Twin Cities chapter AGO (American Guild of Organists)

Twin Cities chapter AGO (American Guild of Organists) The mission of the American Guild of Organists is to enrich lives through organ and choral music. The Twin Cities Chapter was organized in 1910 by George H.

Fairclough as the Minnesota Chapter. Their first public program was held at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in St. Paul on March 15, 1911.

TCAGO Opening Event and Annual Meeting Sunday, September 13 at 3:00 p.m. Zion Lutheran Church 241 Fifth Avenue North, Ho...
09/03/2026

TCAGO Opening Event and Annual Meeting

Sunday, September 13 at 3:00 p.m.

Zion Lutheran Church
241 Fifth Avenue North, Hopkins

All are welcome to attend the 50th Anniversary concert given by Celina Kobetitsch to celebrate the 36-rank 1976 Van Daalen pipe organ at Zion Lutheran Church in Hopkins. The event is free; donations will be accepted. Following the concert, the TCAGO Chapter Annual Meeting and installation of officers will be held.

RSVP https://tcago.wildapricot.org/event-6828109

Maternity of Mary Catholic Church presents Peter SykesSeptember 18, Friday at 7:30PM – guest recitalist Peter Sykes (fac...
09/03/2026

Maternity of Mary Catholic Church presents Peter Sykes

September 18, Friday at 7:30PM – guest recitalist Peter Sykes (faculty, Juilliard School , NYC) plays a solo recital celebrating the 50thAnniversary of the installation of the diminutive but dramatic 22-rank 1976 Brunzema-Casavant pipe organ at Maternity of Mary Catholic Church (1414 Dale Street North) in Saint Paul, MN. Free/donation. Reception follows. https://pipeorgandatabase.org/instruments/6262

September 19 Saturday from 9:30-noon – as a continuation of the parish pipe organ’s 50th Anniversary, guest presenter Peter Sykes oversees a masterclass at Maternity of Mary Catholic Church (1414 Dale Avenue North) in Saint Paul, MN. Free.

08/21/2026

CALL TO ACTION: Seeking Volunteers for the TCAGO Program Committee

The TCAGO Program Committee needs volunteers to help manage upcoming Chapter activities and plan for the future. Imaginative, eager, and willing persons (young is a good qualification, too) are needed. Apply to: Michael Barone [email protected]

TCAGO is only as strong and useful as its members help make it. Raise your hand and come on aboard. 😊

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church presents Celina KobetitschSt. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church17205 County Rd 6, ...
07/27/2026

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church presents Celina Kobetitsch

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
17205 County Rd 6, Plymouth, MN 55447
Summer Organ Festival Concert Featuring Celina Kobetitsch
Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 7:00 PM

Please join us on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 7:00 PM for the final concert in the SPD Summer Organ Festival, which will feature St. Philip the Deacon's very own organist, Celina Kobetitsch. The program will last 45 minutes, with cookies served afterward!

Bio:
Award-winning organist Celina Kobetitsch performs regularly throughout Europe and the United States. She currently serves as Organist at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minnesota.

A commissioned composer, Celina was the Young Artist Winner of the 2025 AGO Women Composers Competition. She is also the Grand Prize Winner of the Fugato Organ Competition and has received additional prizes and scholarships from the Arthur Poister Competition, the U.S. Fulbright Program, the DAAD Music Scholarship, the Ruth and Paul Manz Organ Scholarship, and the Kölner Stiftungsfonds.

Celina earned a Master of Music in Organ from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, where she studied with Martin Schmeding. She also completed a two-year Artist Diploma at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Toulouse under the renowned French organist Michel Bouvard following her undergraduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Through performances on historic instruments at major venues across Europe, Celina has developed a deep familiarity with some of the world's most significant organ traditions. Prior to her appointment at St. Philip the Deacon, she served as Associate Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Program:

The Grand Organ of Notre-Dame

Aubade, Op. 55 - Louis Vierne (1870–1937)

Symphony No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 28 - Louis Vierne (1870–1937)
I. Allegro maestoso
II. Cantilène
III. Intermezzo
IV. Adagio
V. Final

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church presents Tigran BuniatyanSt. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church17205 County Rd 6, P...
07/20/2026

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church presents Tigran Buniatyan

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
17205 County Rd 6, Plymouth, MN 55447
Summer Organ Festival Concert Featuring Tigran Buniatyan
Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 7:00 PM

Please join us on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM for the third concert in the SPD Summer Organ Festival, which will feature renowned Armenian organist Tigran Buniatyan. The program will last 45 minutes, with cookies served afterward!

