Please join us for the first meeting of our new program year on Monday, September 19 at 7:30 pm, when Cheryl Drewes, Director of Music at Spanaway Lutheran Church, collaborates with her husband Tim to present the church’s 1905 Woodberry organ.  The versatility of this organ will be demonstrated in music of its own, as well as other, eras.  Cheryl and Tim will also present a brief history of the organ, with an overview of the Woodberry company and a discussion the organ aesthetics of the time.

Further attractions includes a wine and cheese reception to be held after the meeting.  Come, get to know this gem of an organ and  enjoy catching up after the summer with your AGO friends!  Also, we especially ask that each of you make an effort to personally invite area organists and organ enthusiasts of your acquaintance who are not active in our chapter.

We acquired two new members in July.  Clint Kraus, formerly the assistant organist at St. James Cathedral, is now living in Tacoma and pursuing a career in medicine.  Will Stuivenga has joined as a dual member from the Olympia chapter.  Welcome to our newest members!

Your Executive Committee is trying to gauge interest in having a meal together before meetings on an occasional basis in order to provide some social time.  These meals might be in a restaurant located near the meeting venue, or, if there is enough interest, catered at the meeting venue.  This sort of activity has been successful in other chapters.

There is a poll on our website where you can indicate your level of interest.  If you haven’t done so yet, head over to https://tacomaago.org and vote.

In order to vote, you must be logged in.  There are still a few people who don’t have passwords.  An article  (available on the website and reprinted in the August newsletter) explains how to obtain a password and why it is important.

Tacoma AGO member David Dahl has another new publication!  The Sacred Music Press has just released David’s new work “Partita on Old 124th.”  This work was commissioned for the 40th anniversary of John Brombaugh’s Opus 9, and consists of a harmonization of Old 124th followed by ten variations, beginning with a canonic setting and ending with a harmonization intended for congregational singing with a descant.

On June 24, member Mark Brombaugh performed the world premier of Old 124th at Central Lutheran Church, Eugene, OR, the home of John Brombaugh and Associates Opus 19.  The recital was jointly sponsored by the church, as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the organ, in conjunction with the Oregon Bach Festival.  Several hundred people attended and responded enthusiastically.  Mark will premier this piece in Tacoma on Friday, September 30 at Christ Episcopal Church.

The printed edition can be purchased from The Sacred Music Press.  On the same order page, there is a recording of this work played by Mark Brombaugh on Opus 9 freely available for listening.