Additional Details in the January Newsletter
Click HERE for full chapter event schedule.
Dear Friends,
January always feels like a deep breath.
After the beauty and intensity of Advent and Christmas, we arrive at a quieter moment. The calendar turns, the decorations come down, and we are given a bit of space to reflect on why we do this work. It is in that pause that the value of guild life becomes especially clear. We gather not only to grow as musicians, but to remind one another that this work is shared, sustained by community and friendship. With that spirit in mind, I hope you will join us for two important gatherings in the weeks ahead.
First, please mark your calendar for our AGO Pittsburgh Christmas Party on Monday, January 26. It is a simple but meaningful opportunity to reconnect after a busy season, to enjoy one another’s company, and to celebrate the relationships that make our chapter strong. I hope that you will join us!
Looking ahead to February, I would especially love to see a strong turnout for our February 23 Night of Options meeting, as part of which I will offer a workshop on Beginning Service Playing. This session will focus on the musical fundamentals that can quietly but powerfully transform hymn playing: clarity of texture, thoughtful registration, breathing and pacing between stanzas, and shaping hymns as expressive, living music rather than something merely functional. I will also share a number of accessible resources for last-verse harmonizations.
This workshop is intentionally designed to be welcoming and useful to those who are still growing into the role—students, neighboring church musicians, pianists curious about the organ, or anyone who loves the instrument and wants to serve more confidently. Because of that, I encourage each of you to think about who you might personally invite to attend. One thoughtful invitation can make all the difference, and many of us first found our way into the AGO because someone took the time to say, “you should come to this.”
As we begin this new year, I hope it will be one marked by peace, joy, and happy music making. I look forward to seeing you on January 26 and to welcoming new faces on February 23.
Warmly,
Chaz Bowers
Dean, Pittsburgh Chapter AGO