Bombarde!
Newsletter of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
JANUARY 2020
Dean: Boyd Ahrens | boydlee@aol.com
Sub-Dean: Mike Maiden | mmaiden@kc.rr.com
Bombarde Editor: Ken Walker | bombarde@kcago.com
FROM THE DEAN:
2020. A new year, and it is also a number that represents “perfect vision.” I hope our vision for our Greater Kansas City AGO chapter is 2020! We have some wonderful programs ahead of us this season!
Craig Smith is hosting us at his church for our January program. It promises to be a great educational and informative event centered around new technologies for worship in the 21st century. He has written a detailed article describing the event that you may read about elsewhere. Please note that I mistakenly gave the address of the church office as to the location for our program. The church is at 8925 W. 151st Street, which is across the street to the south from the offices. So, think SW corner of 151st and Antioch in Overland Park, and you will get there just fine! Our dinner is delightful comfort food – meatloaf and mashed potatoes!
Our biggest budget program for the season is on February 16 at 4 pm. Dr. Jeannine and David Jordan will present their multi-media extravaganza “Around the World in 80 Minutes” at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd. in Prairie Village. We are having the presentation on a Sunday afternoon, in hopes that our members will encourage their friends, family, and congregants to attend this event. As a chapter, we try to create interest in the organ by having programs that we hope will appeal to all ages and be more than an organ recital. The Jordan’s have given this program around the country to great reviews. We hope to encourage all our members to come to the program. Their web site describes it briefly as: Around the World in 80 Minutes - a fast-moving concert that features unique global organ repertoire by native composers, and it is as exciting as it sounds. A great journey around the world that transcends the boundaries of countries, religions, nationalities, time periods and styles. Bringing people together through music, visuals and the grandeur of the organ. Celebrating the fascinating diversity of the music of the world.
We are not having a dinner with this event. It starts at 4 pm, and it will theoretically end 80 minutes later. There are many delightful restaurants in the area, and you may want to sample some good eating nearby. Looking ahead, we have our members recital up north, at Barry Christian Church. Our former Dean, and long-time member, Mary Davis, was organist there for 50 years. It has a nice Reuter 3 manual organ with fine acoustics. We hope that you will consider playing something of interest for us. Please contact me if you would like more information.
2020 is the 150th anniversary of Louis Vierne’s birth. Dr. Eric Plutz, organist at Princeton University, will be our artist to play several of Vierne’s symphonies at the Temple in Independence, on April 20. He was recently in France, visiting and playing famous organs. We hope he will talk to us about his experiences.
May is a big month, with our 41st Bachathon, and also a pipe/digital program. You may have heard the interview with Jan Kraybill and Jacob Hofeling on KCUR radio in December. We are so pleased that public radio chose to do a piece about organists during the Christmas season. Our thanks to them for being great ambassadors for the organ! And Jan is edging closer to finding out if her nominations for Grammy awards will turn into trophies!
2019 is now past, the Christmas season fades away, the stores have stopped playing endless Christmas ditties, we have moved into “lose weight at the gym” season. Best of all, in 2020 we look forward to great programs ahead! I hope you will find our vision of the future to be perfect! We work hard to give you music and information to enjoy!
Boyd Ahrens, Dean
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
Monday, January 20, 2020
7:30 PM
Technology & Media
Blue Valley Baptist Church
8925 W. 151st St.
Overland Park, KS 66221
CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAN
DECEMBER 29, 4-6 PM
The commercials reminding us to buy things for Christmas have been running now for weeks. Have you been influenced by them to go out and get a special someone a special something? Or perhaps you have been working diligently to perfect the many special pieces of music you will present this busy time of year? Perhaps you will be attending the performances of other musicians and artists along the way this Christmas?
After December 25th has come and gone, you may be looking for a way to share your stories with your friends from our chapter. This year we have scheduled a time to unwind with “Christmas with the Dean.” The Dean, and Mrs. Dean, are providing food and beverages for you up north, at 4505 NE 67th St. in Kansas City, MO. We will gather at 4 pm with a catered buffet. Along the way there will be music, singing, and merry making! Members and a guest are invited to attend! Please be so kind as to let the hostess plan for the food with an RSVP by December 22 to Dean@KCAGO.com.
Our November program in review
Schola Cantorum’s new director, Jackson Thomas, selected a theme centered around St. Peter and St. Paul for our November program. This was most appropriate as it was presented at the Cathedral of St. Peter, in Kansas City, Kansas. The structure was built in the late 1920s and has a most satisfying acoustical space that is very reflective of that era as to interior finish. The 27 singers gave a balanced rendition of Durufle’s Tu es petrus. Their second selection was a world premiere of L.V. Wood’s Peace. In four sections, it attempted to portray the emotions of loss; denial and anger; bargaining; and grief, as felt by the composer. Several members of the group provided a solo and quartet portions.
Later in the program the choir ascended the narrow winding stairs to the balcony and gave us a different sound from high above at the rear of the Cathedral. Matt Winterhalter, director of music for the Cathedral, knew the organ well and supported the choir brilliantly during their last two selections. Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to Saint Peter was majestic and most appropriate to the setting. The evening was capped with Herbert Howells musical masterpiece: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for St. Paul’s Cathedral. Written for the great space of St. Paul’s in London – it transferred very well to the grand space of the Cathedral in Kansas City! The applause at the close was loud and long!
Lara West worked with six organ students who performed music they had selected to play for us. Hope Giessen, Michael Mills, Megan McCoy, Robert Barthel, Timothy Schreiber, and Jacob Hofeling are all college and university students from the area. They did a marvelous job of playing their pieces during the concert. Our deep thanks to them and to Lara!
