2019-2020

2019-2020 Chapter Events

Schedule of Chapter Events -- view calendar for full listing of area events

Date & Time	Event Details	Location
September 22, 4pm	Opening Event: Rising Stars Recital featuring Phoon Yu, Eddie Zheng and Elena Baquerizo with open console time and dinner	Bedford Presbyterian, Village Green, Bedford, NY
October 19, 10am	Sing High, Sing Low: Techniques for Enlivening Choral Rehearsals, presented by Richard (Rick) Coffey	Irvington Presbyterian Church (Parlor), 25 N Broadway, Irvington, NY 10533
November 10, 4pm	Members' Recital	Hitchcock Presbyterian, 6 Greenacres Ave, Scarsdale, NY
January 5, 4pm	Twelfth Night Party and Music Swap	Homefield House, 911 Saw Mill River Drive, Yonkers, NY
February 17, 9am-5pm	2020 Presidents' Day Conference in NYC	Temple Emanu-El, 1 East 65th St. NYC
March 7, 9:30am	Theatre Organ Event	Lafayette Theatre, 97 Lafayette Ave, Suffern, NY 10901
May 2	Organ Crawl	Cancelled
June 9, 6:30pm	Dinner (reservations required)	TBD

Opening Recital

Westchester County, NY Sept. 22: to celebrate the last day of summer, a group of reveling organists and music lovers descended on Bedford Presbyterian Church to hear 3 highly accomplished young stars play a recital featuring the music of Mendelssohn, Bach, Weaver and Brahms. All three recitalists are students of Paul Jacobs at the Juilliard School, and have numerous awards garnered from competitions across the U.S., as well as concertizing around the globe. Eddie Zheng, Phoon Yu, and Elena Baquerizo showed off the versatility of the church's 2001 Pasi Opus 13. Afterward, collegiality was flowing as we all enjoyed Frank Miller’s sumptuous meal of chicken marsala, green beans and macaroni and cheese. There were many new faces alongside the loyal members getting to know one another. -- Karen Longwell

As published in the December, 2019 edition of TAO

view the program and performer bios

Sing High, Sing Low: Choral Workshop

Westchester Chapter, October 19: Our second event of the 2019/2020 season was held at the Irvington Presbyterian Church in the Parlor on Saturday October 19 from 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM and was another WOW!!! It was a beautiful morning made for singing - one of those nice, crisp, sunny, beginning of fall days. Rick Coffey led a group of us (around 20) in a choral workshop titled Sing High, Sing Low: Techniques for Enlivening Choral Rehearsals. It was an energized, enthusiastic, humorous, educational event for us, loaded with golden nuggets of valuable techniques and tips for preparing and leading choral repertoire. The workbooks Rick so generously prepared for each of us will be a good resource to refer to time and time again when preparing ALL music, not just choral, although it was primarily for choral. After the hearty singing we were then treated to a wonderful lunch provided by Geordanes of Irvington.
– Craig Degener
As submitted to TAO

Members' Recital

The Recitalists: Tyrell Lundman, Tamara Cashour, Craig Degener, Edwin Wallace, John King (host), Margaret Kim, and Jonathan Riss

Westchester Chapter, N.Y. Nov 10: the chapter presented a members' recital at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, Scarsdale, on its magnificent 11/29 mechanical-action J.W. Walker & Sons. Performers included Tyrell Lundman, Tamara Cashour, Craig Degener, Edwin Wallace, Margaret Kim, and Jonathan Riss. John King was host. Members and friends were treated to works by Cornell, Vierne, Bach, Michel, Mendelssohn, and Mulet in the acoustically splendid room. This was followed by a grand reception for all.
- Craig Degener

As published in the March, 2020 issue of TAO

This year's performers:
Tamara Cashour—Music Director/Organist/Composer in Residence,
Presbyterian Church of New Rochelle
Craig Degener, Dean, Westchester AGO
Margaret Kim, Co-Minister of Music,
Scarsdale Community Baptist Church
Tyrell Lundman, Director of Music, White Plains Presbyterian Church
Jonathan Riss, Director of Music, Irvington Presbyterian Church
Edwin Wallace, Organist/Choir Director, Ardsley Methodist Church

Twelfth Night Party

Westchester Chapter, January 5, the Homefield House in Yonkers was filled with vibrant conversation as nearly 30 members of the chapter got together to swap their joys, their horror stories and sheet music. We recapped the holiday season with the expected libations and conviviality. Frank Miller was the chef again, bringing in a delicious pot roast dinner with all the trimmings. Most notable was the swap table that overflowed with lovingly used church music. Boxes arrived full of music and then left the evening in different hands. The time spent together was enjoyed by all..
-- Karen Longwell
As published in the April, 2020 issue of TAO

Theatre Organ Event

Dr. Dave Kopp

Westchester Chapter, March 7: We were so fortunate to have gotten our March 7 Theatre Organ Event at The Lafayette Theatre in before everything else around us shuttered due to the COVID-19. John Vanderlee, a member of the Central Hudson AGO and Chair of the New York Theatre Organ Society, was instrumental in helping us put our last event together along with Dr. Dave Kopp, Staff Organist at the Lafayette Theatre. Dave gave an excellent demonstration of what the Ben Hall Mighty Wurlitzer's 2 manual, 11 rank organ had to offer with an on stage slide presentation to go with it. After a time for questions and answers, he followed with an improvisation accompanying the silent film Sailors Beware with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. This was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone! We were then able to see the console in the balcony overlooking the stage first hand. Dave then played some opening music on the Wurlitzer before the feature film Singing In The Rain, which we were also invited to attend. Several stayed to watch the film. Lisa Martin went up to the balcony to watch and had this to say: "I stayed for the movie which I have not seen before except for the vignette of Gene Kelly's solo dance act. This is one of the finest movies that I have ever seen! I enjoyed myself so much and laughed so hard I thought I might fall off the chair which would have made for quite a side show in a box seat!!"
- Craig Degener
As submitted to TAO