. Elliott was an assistant professor of organ at Brigham Young University, and for several years he served as assistant organist at the John Wanamaker Department Store (now Macy’s) in Philadelphia, home to the world’s largest functioning pipe organ.  A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he received his early musical training at the Peabody Conservatory.  He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in organ from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and MM and DMA degrees from the Eastman School of Music.  His organ teachers have included David Craighead, Marjorie Jovanovic, Dale Krider, William Watkins, and John Weaver.

For more information on the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, visit www.thetabernaclechoir.org.

Monday, November 13, 2023,  7:00 p.m.

Young Organists’ Recital

First (Park)Congregational Church
10 East Park Place NE
Grand Rapids MI 49503

Five young organists of the Grand Rapids AGO Chapter will perform in recital on November 13 at First (Park) Congregational Church in Grand Rapids. The performers represent a diverse group of musicians studying and working in various denominations throughout West Michigan. Organists Olivia Amting, Maria Boot, Helen Drost, Jordan Malone, and Stephen Rumler-McClusky will offer a varied program of music on Park’s 2005 Muller organ. Come celebrate the dedication of local young organists and enjoy their music in this historic downtown church.

Sunday, December 31, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

New Years Eve Concert

Central Reformed Church
10 College Avenue N.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

It has been a long-standing tradition for Central Reformed Church to present a New Year’s Eve recital. For many of those years, GRAGO has cosponsored the event. This year’s artist was Dr. Isabelle Demers, who has played several concerts in our city over the years. She made great use of the 5 Manual, 81 rank organ. Perhaps she managed to use every stop in the organ from the gentle sounds to the En Chamade in the rear of the church. Her program was clearly centered around the time of the year. We were treated to Noëls by Louise-Claude d’Aquin (no. 10 and 12) and excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker as arranged by Dr. Demers. She made brilliant use of the organ’s harp in that suite of dances. This was followed by her public debut of Lefébure-Wély’s Scène pastorale pour une inauguration d’orgue ou une messe de minuit. Chorale-Improvisation on “In dulci jubilo”, Op75 by Karg-Elert closed the first half of her program. Following the short break, Dr. Demers played a selection composed by the Canadian Composer, Raymond Daveluy. Variations on “Ça Bergers!”. The noel evokes the tradition of the French Baroque, using registrations and compositional style from that period. Again, Dr. Demer’s registrations were extremely effective. (This composition includes a storm as the shepherds approach the manger!) To acknowledge the coming New Year, Ms. Demers chose to play two pieces from the Liturgical Year by Johann Sebastian Bach, Das alte Jahr vergagen ist, BWV 614 and the New Year’s outpouring of joy and hope, In dir ist Freude, BWV 615. The closing organ piece was another transcription by Dr. Demers, Excerpts from L’Arlésienne by George Bizet. The choice and variety of solo voices was quite exceptional. She chose the loudest stop, the En Chamade, and, perhaps, the softest, (Ancillary Organ’s 8’ Dolce?) The program closed with hearty singing of Auld Lang Syne by the sizable audience.  A delightful way to end one year and begin another!

Larry Biser

 

Monday, January 22, 2024, 7:00 p.m. 

Member Recital

Grace Episcopal Church
1815 Hall St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

The Grand Rapids Chapter presented their Members’ Program for the season on the Noack organ, Opus 94 at Grace Episcopal Church. The church’s Noack is the perfect organ to present music of the Baroque. Therefore, we asked each artist to play a selection from that period and entitled the program The Glory of the Baroque. Compositions from different countries were represented and they covered the entirety of the period from 1685 until 1750. The program began with a sparkling rendition of the Bruhns Praeludium in E minor played by Dr. Julia Brown. Her choice of registrations was well suited to the piece, and it was a delight to watch her play and pull stops in an effortless manner. Suite du Deuxième Ton was presented by Eric Strand, complete with a schola singing the chant verses from the rear gallery. Again, the player and organ shone with each organ verse, having a distinct French voice and style. Dr. Gregory Crowell presented Muffat’s Toccata Prima and his Baroque registrations and technique were to be greatly admired. Bach was represented by our youngest member, Stephen Rumler-McClusky, with his insightful interpretation of Pièce d’Orgue BWV 572. This was followed by Stanley’s Voluntary in D minor, Op.5, No 8, played by David Bading, clearly echoing Stanley’s English voice. The program closed with Die Kinder des Höchsten sind rufende Stimmen, by George Philipp Telemann beautifully presented by Dr. Alexis Van Zalen, Organ; Jenni Judd Reyes, Soprano; Dr. Letitia Jap, Violin; and Dr. Robert Johnson, Bass. The program drew a good crowd, including guild members, family, friends, and members of Grace Church. It was filled with variety, color, and delightful playing. Grand Rapids has much to be proud of in its organs and those who play them!

