EVENTS:

2023-2024 Workshops, Exchanges & Outreach

The SNC:AGO aims to support, educate & uplift organists and choir directors, and to seek out others who might be interested in playing the instrument.

Many of our workshops are offered annually or upon request. Watch here for updates on new programs and event dates.

Fall Social, Program Launch, and Annual Meeting

  • Tuesday, September 12, 2023

  • At a member’s private residence (address given to current members in good standing)

  • 6 PM

  • Members are invited to join us for our annual Fall Social, Program Launch, and Annual Meeting. You will hear reports from our Recital Committee, Programming Committee, Finance Committee, and Membership Committee. Tim Cooper will give a brief presentation on the regional convention that he attended this past summer.

Bench time with the Angels

  • Saturday, September 30, 2023

  • Guardian Angel Cathedral (302 Cathedral Way, Las Vegas, NV 89109)

  • 10 AM to 1 PM

  • Members will be given one thirty-minute slot to try out the 79-stop, four-manual Allen Quantum organ at Guardian Angel Cathedral. Guardian Angel is the wettest acoustical space in the city, with nearly five seconds of reverb. Built on land donated by mobster Moe Dalitz, Guardian Angel Cathedral is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. It is the only Catholic cathedral in the world designed by a Black person, and it will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Monday, October 2. Be a part of the history and enjoy some bench time playing in a different acoustical space… it’s also your opportunity to say that you’ve “played on the Strip!”

Hymn Playing and Registration

  • Saturday, November 4, 2023

  • St. Andrew Lutheran Church (8901 Del Webb Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89134)

  • Morning time TBD

  • Organist Bob Grant will walk you through registering and playing for a church service. Guaranteed to have something for everyone, this is an absolute must for those serving the hundreds of faith communities of southern Nevada.

Studio Recital: American Hymnody and Songs

  • Saturday, November 18, 2023

  • Location to be announced

  • 10 AM

  • Put those skills you tweaked at our November 4 workshop to the test. Our chapter’s studio recitals are extremely informal affairs with a special “theme.” With November being the month of the harvest and the American Thanksgiving holiday, what better time than now to play your favorite American hymn? This is a great opportunity for novices and intermediate and advanced organists. Don’t play the organ? No problem! Bring a copy of your favorite hymn and talk about it. This is truly that relaxed and informal - don’t let the term “recital” intimidate you!

 
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CHORAL READING WORKSHOP FOR CHOIR DIRECTORS: This workshop gathers choir leaders from across the valley and across denominations to review & sing new themes and church music from several music publishers. It’s a day of song and networking for our local choir conductors and music staffs.

TRANSPLANTED PIANIST WORKSHOP: This yearly workshop is planned for pianists who are called into service to play the organ in their churches. It is designed for those with little or no organ training. Topics discussed include basics of the organ, registration, hymn playing, easy preludes and postludes, ideas for beginning use of the pedals and resources for music and additional help. We also discuss the differences between playing electronic and pipe organs. There is also time for individuals to come up to the organ and try a technique they have not previously used.

REGISTERING THE MODERN ORGAN: Every organ: pipe, digital or hybrid, comes with some bells and whistles that organists forget about, don’t feel comfortable with or are just plain scared of using. This seminar helps organists rediscover & use some of those functions, voices and options.

ORGAN-IZING FROM THE PIANO: This program is available to piano teachers and their students, free of charge, at any time of the year. Students will learn about and interact with the pipe organ through hands-on experience. The program is open to students of any age. Students should be able to play one piece of music, at any level. Recommended class size per session is 10-20 students, and sessions will be unique to your studio.

A professional member of the chapter will facilitate the program which will include information about the organ, how sound is made and the background of organ being visited. Each student will have a chance to play a piece on the piano and then, with assistance from the facilitator, perform the same composition on the organ.

For more information on any of these programs, please contact info@sncago.org