ENCHAMADE THE CHARLOTTE CHAPTER OF THE JULY 2018 AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS Summer Recital Series July Concerts JULY 1, 7 PM DAVIDSON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 233 S. MAIN ST., DAVIDSON, NC ANNUAL STIGALL SCHOLARS RECITAL JULY 8, 7 PM PARK ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH 3900 PARK RD. MONTY BENNETT AND YUVAL RABIN JULY 15, 4 PM MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH 1900 QUEENS RD. RSCM CHARLOTTE COURSE CHORAL EVENSONG JULY 22, 7 PM MYERS PARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2501 OXFORD PL. MATT BRITTAIN, BURLINGTON, NC JULY 29, 7 PM MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH 1900 QUEENS RD. JOHN RICHARDSON, CHARLOTTE, NC IN THIS ISSUE Dean s Message Featured AGO Member: Gay Pappin Oncard Renewal Reminder Your AGO Board at work Member Recommendation: Summer Organ Music Summer Recital Series Advertisements "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."
Jane Cain, AAGO, Charlotte Chapter Dean E-mail: jcain@dcpc.org Office: (704) 892-5641 A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Shared listening creates a sound haven that awakens compassion for ourselves and others. John Morrison. Compassion does not seem like a word for describing music, does it? Last month, my church hosted a workshop called Just Listening, led by a professor of composition at the Longy School of music, John Morrison. A diverse group of people gathered in a room and simply listened to a short contemporary piece that none of us had ever heard before. We listened to it four times, and after each listening, Dr. Morrison asked us to describe what we had heard. This was an eye-opening experience for me, to listen to people with a little or a moderate amount of musical experience describe what they were hearing in nontechnical terms. They noticed things like the energy in the piece, or the shape, or the feelings that were evoked. It became a group endeavor to illuminate the essence of the piece. What I learned was that, by setting aside what we think we know about music--our expectations, our analytic brains, our inner criticisms of performers or styles--we can experience music more fully and deeply. Our own feelings of either superiority OR inadequacy have no place here, and thus we develop compassion for ourselves and lessen our need to be super-critical perfectionists. We develop compassion for others who have different and equally valid things to bring to the experience. In addition, when we listen openly even to music we expect not to like or relate to, we are liable to find something new to experience or learn from. There is a well-documented neurological phenomenon called entrainment: when listening to music together, our brains get in sync, so to speak. We resonate with the beat, with the music, and with each other. It is the way music and shared listening can unite us. For further reading: Just Listening workshop by John Morrison http://jhmedu.org/justlistening/ The Resonance Project: Using music in international conflict resolution http://musicresonance.org
Featured Charlotte AGO Member: An Interview with Gay Pappin by Elizabeth Harrison It has been an honor to interview Gay Pappin for this edition of EnChamade. Gay is one of the first persons that I met in the Charlotte AGO Chapter. I noticed her because she was (and always is) smartly dressed. She has a quiet, but gregarious personality. She was one of the few people in our chapter to greet newcomers at the time that I joined. It wasn t long before I began to admire her intellect and wit. I have enjoyed learning more about her as we have worked together on the Board and in doing this interview. EH: Gay, tell us about your early music studies. How did you develop an interest in the organ? GP: My first grade teacher played the piano and we had a rhythm band in our classroom. She suggested to my parents that I should take piano lessons. My parents were not musical, but took her advice and paid $2.50 a week for piano lessons from a choirmaster at a Methodist church. He recommended that all of his piano students begin organ lessons in the eighth grade. His church charged 5 cents an hour for students to practice, and I also practiced at my own church on a Hammond organ. My church had a graded children s choir program and I participated throughout my school-age years, frequently accompanying choirs. EH: Where and with whom did you study? GP: I studied with Robert Ellis at Henderson State University, then Richard Heschke at Louisiana State University. EH: What churches have you served in the Charlotte area? GP: I have been the organist at Matthews Presbyterian; First Church of Christ, Scientist; Quail Hollow Presbyterian, and currently at Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian. EH: You have served most recently as Treasurer for our Chapter, but you have also had several other leadership roles. Talk about your involvement in the Charlotte AGO and what the chapter means to you.
