Hello, TAGO Members!

It was such a joy to see many of you at our mid-summer picnic last month. Many thanks, as always, to David Dahl and Loi Le for hosting us in their beautiful garden! We held a brief Annual Meeting, which resulted in the election of Justin (Jay) Murphy-Mancini as our Sub Dean. Welcome, Jay! Thank you to Cheryl Drewes, current Past Dean, who helped fill in some roles over this past year while we were without a Sub Dean.

In the near future, we will be sending out a survey to gather ideas for our programming in the year to come. In the meantime, start thinking about topics you would be curious to know more about.

Additionally, our TAGO calendar is filling up with events in our community for the coming year. If you have concerts planned for the year, please start adding them to our calendar. We have such a wealth of talent and support for music in our area. It is always such a joy to see what is going on and have the ability to attend events and support fellow musicians!

In music,
Wyatt Smith

Warm summer greetings to you all!

I hope this message finds you basking in the glories of our wonderful Pacific Northwest summers. Many choirs are on break from their program year commitments, conferences and conventions are happening around the country, and gardens beckon tending. What ever your avenue for renewal, revel in it!

This month, we have the opportunity to gather in a community setting for our annual year-end picnic on Monday, July 21 from 5-7pm, hosted by David Dahl and Loi Le at their home near PLU. Additionally, we will use a part of this gathering to hold our Annual Meeting and Board elections. Please check respective the respective links for more details.

In flipping through my July issues of The American Organist, which you can receive in either print form or read online (this option is available when you have or renew a National membership), I came across an article entitled “Satire and Truth in Humorous Organ Poems from the 18th Century” by Markus Rathey. I had he privilege of studying under Prof. Rathey during my graduate program at Yale. He is an incredible scholar on an assortment of topics, but primarily centered on Bach, Lutheranism, and societal contexts related thereto. I encourage you all to read this article, along with his handful of books on Bach’s choral and vocal works!

There are a handful of events to attend this month according to our online calendar. I will take this opportunity to plug the return of the Tacoma Bach Festival, July 24-26, with concerts at Christ Church and Kilworth Chapel. It will feature three concerts ranging from chamber music, to the Goldberg Variations on organ and a final choral concert. Additionally, there is a midsummer Choral Evensong at St. Luke’s Memorial, which will feature a new organ work by composer and former Dean of TAGO, Sheila Bristow, based on the hymn “Lift your voice rejoicing, Mary.”

If you have events you would like to see included on the calendar this summer and beyond, you can add them by logging into your account on the Tacoma AGO website!

I hope to see many of you at our picnic on July 21!

In music,
Wyatt

Happy (almost) summer, TAGO members!

As I write this message, it is glorious outside on my back patio. I have just returned from the Lakewood Farmers’ Market with a fresh bag of cherries, asparagus, and a dashing bouquet of flowers. While we spend the majority of our year inside on benches of various sorts, by ourselves or leading groups of people in song, take some time for yourself in our wonderful PNW summer season!

Many thanks to those who came out for our final program of the year on May 19 at Spanaway Lutheran. Thanks again to presenters Dawn Sonntag and Sheila Bristow, along with Cheryl Drewes for hosting and Jan Regier for acquiring the refreshments.  We will hold our annual year-end picnic on Monday, July 21 at the home of David Dahl and Loi Le. This will include a potluck picnic in their beautiful gardens along with our annual Board Elections. Look for more details on that in the coming weeks. 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to run down to Olympia to hear Cameron Carpenter on the Wurlitzer organ at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts,  which was *very well* attended. While he came blowing onto the scene years ago as the “bad boy” of the organ world, the concert in Olympia showcased a mature musician and technical master. He shared an incredible program featuring two Preludes and Fugues by J. S. Bach, two Chorales by Cesar Franck, and Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky. What he did with nine ranks was incredible! I will admit, he had me in tears by the end of the concert. I now rank that performance in my top five list of musical experiences in my life. I encourage all of you to step outside of your comfort zones on occasion and embrace music-making on non-tracker organs. You just might be surprised!

As always, check the TAGO events calendar on our website for the latest event updates!

In music,
Wyatt

Happy Spring, Tacoma AGO members!

It is my hope for all who lead or participated in the series of services related to the Christian festivals during Holy Week and Easter have had a good respite. This spring weather is glorious! I, for one, have been out on the golf course and driving range a couple of times in addition to turning my back patio into an oasis. Whatever self care looks like for you: do it!

Join us for our next chapter event on Monday, May 19 at 7:00pm at Spanaway Lutheran Church. The workshop, “The Church Musician as Composer in Residence”, will feature local composers and church musicians Dr. Dawn Sonntag and Sheila Bristow. They will share tips and tricks to compose for your choir, ensembles and congregation. We will also include an exploration of compositions for organ, choir, and more, by composers associated with the church, past and present. Many thanks to Cheryl Drewes for organizing and hosting this event! Check the calendar event for further details.

With many thanks to Tom Clark, the Tacoma AGO chapter has rolled out a robust, affordable local membership. Formerly classed as “Chapter Friend” by the National Office, our new Local Membership option gives you many of the same options as the full national membership, but is much more affordable. The primary differences are: as a Local Member, you will receive only the Tacoma AGO Newsletter and other announcements but will not receive The American Organist magazine or discounts to attend AGO conventions. Click here to visit our membership page to learn more about this membership offering. Consider inviting a friend to join as a local member!

As always, check out the TAGO events calendar for the latest lineup of concerts, workshops, and social events! Our next AGO Lunch is May 9 at 12:00pm at Cactus in Proctor. Please RSVP to me via text or email if you plan to join! Some highlights this month include: a couple return performances by Curt Sather in Tacoma and Olympia; a joint Choral Evensong and organ recital with the choirs of St. Luke’s Memorial, Tacoma and St. John’s, Gig Harbor; and a concert of Bach Cantatas with the Seattle Bach Festival at Christ Church, Tacoma. 

In music,
Wyatt Smith

Happy Spring, fellow members of Tacoma AGO!

Thanks to all who were able to participate in the March Chapter Meeting. Though few in number, we thoroughly enjoyed watching and discussing Fugue State Films’s documentary “Bach and Expression.” I highly recommend you all to check out this documentary (and the whole Fugue State Films library) on your own!

As we quickly approach the Christian celebrations of Palm Sunday, the Triduum, and Easter, I encourage you to take care of yourself. As the saying goes: “One cannot pour from an empty cup.” Self care looks different for each of us. You’ll probably find me on the golf course between practice sessions. If you are able to take some time for yourself, please do. Your communities will be all the better for it!

Our next Chapter Meeting will take place on the evening of Monday, May 19 at Spanaway Lutheran Church. The program, “The Church Musician as Composer in Residence,” will be led by members Dawn Sonntag and Sheila Bristow. They will discuss tips and tricks to compose for your choir, ensembles, and congregation. We will also include an exploration of relevant compositions by composers associated with the church, past and present. There will be more details in next month’s newsletter.

As always, check out the Tacoma AGO events calendar. There are a number of events coming up this month!

In music,
Wyatt Smith