American Guild of Organists Westchester Chapter
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2017-2018 Chapter Events

Schedule of Chapter Events -- view calendar for full listings
Date & Time
Event Details
Location
September 17, 4pm
Opening Event: Rising Stars Recital featuring Jeremiah Meed and Daniel Ficarri with open console time and dinner
Hitchcock Presbyterian, 6 Greenacres Ave, Scarsdale, NY
October 22, 4pm
Organized Rhythm featuring Clive Driskill-Smith, organist and Joseph Gramley, percussionist
Rye Presbyterian Church , 882 Boston Post Rd,, Rye NY 10580
November 12, 4pm
Members' Recital
Christ's Church, 2 Rectory St, Rye, NY
January 7, 4pm
Twelfth Night Party and Music Swap
Jonathan Riss' Home
February 25, 4pm
Justin Bischof Recital
Irvington Presbyterian, 25 N Broadway, Irvington NY 10533
March 25, 7pm
2021 Regional Convention Discussion
Jonathan Riss' Home
April 22, 4pm
Phythagoras, Broccoli and the Evolution of Pipe Organ Stop Action
​presented by John Bishop
Yorktown United Methodist Church, 2300 Crompond Rd, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
May 22, 6:30pm
Annual Dinner (reservations required)
The Private Patio at Sam's of Gedney Way, 50 Gedney Way, White Plains, NY 10605
June 10, 4pm
Organ Recital - Katelyn Emerson
Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, NY 10549

Opening Recital

Westchester County, NY September 17, the chapter met at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, John T. King, host, for a mini-recital featuring “Rising Stars” Jeremiah Mead and Daniel Ficarri who currently attend The Juilliard School and study with Paul Jacobs. Their selections included works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Vierne, and Schumann. One piece was transcribed by Ficarri. After the recital, there was a short business meeting to install the new officer -- Directors Margaret M. Kim and Ruaraidh F. Sutherland, class of 2020. Frank Miller and various members supplied food and drink for the reception following the meeting. Joyce Gardner brought music from her library for other members to take. -- Virginia Bender           

as published in the December, 2017 edition of TAO

view the program

Organized Rhythm

Westchester County, N.Y. Oct. 22, the chapter partnered with Rye Presbyterian Church and the New York City AGO chapter in sponsoring a recital at Rye Presbyterian Church to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Rye's Casavant. The recital featured the organ and percussion ensemble Organized Rhythm. Clive Driskill-Smith, organist and Joseph Gramley, percussionist, gave a program of outstanding beauty with a satisfying amount of showmanship. It included Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and Hoe-Down from Rodeo; Paul Creston’s Meditation, and Ives’ Variations on “America”. The second half of the program was dedicated to Holst’s The Planets. A surprise feature was the addition of a commissioned piece, Pluto, by Stephen Eddins, which was inserted into Holst’s work. It brought a more contemporary sound to the work, using global instruments like the Peruvian box drum and other African rhythm instruments. Mr. Driskill-Smith played the 68-rank Casavant installed in 1981, rebuilt in 2002, and upgraded in 2016. It was promised that he would “use every stop”, and he certainly did! The performers chatted with the audience at a reception afterwards. -- Karen Longwell

as published in the January, 2018 issue of The American Organist

view the program and performer bios

Members' Recital

Westchester Chapter, NY, Nov 11, the high quality of organ-playing was evident from the first to the last of the organists at this year’s Member's Recital. Kyoko Meredith, Ruaraidh Sutherland, Terence J. Flanagan (dean), Jonathan Riss, and Sandor Szabo played works by Saint-Saens, Franck, Vierne, Widor, and Wagner to great acclaim. The recital was held at Christ's Church, Rye, where all performers made great use of the III/70 Austin built in 1964 -- Karen Longwell

as published in the February, 2018 issue of TAO

view the program

Twelfth Night

The Twelfth Night Party was held at Jonathan Riss' home with Frank Miller as the coordinator of the food.

