On Saturday, October 18, about a dozen members from the Tacoma AGO and the newly-formed Salish Sea Chapter of NACUSA (National Association of Composers USA) for a joint event at St. Luke’s Memorial Church in Tacoma.

The workshop began with Sheila Bristow and Wyatt Smith discussing aspects of the commissioning process, bring in their own experiences to the conversation, helping to demystify the process. They spoke on the different components that went into their work on the New Music Committee for the 2022 National AGO Convention in Seattle, which included not only works for organ solo, but also for various chamber ensembles including organ and marimba; organ, choir, saxophone and percussion; and many more. Wyatt then highlighted his own commissioning projects, dating back as far as 2008 and continuing up to the present day. We also heard more about what the Salish Sea Chapter of NACUSA is setting out to do, which includes raising up local composers of art music and organizing concerts to feature their works! 

After a coffee break, there was the option for composers to spend time on the Moeller/Bond organ and get direct feedback from organists on composing for the organ, specially around registration. Additionally, David Dahl, Jay Murphy-Mancini, and Wyatt Smith provided a few dozen publications for perusal, featuring works published largely in the last couple of decades. The art of composing for the organ is alive and well!

The morning as a whole set forth some promising ground work for bringing together organists and composers here in the Pacific Northwest in future events and endeavors. The conversations were meaningful and engaging all around!