JANUARY PROGRAM
Monday, January 20, 2020 7:30 pm
TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA
Blue Valley Baptist Church
8800 West 151st Street
Overland Park, KS
Craig Smith will host us at his church, Blue Valley Baptist, on the SW corner of 151st St. and Antioch in Overland Park. Every season our chapter has an educational and informational program. Craig’s church is a large congregation with very up-to-date media and lighting structures in place. The team of specialists at his church will guide us through a multitude of features available to churches today. This is a program that will give most of us a new sense of what is available in modern worship centers.
Events Calendar
Advent Lessons, Carols, Poetry
CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Tuesday, December 3
7:00 p.m. The Family Tree of Jesus - Talk by Fr. Turner
7:30 p.m. Lessons and Carols Service
December at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral:
The Mesner Puppets Theatre presents THE NATIVITY
Friday, December 6 at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m.
William Jewell College offers the CITY COME AGAIN
Monday December 9 at 11:30 a.m.
The Cathedral presents annual MESSIAH SINGALONG
Saturday December 14 at 4:00 p.m.
William Baker Festival Singers annual Christmas Concert
Sunday December 15 at 2:00 p.m.
The Trinity Choir ADVENT LESSONS AND CAROLS
Sunday December 15 at 5:00 p.m.
SPIRE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE AND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
Handel's Messiah
https://www.artful.ly/spire-chamber-ensemble
Friday December 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Cathedral
701 SW 8th Ave Topeka, KS 66603
Saturday December 21 at 7:30 p.m.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
11 E 40th St Kansas City, MO 64111
Sunday December 22 at 1:30 pm
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish
14251 Nall Ave Overland Park, KS 66223
WESTPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS BROWN BAG CONCERTS:
http://www.wcakc.org
Winter Solstice Concert by The Wires
Friday December 13 at 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Westport Presbyterian Church
201 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO
Job Placement Listings
Placement Coordinator: John Schaefer canonjohn40@gmail.com
Placement listings are available only to paid GKCAGO members. Become a paid AGO member by clicking on the Join Our Ranks link at the bottom of any page on the website.
SUBSTITUTES AVAILABLE FOR YOU
Substitutes listed are members of the local organ guild. The people who hold AGO certificates have passed requirements of the National American Guild of Organists for various levels of service playing and choral conducting. However, the GKCAGO is not an endorsement agency for service provided by the persons listed here. To learn proficiency of substitutes, feel free to ask them for references. Feedback regarding the hiring of GKCAGO substitutes is welcome and encouraged. Please send feedback to John Schaefer canonjohn40@gmail.com.
These substitutes have passed various levels of AGO certification requirements:
Mary Bronaugh Davis
MA, CAGO, org • (816) 436-1419 • (c) (816) 456-0343
Nancy Custead
CAGO, B.S. Music Ed org, piano • (816) 590-9414 • nancustead@gmail.com
Barbara Eichenberger
BM, CAGO • org, piano (816) 803-2516 • musicaltouch36@gmail.com
Stephen Kucera
CAGO, BM, org, piano, lit • (913) 568-3873 • skkansas@gmail.com
Linda Mann
BME, SPC, organ, piano (Weddings/Funerals only) • (816) 353-4826 • (c) (816) 289-9760
Marjorie O’Konski
MM, MME, SPC, org, piano • (785) 766-2545 • mjokonski@hotmail.com
John Pitchford
MM, SPC, org • (913) 663-3768 • johnpitchford@kc.rr.com
John Schaefer
AAGO, ChM, org, dir, lit • (816) 520-2084
SPC = service playing certificate | CAGO = Colleague certification | AAGO = Associate certification | FAGO = Fellow certification org = organist | lit = liturgical worship | dir = choral director | piano = pianist
The following have various degrees in organ or church music at the college or postgraduate level:
Joyce Berg
MM, org • (816) 741-7388 • joyberg74@gmail.com
Alisa R. Carmichael
BM org, piano • (270) 535-4881 • carmichael.alisa@gmail.com
Franklin Coleman, MM, FTCL
org, dir, lit • (816) 442-8570 • erzhalerii@gmail.com
John Deahl
MM, org, dir, lit, bass soloist • (785) 250-4141 • johnldeahl@gmail.com
Stephanie Henry
DMA Choral Music, org, piano, dir, lts • (816) 678-6372 • shenry24@kc.rr.com
Sharon Hettinger
DMA, org, lit, dir, handbell • (785) 842-2053 • slhett.sunflower.2016@gmail.com
Ronald Krebs
BM, MM, org, lit • (785) 843-2622 • rkrebs@reuterorgan.com
Sarah Lyons
DMA, org, piano, lit, dir • (309) 333-8745 • Sarah.orr.lyons@gmail.com
MacKenzie Reed
MFA, BM, org, piano, lit • ivoryfistrule@gmail.com
Ann Marie Rigler
DMA, org, lit • (816) 808-8663 • amrwjc@gmail.com
Nancy Stankiewicz
BA, org, lit • (913) 642-8642
The following also offer their services:
Boyd Ahrens
org, lit • (816) 453-8406 • boydlee@aol.com
Betty Bauer
org, lit • (913) 814-9021 • hababab@earthlink.net
Doris Daniels
org, lit • (816) 431-3244
Phillip Grubbs
org • (816) 721-2325 • pgrubbs@embassylandscape.com
Edward Poston — KU student
org • edward.rposton@gmail.com
Marilyn VanderLinden
org, lit • (816) 665-4441
Margaret Werth
org • (785) 478-0256
org = organist | lit = liturgical worship | dir = choral director | piano = pianist
The absolute deadline for submissions to the Bombarde editor is the 20th of each month. Please email your information to bombarde@kcago.com.