Justin Bischof Recital

Westchester Chapter, NY, Feb 2,: the chapter and Irvington Presbyterian Church sponsored a recital by Justin Bischof on the Klais Bonn Opus 1797 (2001). Dedicated to the memory of McNeil Robinson II, the recital included music by Bach and Robinson. The last piece was an improvised symphony on themes submitted by the audience. Following the recital,, a reception was held in the parlor.
-- Virginia Bender


as published in the June, 2018 TAO

view the program


Phythagoras, Broccoli and the Evolution of Pipe Organ Stop Action presented by John Bishop

Picture
Picture
Westchester County, NY, April 22, in spite of the magnificent spring weather, chapter members eagerly came out to hear John Bishop give a presentation titled “Phythagoras, Broccoli and the Evolution of Pipe Organ Stop Action”. He gave us all greater insight into the complexity and history of the king of instruments. from its roots in Pythagoras’ anvils to the dawning of the digital age. Members were curious about the title of his talk, and he quickly explained. The Fibonacci series of numbers, when applied geometrically, correspond with the buds on the conical florets of a Romanesco broccoli (the whorl pattern, similar to a nautilus shell). Likewise, the same numbers correspond with the pipe lengths of an organ in order to bring out the overtone series. Math applies to spatial relationships as well as pitch relationships. You can email John ([email protected]} to ask for more explanation. Yorktown United Methodist Church was aptly suited for this PowerPoint presentation with its state-of-the-art projection system. Thanks belong to Tom Cipolla for offering his technological wisdom that made the presentation a success. A reception afterward allowed everyone to mingle and ask questions. And yes, broccoli was served.-- Karen Longwell

​as published in the July, 2018 issue of The American Organist

Annual Dinner & Meeting

Westchester Chapter, NY, May 22, members gathered for the Annual meeting and dinner at Sam's of Gedney Way. Members enjoyed convivial conversation as they ate together. A brief meeting took place before dessert. New officers will be installed this fall at the chapter's first event. -- Terry Flanagan
​
as published in the October, 2018 issue of The American Organist

Katelyn Emerson Recital

PictureCraig Degener (Newly Elected Dean) , Terry Flanagan (Last Meeting as the Current Dean), Katelyn Emerson, recitalist; Holger Redlich, CEO of Beckerath Orgelbau and Siegmund Tessmer, pipe maker and voicer.
Westchester County, NY, June 10, the chapter was treated to
a recital by Katelyn Emerson, the AGO 2016 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance winner. She played works by Duruflé, Bach, Langlais, Widor, Sowerby and others on the III/41 Beckerath at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco (Terry Flanagan, host). A reception was held following the recital.
-- Virginia Bender
​
As published in the September, 2018 issue of The American Organist

view the program and Katelyn's Bio


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Copyright 2025 AGO Westchester County Chapter.
The American Guild of Organists, founded in 1896,
​is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Pipe Organs of Westchester >
      • Armonk >
        • St. Stephen's
      • Bedford >
        • Bedford Presbyterian
      • Briarcliff >
        • All Saints' Church
      • Scarborough Presbyterian
      • Briarcliff Congregational Church
      • Bronxville >
        • Christ Church
        • Reformed Church
        • St. Joseph Church
      • Chappaqua >
        • First Congregational
      • Irvington >
        • Irvington Presbyterian
        • St. Barnabas
      • Katonah >
        • Katonah Presbyterian
      • Mount Kisco >
        • Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco
      • Ossining >
        • St Ann's
        • Grace
      • Pelham >
        • Christ Church
        • Huguenot Memorial
      • Pleasantville >
        • Emanuel Lutheran
        • St. John's Episcopal
      • Pocantico Hills >
        • Union Church
      • Rye >
        • Christ's Church
        • Resurrection Catholic
        • Rye Presbyterian
      • Scarsdale >
        • Hitchcock
        • St. James the Less
      • Sleepy Hollow >
        • Old Dutch Church
      • White Plains >
        • Church in the Highlands
        • White Plains Presbyterian
      • Yonkers >
        • St. Mary's
    • American Guild of Organists
    • AGO Service Playing Certification
  • Events
    • Calendar of Area Events
    • Past Event Galleries >
      • 2022-2023
      • 2021-2022
      • 2020-2021
      • 2019-2020
      • 2018-2019
      • 2017-2018
      • 2016-2017
      • 2015-2016
      • 2014-2015
      • 2013-2014
      • 2012-2013
      • 2011-2012
      • 2010-2011
  • Membership
    • Membership
    • Honors
    • In Memoriam
  • Officers
    • Officers
    • Chapter Deans
  • Trompette
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Substitutes