The Nominating Committee presents the following people for election.  Ballots will be mailed to the membership within the next week.
 
DEAN:  FERN JENNINGS, CAGO
 
As a young teenage organist my organ teacher, Gordon Brooks, gave me a membership to the Youngstown AGO. I did not participate much in the Guild at that time but was impressed that this was an organization of professional organists. I attended concerts and once accompanied my choir from the Canfield Methodist Church at an AGO choral showcase. Since then I have continuously been an AGO member. I have been involved in leadership roles in the Canton, Akron, and Cleveland Chapters. In Canton we used to have monthly meetings that were always preceded by a member recital.
 
I served as Sub-dean and then Dean of the Akron Chapter. After finishing my (delayed) music degree at Case Western Reserve University, where I studied with Todd Wilson through the joint program with the Cleveland Institute of Music I served a two year term as Dean of the Cleveland Chapter. The highlight of that term was the dedication of the restored Severance Hall organ and the gala events surrounding that occasion. We also applied to host a regional convention. Subsequently, I served as program chair for the convention, under the able leadership of Carol Neff. The convention was a successful and rewarding endeavor.
 
Since then I have served the Chapter as Education and Exams chair. I have coordinated the Professional Exams that our Chapter administers at all levels. Last summer I was appointed Region V Coordinator for Education and Exams.
 
The AGO has been a constant throughout my life. I count among my oldest friends colleagues from the AGO. I have had the opportunity to travel to conventions and meet leaders in the organization at the National and Regional level. I would be honored to serve as Dean for the coming term. I will build on the excellent work done by Dean James Riggs, the Executive Committee and Web-Master Tim Robson in communications and programming. Areas that I think we need to work on are membership and perhaps downsizing the Executive Committee to meet the reality of today's volunteer pool.
 
SUB DEAN:  BARBARA MACGREGOR, AAGO
 
Barbara MacGregor is Professor of Music Emeritus in the College of Creative and Professional Arts, The University of Akron, where she taught organ, harpsichord and music theory courses and also served as Keyboard Studies Chair and Coordinator of the Performance Division. She was Director of Music and Organist at First United Methodist Church in Akron for 20 years and Director of Music and Organist at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron for 15 years.  She has served as director of several concert series' including the Keyboard Artist's Recital Series (The University of Akron), Music at First Church (First United Methodist Church, Akron) and Trinity Organ Concert Series, (Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Akron).   She was organist for the Chautauqua program at Lakeside-on-Lake Erie and organist with the Akron Symphony Orchestra for many years. Currently, she serves on the Program Board of the Tuesday Musical Association in Akron and Music from the Western Reserve in Hudson.
 
AGO Activity includes the offices of Dean, Sub-Dean, Executive Committee, Placement Chair and Education Chair for the Akron, Ohio Chapter; Committee for the first Pipe Organ Encounter in Pittsburgh and faculty for 5 subsequent POEs in Regions IV and V; she has also been an adjudicator, clinician, workshop leader, or performer for many chapters across the country and has been a dual member of Cleveland and Akron chapters for many years.
 
Barbara is active as a performer and clinician throughout the country and has been a clinician and featured performer at regional or national conferences of Music Educators National Conference, National Federation of Music Clubs, the American Guild of Organists and church denominations. Concert performances include appearances at Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, South Carolina, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Washington National Cathedral, Interlochen, Carnegie Hall, Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Hall. She has also studied and performed in Europe and has performed with a variety of artists including Sir David Wilcocks, John Rutter, Dave Brubeck and Eugenia Zukerman.

SECRETARY:  LINDA KEMPKE
 
Linda Kempke, a retired Associate in Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is the interim Cantor at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, and currently a member of the Executive Committee. She holds degrees from Trinity Lutheran Seminary and the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music and also holds the AGO Colleague certificate.  Additionally, she attended Oberlin Conservatory. Active in church music for many years Linda is currently the Region 1 President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.
 
TREASURER:  DON JACKSON
 
Don Jackson has a business degree from Virginia Commonwealth Univ. where he also studied organ and church music.  Don lived in the DC area for 20 years where he was employed by Potomac Electric Power Co. and was also active as a substitute organist.  He served at various times as treasurer and registrar of the Potomac (Maryland) Chapter, and registrar and program committee member of the DC Chapter.  After moving to Cleveland, he was organist-director at Parma Lutheran and for the last seven years he has been organist at Prince of Peace Lutheran, Westlake.  Don is also parish administrator and bookkeeper at Christ Episcopal, Shaker Heights.
 
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
 
ROBERT (Bobby) SULLIVAN is the Organist and Director of Music/Liturgy and Parish Administrative Assistant at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Canton, Ohio, a position he has held for 15 years.  He is responsible for the acquisition of the 2004 Kegg Pipe Organ at St. John Church, the Gallery Choir and the day to day operation of the parish.  Bobby is also the Executive Secretary for the American Institute of Organbuilders.  Mr. Sullivan has served as Sub-Dean and Dean of the Canton Chapter of the AGO.
 
CLIFFORD HILL is the President and Music Buyer for Cliff Hill Music Company. An expert in choral and organ literature, Mr. Hill is consulted by church musicians throughout the world. He frequently conducts choral reading sessions and has contributed to www.beliefnet.com, a web site devoted to religions of the world. In addition, Mr. Hill sings with the cathedral choir at Trinity Cathedral. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College where he earned the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. He is active in the Association of Anglican Musicians and The American Guild of Organists.
 
JAMES D. CLOUSER is the Director of Music Ministries/Principal Organist at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Strongsville.  Jim is a member of the Cleveland and Akron chapters.  He was the first prize winner of the 2004 Quimby/AGO Region V Competition and holds the Colleaugue (CAGO) and Choirmaster (Ch.M) certification. After studying Organ Performance with Todd Wilson at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Jim worked as an apprentice and office assistant at the Leek Pipe Organ Company in Oberlin.  He continues to work with the firm as an independent contractor as a project assistant/consultant, newsletter editor, and organist/speaker for educational events.
 
PATRICK WICKLIFFE holds a Master of Music in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Antonio Pompa-Baldi and a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied with Robert Shannon and Peter Takács. Mr. Wickliffe currently serves as Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. His church career has spanned eight years and has included assistantships, key internships, and staff positions at area churches including St. Angela Merici Catholic Church, First United Methodist Church of Macedonia, and Plymouth Church, UCC, of Shaker Heights, where he studied music ministry and organ with Jim Riggs, current Dean of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Mr. Wickliffe maintains active membership in the AGO as well as the National Pastoral Musician's Association (NPM), and has been a past member of the Music Teachers National Association, and the College Music Society.

Several members have recently pointed out this blog entry with the title "Bring Back the Organ!" as having potential interest.  It is quite thought provoking. (Usual disclaimer: the opinions of the blog author are not necessarily those of the Cleveland Chapter AGO, the national organization or any of its officers or employees.)

 

 

American Guild of Organists Cleveland Chapter
2860 Coventry Road
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120
216-921-3510

 

Gerry Mass, our Cleveland Chapter Placement Officer collects and updates job openings in the area.  Although they are not listed in the weekly updates, there is a link in the "Quick Links" section every week that will take you to the updated list on the chapter website.  Questions or need help finding a position? Email: placement@agocleveland.org