GP: My husband is a retired college professor/administrator & we moved around the country before landing in the Carolinas. I have been a member of seven different AGO chapters. Wherever we moved, I joined the local AGO chapter and found friends. I first joined the Charlotte Chapter in 1994 when we lived in Lancaster, South Carolina. I enjoy getting to know church musicians and working with people. EH: I have noticed from working with you that you are meticulous about your work and that you have the same high expectations for your colleagues. At the same time you seem to enjoy the work and you have a witty side that you share with your colleagues. How did you develop your strong work ethic and how do you balance it with your wit? GP: My parents and grandparents instilled a strong work ethic in me, I suppose. I like to work and organize things. I also like to have a good time in meetings and not take ourselves too seriously! EH: Besides organ what are your other interests? GP: I love listening to choral music and have two Pandora channels set up on my computer. I work with Michael Lehtinen at Southern Park Music School where I especially enjoy working with international families. Organizing his teaching schedule is like solving a challenging Sudoku puzzle. EH: Is there anything else you would like us to know about you? GP: I fidget during organ recitals and sermons. I believe I inherited this trait from my father who couldn t sit still during church. I was recently playing a word game on my phone during a sermon when a loud advertisement came on and scared me half to death. My phone was on silent, but the ad blasted forth anyway. I sometimes text other members of our chapter during the Sunday morning worship hour to see who is paying attention to the sermon and who is looking at his phone. EH: Thank you for sharing your story with the Charlotte AGO. We appreciate you, your work, and all you add to our chapter. ONCARD Renewal and Personal Information Remember to update your personal information when you renew your AGO membership. Please check that your employment information is up-to-date for the next chapter yearbook.
Your Board at work.... The board of the Charlotte AGO Chapter met on Monday night June 18 th. Highlights of the meeting were: Began discussing chapter programs for the 2018-19 year Reviewed/discussed the Summer Recital Series now underway Discussed improving our chapter yearbook design/detail Discussed possible causes/events that our chapter could support financially to further the AGO mission Heard reports on recent AGO examinations that were administered by some of our members Member Recommendation: Summer Organ Music Easy Organ Classics Edited by Rollin Smith Beginning and intermediate organists can sample a wide variety of composers and styles with this excellent collection. Ranging from Palestrina's 16th-century Ricercare to latterday works such as Sigfrid Karg-Elert's Improvisation on "Nearer, My God, to Thee," it spans more than four centuries of music. Selected from authoritative sources by musicologist and organist Rollin Smith, this compilation features such famous works as Couperin's Chaconne in F; and Handel's Concerto No. 13, "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale.," among other well-known selections. Published by Dover. Difficulty Level: Easy/Intermediate
CHARLOTTE AGO 2018 SUMMER RECITAL SERIES JUNE 3, 7 PM: ST. STEPHEN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 6800 SARDIS RD. A CHORAL EXTRAVAGANZA THE CHOIRS OF ST. GABRIEL CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ST. STEPHEN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JUNE 10, 7 PM: COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1000 E. MOREHEAD ST. CARINA STURDY, WINSTON-SALEM, NC JUNE 17, 7 PM: *FRIENDSHIP MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 3400 BEATTIES FORD RD. *Note change of venue JOHN APPLE, CHARLOTTE, NC JUNE 24, 7 PM: MYERS PARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 2501 OXFORD PL. AUSTIN PHILEMON, NEW YORK, NY JULY 1, 7 PM: DAVIDSON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 233 S. MAIN ST., DAVIDSON, NC ANNUAL STIGALL SCHOLARS RECITAL JULY 8, 7 PM: PARK ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH, 3900 PARK RD. MONTY BENNETT AND YUVAL RABIN JULY 15, 4 PM: MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH, 1900 QUEENS RD. RSCM CHARLOTTE COURSE CHORAL EVENSONG JULY 22, 7 PM: MYERS PARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 2501 OXFORD PL. MATT BRITTAIN, BURLINGTON, NC JULY 29, 7 PM: MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH, 1900 QUEENS RD. JOHN RICHARDSON, CHARLOTTE, NC AUGUST 5, 7 PM: CATHEDRAL OF ST. PATRICK, 1621 DILWORTH RD. EAST MARA & GIANFRANCO DELUCA, CHARLOTTE, NC AUGUST 12, 7 PM: COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1000 E. MOREHEAD ST. CLARA GERDES, PHILADELPHIA, PA AUGUST 19, 7 PM: ST. MARK S LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1001 QUEENS RD. LESTER ACKERMAN AND INSTRUMENTALISTS, CHARLOTTE, NC AUGUST 26, 7 PM: MYERS PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 1501 QUEENS RD. CHORAL CONCERT: THE CHOIR OF MYERS PARK UNITED METHODIST CHU
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www.charlotteago.org AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS CHARLOTTE CHAPTER Dr. Elizabeth Beth Harrison, Newsletter Editor Submissions to: ElizabethAHarrison@icloud.com or elizabeth.harrison@pfeiffer.edu Charlotte AGO Executive Board 2018-2019 Chapter Officers Jane Cain, Chapter Dean jcain@dcpc.org Michael Lehtinen, Sub-Dean michaellehtinen@aol.com Lee Northcutt, Secretary LNorthcutt@myersparkpres.org Kevin Haney, Treasurer Khaney01@gmail.com Executive Board Members Class of 2018-2019 Don Kaufhold Jacqueline Yost Class of 2019-2020 Nicholas Haigh Elizabeth 'Beth' Harrison Class of 2020-2021 Rob Dicks Mark Johanson