Berkshire Chapter

Updated on Wednesday, August 20, 2008

REGION 1 INFORMATION

2009 Regional Convention Site

Boston Chapter has been chosen to host the 2009 Regional Convention.

A Message from E. Lary Grossman

• Our region’s Pipe Organ Encounter, July 20 – 26 at Assumption College, is fully enrolled! This is the second POE hosted by the Worcester Chapter. Consider sponsoring a young person from your own chapter or sending a cash donation earmarked for scholarship. There is no better way to spend your resources than by supporting the mission of the AGO in this way. Contact Frank Corbin, POE chair, at fcorbin@assumption.edu for more information.

• There is still time to register for our National Convention in the Twin Cities, June 22 – 26, 2008. Visit http://www.ago2008.org for all the information. The Hilton hotel is full, but you can also get the convention rate at the nearby Marriott City Center. There will be a door prize at the Annual Meeting, so do not skip it – you must be present to win. It is a great prize: paid registration for the 2010 National Convention (Washington, D.C.)!

• I will host the annual Regional Meeting during the Minneapolis convention on Thursday, June 26 at 4 pm. I promise to keep it short so that we all have time to eat dinner before bus departures. This meeting is for all members of our region, not just officers, so please encourage your chapter members to attend. It would be terrific to have a representative from each of our twenty chapters. As incentive, I am also offering a door prize, so please spread the word!

• VOTE! This is an important election year for the Guild, as incumbents are vacating the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasure, and Councillor for Education. You can see extended bios on the candidates when you go online to vote at https://www.intelliscaninc.net/organists.htm. Please share this information with your members and encourage everyone to vote! I was nominated to run for a second term (my first term was only one year because of filling an unexpired term), and would very much appreciate your vote.

• International Year of the Organ: Information about the October 19, 2008 Organ Spectacular is at http://www.agohq.org/events/index.html. The commissioned piece by Stephen Paulus is available at his website for $12. www.stephenpaulus.com. The winning composition, “Ornament of Grace” by Bernard Wayne Sanders will be available in May from Concordia Publishing. They are both good pieces and quite accessible.

• National Council has approved the application for the New Hampshire Chapter to host a Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) in 2009 (chaired by Ken Grinnell). Also, keep in mind that our next Regional Convention will be July 1 – 4, 2009 in Boston (chaired by Michael Kleinschmidt). This convention, a joint event with Region II, promises to be spectacular!

Region I Blog

AGO Regional Councillor for New England E. Lary Grossman responds to requests often heard at Chapter meetings for a calendar of AGO events in our region. To facilitate that request and to provide a platform for me to communicate to all of the members, I have started a Blog (Web log) at www.agonewengland.blogspot.com. Please look at the site regularly and send me any programs you would like added to the calendar.

CERTIFICATION

Lary Grossman, Regional Councillor for New England, has sent us a flyer that National composed concerning the Service Playing Certificate examination. Please view the information (PDF).