It is that time of year again! The academic year is starting up, choir rehearsals resume, and the lazy days of summer begin to fade into our memories. Moving into the season ahead, there are multitudes of events and concerts to attend, both in Tacoma and the surrounding area. Hang on tight; this is a meaty newsletter!
First up this month is our Annual Opening Picnic, which will take place on Monday, September 16 from 5:00-7:00pm at the home of David Dahl and Loi Le in Parkland. If you are able to attend, please bring a food item to share. TAGO will provide drinks and paper items. This is always such a great time to spend together after our summer adventures, meeting new colleagues, and catching up with old friends.
Second, the Pacific Northwest welcomes a new-to-us tracker organ by Bigelow, now housed at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Seattle’s UDistrict. Michael Plagerman has written a wonderful article on the acquisition and forthcoming tonal additions to the Ruth and Paul Manz Organ. Of the inaugural concert series artists, four are members of TAGO! Dr. Paul Tegels will perform the dedication concert on the evening of Saturday, September 21. The other performers throughout the year include PLU’s Dr. Justin Murphy-Mancini, UW’s Dr. Stephen Price, and myself representing UPS. Check out details of these concerts and more on the TAGO calendar.
Third, we are inviting applications for TAGO’s scholarship program. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage young musicians to study organ by assisting with the cost of private organ lessons. The successful scholarship recipient will receive ten organ lessons with a Tacoma chapter member. Preference is given to high school students but older students are welcome to apply. More details and applications information may be found here on the website.
Finally, I would like to draw your attention to our upcoming TAGO events. On the morning of October 26, David Dahl and Dr. Paul Tegels will present a workshop on the fugues from J. S. Bach’s Eight Little Preludes and Fugues at Christ Church, Tacoma. In November, we will join the community of Christ Church as they celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the landmark Brombaugh organ on the evening of Saturday, November 23 with a concert by leading concert organist Nathan Laube. There will be no TAGO event in December.
I encourage you to peruse the abundance of concerts, events, and lunches listed on our TAGO Calendar.
See you at the picnic!
In music,
Wyatt Smith
