On June 27, the board of the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) unanimously approved funding for fifty-five Project Grants for Organizations, including a $4,000 grant to the SNC:AGO’s Paul S. Hesselink Recital Series (fiscal year 2020). The grant is the largest ever awarded to the chapter by the NAC.

Despite reaching its funding goal for the endowment of the Maurine Jackson Smith Memorial organ, the UNLV Foundation will continue to accept contributions until July 1.

This extension will allow additional contributors to be included on a plaque recognizing all those who donate to the fund. The plaque will be installed at the entrance of the Dr. Rando-Grillot Recital Hall, near the placard recognizing the Smith Family’s original gift of the organ.

The purpose of the endowment is to provide the university the funds required to properly maintain, tune and repair this beautiful instrument throughout time. The success of the campaign can be attributed to the partnership and efforts of the SNC:AGO, the UNLV Foundation, the College of Fine Arts, and the generosity of Edward Smith and contributors like you.

RECITAL REVIEW BY PAUL S. HESSELINK

The Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Guild of Organists closed out the 2018-2019 Organ Recital Series with an Organ and Choral Festival on Friday, June 7 at 7:30 P.M. in the Doctor Rando-Grillot Recital Hall in the Beam Music Center on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus. About 185 people were there to enjoy the program of organ and choral literature featuring two local choirs and four local AGO chapter members as organists.

At the opening of the June 7 Organ + Choir Festival, the chapter recognized executive board member Bruce Behnke for his commitment and service to the SNC:AGO as webmaster and as editor of the chapter’s newsletter, the Desert Wind.

While serving on the board of the chapter, Bruce agreed to a “temporary” position writing, designing and editing the Desert Wind... that temporary position lasted twelve years.

Bruce is a retired music teacher. He has taught vocal and instrumental music in elementary, middle and high schools in Michigan, Colorado and Nevada. His last position was at the Las Vegas Academy where he taught music theory, modern music technology and beginning piano. He has also been a church choir director in each of these three states. While in Michigan he was associated with the Delta College Flute Choir. He has nine arrangements for flute and choir published by ALRY Publications. He will continue to serve on the SNC:AGO executive board.

The Desert Wind publishes five times a year and is distributed to chapter members, friends of the chapter, the national organization and various chapters around the region.

On June 7, during the Organ + Choir Festival, the chapter announced the naming of its annual concert series after long-term program director and concert organizer, Dr. Paul S. Hesselink.

The SNC:AGO has produced free fine arts concerts featuring the pipe organ for more than 50 years. During his fourteen-year tenure, Hesselink organized and produced 69 concerts: 13 by foreign artists, 35 by visiting American artists, and 21 recitals by chapter members. Under Hesselink’s guidance, the series has grown in reputation and significance, attracting world renowned concert artists, as well as up-and-coming performers to Las Vegas.