Fostering a Thriving Community
The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ.
As an organization, we strive to…
Advance the cause of organ and choral music, to increase their contributions to aesthetic and religious experiences, and to promote their understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment.
Improve the proficiency of organists and choral conductors.
Evaluate, by examination, attainments in organ playing, choral techniques, conducting, and the theory and general knowledge of music, and to grant certificates to those who pass such examinations at specified levels of attainment.
Provide members with opportunities to meet for discussion of professional topics, and to pursue such other activities as contribute to the fulfillment of the purposes of the Guild.
About the Southwest Michigan Chapter
In 1948, the national organization of the AGO had just turned fifty years old. Chapters were located in Grand Rapids and Lansing, but nothing was available in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area.
Discussions between Frank K. Owen, Organist/Choirmaster of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Kalamazoo, and Henry Overley, Head of the Music Department at Kalamazoo College, led to the decision to form a Chapter of the AGO in this area.
The organizational meeting of the Southwest Michigan Chapter was held Monday evening 11 October 1948 at 6:30pm in the St. Lukes Parish House. Dinner was served by the boy-choir mothers. The speaker was S. E. Gruenstein, AGO Regional Chairman from Chicago and editor of the Guild publication The Diapason. Frank Owen was elected temporary chairman of the group, and Max Newkirk, Organist of the First Baptist Church in Battle Creek, was named head of the nominating committee who would propose a slate of officers at the next meeting. The group then retired to the church sanctuary where an informal recital was presented by Clark B. Angel, Organist/Choirmaster of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Battle Creek. Thus concluded our first chapter meeting.
Forty-four members signed the roster, and the charter for the Southwest Michigan Chapter was issued by the national office on 29 October 1948. Dues for the chapter were $4 per year, divided between National Headquarters, The Diapason magazine, and the chapter. Our chapter hoster regional conventions in 1953 and 2013. Our annual Bach-Around-the-Block organ crawl in Kalamazoo has been held for over thirty years.
Today, the Southwest Michigan Chapter continues to hold informative meetings designed to help organists of all levels improve their skills and knowledge of the organ and choral music. These meetings include concerts, workshops and masterclasses along with a healthy does of fellowship. We administer two scholarships, in memory of former chapter members Kathryn Loew and David Sly.
