Dear friends and members of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists,
What an unusual time we live in! I am so thankful for AGO and each one of you doing so much work to help us find ways to stay connected, to worship, and to make music, even when we can't be together physically in ways we used to. Our amazing dean, Colt Ballou, is stepping down after a long tenure leading our chapter. Colt has recently had exciting family news he may want to share later and has taken on additional responsibilities at his church. We are all so thankful for the amazing work he has done and the legacy of Sara Schott before him.
Our wonderful subdean, Mark Miller, who does such amazing work with the treasures we have in our Lincoln Organ Showcase and the Bedient Pipe Organ Company, has asked if I would work with him by stepping up as Dean at this unusual and pivotal time in our history. I am looking forward to continuing working with him and our other wonderful board members during this time of being more "socially distant."
Thank you to members making these things possible!
Directory
A new directory will be available soon thanks to the work of Nancy Anderson and others.
Scholarships
We have been entrusted with the generous gift of an amount of money to benefit students. We will get two scholarships established as soon as possible that will help benefit not only current students, including those at college, but also rural community pianists looking to take organ. What a gift that we as a chapter can ensure music can continue in the communities and churches in so much of our state. Thanks to the work of members Sinda Dux, Ryan Luckey, Laura Ross, Dr. Jeffrey Blersch, Lily Spader and others who have offered insight and helped things get going with this.
Composition Competition
Thanks to Ross Mosier who organized students and organists to join in the process of creating new music last year. Due to COVID-19 the process and final recital had to be cancelled. He is working to get some of this going again and inviting others to join in. We hope that the final pieces could be livestreamed.
Livestream program from UNL professor Dr. Marques Garrett
Members of our chapter have donated to the Omaha AGO's online program with Dr. Garrett and the Omaha chapter has graciously invited our chapter to promote the event as "shared" or "co-sponsored." I am thankful for the amazing work the Omaha chapter has done on this. What a gift to hear from a Lincoln musician in our community who does so much at the University and who is also an active church musician and published organ composer.
Newsletters and other publications
You will receive another Nebraska Organ Happenings shortly that I've enjoyed working on as a personal project. In addition to that, and the directory, I would like to have an email newsletter put together and sent out perhaps every other month when fewer in-person events are happening. All members are always welcome to submit anything for a newsletter or for a Nebraska Organ Happenings.
When I look over our membership and community, I see multiple volunteers playing organ and piano for chapel services every week for at least three nursing homes/assisted living locations. I see retired and active music professors. I see at least two churches that have called me working on ways to celebrate their organ renovation projects even during times like this. I see people who say "I'm not an organist" but they faithfully play the few hymns they know by ear at their churches each and every week. I see so many organists frustrated and disappointed and not being able to lead the faithful in singing in-person at their churches but finding strength to find new ways of sharing music online. I see organists accompanying chants of psalms, hymns, and jazz music, and using Hammond organs, or a keyboard for an outside communion service while they wait to return to the sanctuary. I called each of you at the beginning of the pandemic and plan on doing that again and will look forward to saying "hello" and hearing any ideas you might have for us.
Thank you for making our community a better place and for sharing a love of music and the organ.