The Erzähler

The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ.

- July 2024 -

Greetings, chapter members and friends!

The summer has already been filled with much activity! The program committee is finalizing plans for 2024-2025 and giving thought to our 80th Anniversary season in 2025-2026. We are anxious to reveal plans for the coming season at our chapter meeting on September 8!

There is one project we are anxious to begin putting together now - Praise to the Lord member recital on October 20. The program will focus on favorite preludes, offertories, and postludes. Use the sign up form linked to the recital webpage and let us know you will performing on the recital!

Welcome New Members!

Clinton B. Meadway - transfer from Seattle Chapter
Scott Rednour - transfer from New York City Chapter

I am looking forward to seeing everyone on September 8. In the meantime, rest and stay cool!

Sincerely yours, Ed

Chapter Meeting

and Season Reveal

Sunday, September 8, 2024

St. Mark's Lutheran Church

Dessert/Social: 2:30 p.m.

Program: 3:00 p.m.

Share news from the summer with each other, hear about Nisha Coulter's trip to San Francisco and the National Convention, and learn details of the 2024-2025 season.

Also on the agenda is to welcome Scott Rednour to the board of chapter officers.

Scott Rednour has appeared in recital accompanying artists such as William Warfield, Hilda Harris, and tenor Robert White; cellist Wolfgang Nüßlein and violinist Bela Horvath. His opera credits include American Opera Projects, Skylight Opera Theater, Chautauqua Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and Inland Northwest Opera. In New York City, he taught at Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard. Rednour holds a Master of Music degree in Piano from Manhattan School of Music.

Currently plays services for Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist and will continue on when the organ begins singing again.
Knows major recitalists in New York City after his 25 years there.
Sits on the piano faculty at Eastern Washington University.
Sits on the board of MusicFest.

His connections and ideas will help solidify plans for 2025-2026!

Join us!

Praise to the Lord

Sunday, October 20, 2024 - 3:00 p.m.

Location: to be announced

A recital of favorite preludes, offertories, and postludes presented by members of the American Guild of Organists – Spokane Chapter. Share your best service music!

Value-added: Publisher information will be included in the printed/digital program. If you hear something you like, it will be easy to find and add to your library.

To give everyone a chance to perform, please limit:

One selection per player
Five to ten minutes in duration

To avoid duplication, the Literature List is updated on the webpage as players submit titles. Check back frequently for updates.

Congratulations,

Stan McDaniel!

Stan McDaniel's new book, Servanthood of Song, is now available!

Servanthood of Song is a history of American church music from the colonial era to the present. Its focus is on the institutional and societal pressures that have shaped church song and have led us directly to where we are today. The gulf which separates advocates of traditional and contemporary worship--Black and White, Protestant and Catholic--is not new. History repeatedly shows us that ministry, to be effective, must meet the needs of the entire worshiping community, not just one segment, age group, or class.

Servanthood of Song provides a historical context for trends in contemporary worship in the United States and suggests that the current polemical divisions between advocates of contemporary and traditional, classically oriented church music are both unnecessary and counterproductive. It also draws from history to show that, to be the powerful component of worship it can be, music--whatever the genre--must be viewed as a ministry with training appropriate to that.

Servanthood of Song provides a critical resource for anyone considering a career in either musical or pastoral ministries in the American church as well as all who care passionately about vital and authentic worship for the church of today.

Get your copy HERE!

Organ Academy 2025

We are looking forward to Organ Academy 2025! Click/tap the image above to visit the webpage and see our plans.

We are especially excited about:

New Saturday Practice locations
New online registration and payment options

If you know piano students age 10-20 interested in learning to play organ, direct them to the Organ Academy webpage!

Organ Academy 2025 promises to be better than ever!

Online Donations

The Spokane Chapter now accepts donations online! You may have noticed this new option at the Organ Academy's April 28 recital. The Clover interface is completely secure and deposits directly to our Numerica Credit Union account. This facilitates:

Concert donations, accommodating those without cash
Chapter donations, no need for dealing with checks

Click/tap on the button image below to check out the interface!

Look for the "Donate" button

on website pages!

Candid by GuideStar

GuideStar is the source public and private funding organizations consult for verification of a non-profit applicant's transparent business practices, current financial status, and program/mission details. An accurate chapter profile lends strength to our applications for financial support of Organ Academy and the 80th Anniversary Season activities (2025-2026).

There are four levels of Candid transparency: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. We are proud to be at the "silver" level. Click/tap on the image to check out what granting organizations are seeing.

Look for the Candid icon on website pages!