Larry Biser

 

Monday, February 19, 2024

Dinner – 6:00 p.m.
Program – 7:00 p.m.

LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church
107 LaGrave Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503 

The Organ Music of Larry Visser

The Grand Rapids Chapter was honored to present a program of music composed and played by Dr. Larry Visser presented on La Grave’s 109-rank, five manual Austin-Allen Organ Opus 2765. What a proud pleasure for the large audience, not only the guild members, but many area musicians and a very supportive audience from La Grave Avenue Christian Reformed Church. The program was livestreamed, some 460 persons chose this form to view the program. The program is still available on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCKk1ICGfOY&t=13s. In his career as a composer Dr. Visser has since high school written and published some 175 pieces of organ, hymns, choral and Handbell music. He is published by The Leupold Foundation, GIA Publications, Inc, MorningStar Music Publishers and Hinshaw Music. We were given samples of seven of his works. In some cases, complete works and in others only movements of pieces from larger works. He played portions of his latest works, Partita on Trust and Obey and Triptych on Guide me, O My Great Redeemer, both composed in 2020. Visser’s interest in compositions is largely infused with settings of hymn tunes which are often commissioned by churches and friends. His most popular compositions have been “Peace I Give You” (GIA) for choir and “Four Preludes on Lobe den Herren” and “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” for organ. It was an honor to share Dr. Visser’s talent and musicianship with so many people.

Monday, April 15, 2024, 7:00 p.m.

Trinity Lutheran Church
2700 Fulton Street East
Grand Rapids, MI 49506 

Annamae Rotman Young Organist Competitions

The Annamae Rotman Young Organist Competition was founded in 2013 by Dr. Richard Rotman in honor of his mother and is an annual competition.  Eligibility – A competitor must be 24 years of age or under as of August 1 of the competition year and be a resident of Kent County, MI or any county adjacent to Kent County and/or a resident student attending a junior high school, senior high school, college, or university in Kent County or any county adjacent to Kent County (Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Montcalm, Ionia, Barry, or Allegan Counties)

For more information visit  grago.org/competitions/

Sunday, May 5, 2024, 3:00 p.m.

First United Methodist Church
227 Fulton Street East
Grand Rapids, MI 49503 

Aaron Tan Organ Recital

Organist Aaron Tan will present a recital in celebration of the music ministry of Richard DeVinney at First United Methodist Church. The recital will be at the conclusion of the 2024 Celebration of the Arts which was founded by him and his wife, Marion, 50 years ago.

Concert organist Aaron Tan is a leading young artist in North America.   In October 2021 he was awarded First Prize at the 2021 Canadian International Organ Competition as well as several additional awards for performances of specific works at the competition (The Sir Ernest MacMillan Award for Canadian competitors, the award for best performance of a work by Marcel Dupré, and best performance of a work by a Canadian composer).  Originally from the Philippines and Canada, he is an organist and pianist who enjoys multi-faceted careers as a musician and a materials scientist.

Aaron’s primary musical tutelage has been with John Tuttle, David Palmer, Joel Hastings, Martin Jean, and David Higgs.  His musical upbringing started on the piano and later added the violin and organ.  He received his Associate (ARCT) diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada at the age of twelve and went on to earn his Licentiate (LTCL) and Fellowship (FTCL) diplomas in Piano Performance from Trinity College of Music, London, England, at 13 and 15 years of age, respectively.  When he was 18, he also completed his ARCT diploma in violin performance.

In 2004, under the auspices of the Barwell Scholarship (awarded to pianists interested in learning the organ), he began organ studies with John Tuttle while concurrently entering as a freshman in Engineering Science at the University of Toronto.  Since then, he has gone on to complete both Associate (ARCCO) and Fellowship (FRCCO) diplomas in organ from the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO).  In addition, he has also won numerous noteworthy competitions and scholarships including First Prize at the American Guild of Organists 2018 National Young Artist Competition in Organ Performance, the Toronto RCCO Young Organists Competition, the Osborne Organ Competition of the Summer Institute of Church Music (Ontario), the RCCO’s National Organ Playing Competition, the Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship for Church Musicians, the Lilian Forsyth Scholarship, the 2012 Poland International Piano Festival Competition, the West Chester University Organ Competition, the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition, and the Sursa American Organ Competition.

Having recently received both MM and MMA degrees in organ from Yale University, Aaron is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York.  Aaron also holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan and worked there as a postdoctoral researcher in the University’s Laboratory for Complex Materials and Thin Films Research, studying the dielectric and thermal properties of polymer thin films.

Aaron has served as Organ Scholar at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Detroit, Michigan, Artist in Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit, Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Organ Scholar at the Church of the Resurrection, New York City, and currently serves as Director of Music at St. Alban’s Catholic Church in Rochester New York.

More information about Aaron’s musical interests and activities can be found at www.AaronTan.org.