Bio:

Tigran Buniatyan received degrees in organ and harpsichord from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a master's degree in musicology from the Yerevan State Conservatory. His teachers have included James David Christie, Arvid Gast, Marie-Louise Langlais, Jean-Baptiste Robin, Mark Edwards, and Catalina Vicens, and he has participated in masterclasses with Benjamin Alard, Lisa Crawford, and Guy Bovet.

A specialist in historical keyboard instruments and early music, Buniatyan has performed throughout Europe and worked with distinguished ensembles including Tafelmusik, Apollo's Fire, the Phoenix Chorale, and the Phoenix Symphony. He has collaborated with artists Jaap ter Linden, Beth Wenstrom, Jeanne Lamon and Andre Thomas, among others. His repertoire focuses primarily on Renaissance and Baroque music.

A prizewinner in several international competitions, he has been featured in The New York Times, and his recordings have been broadcast on American Public Media.

Currently a doctoral candidate in organ at Arizona State University, where he studies with Dr. Kimberly Marshall, Buniatyan serves as Director of Music at Mountain View Lutheran Church and Christ Church of the Ascension in Arizona.

Program:

Music Through A Millennium
Dances from Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum - Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

From Armenian Liturgy
Lord, Have Mercy - Simeon Yerevantsi (7th century)

Praeludium in d - Vincent Lubeck (1654-1740)

From Armenian Liturgy
O Deep Mystery - Khachatur Taronatsi (13th century)

Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544 - Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

From Armenian Liturgy
O Wonderful (Hymn of the Blessing of Water) - Grigor Pahlavuni (12th century)

Offertoire en do mineur - Melanie Bonis (1858-1937)
Toccata - Melanie Bonis

From Armanian Liturgy
Holy, Holy, Holy - Komitas (1869-1935)
Amen, Holy is the Father - St. Nerses the Gracious (12th century)

Rorate Caeli - Jeanne Demessieux (1921-1968)

Litanies - Jehan Alain (1911-1940)

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church presents Sam BackmanSt. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church17205 County Rd 6, Plymou...
07/13/2026

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church presents Sam Backman

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
17205 County Rd 6, Plymouth, MN 55447
Summer Organ Festival Concert Featuring Sam Backman
Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 12:15 PM

Please join us on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 12:15 PM for the second concert in the SPD Summer Organ Festival, which will feature renowned Minneapolis organist Sam Backman. The program will last 45 minutes, with cookies served afterward!

Bio:

Samuel Backman is a composer, conductor, and organist based in Minneapolis. He currently serves as Director of Sacred Music at Holy Cross Catholic Church, where is conductor and founder of the Holy Cross Choir, St. Helena Singers, and Tenebrae Choir. Backman’s extensive experience as an organ recitalist includes performances at conferences hosted by the American Guild of Organists and the Church Music Association of America. He has also been featured in radio performances on the nationally-syndicated broadcast PipedreamsⓇ , hosted by Michael Barone. Backman’s compositional output features works for organ, choir, piano, chamber ensembles, and voice. His compositions and arrangements are available for purchase at www.samuelbackman.com under his self-published label, Suspirans Music. Presently, Samuel is composing his Second Organ Symphony, which will be based on Gregorian melodies and chorales for the Advent Season. He is likewise preparing to play the complete solo organ works of Maurice Duruflé in performances throughout the year 2027 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Program:

Britannia with Backman
Overture to H.M.S. Pinafore -Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)/arr. S. Backman

Two Chorale Preludes - C. Hubert H. Parry (1848-1918)
Rockingham
St. Thomas

English Folk Song Suite - Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)/arr. S. Backman
I. March: Seventeen Come Sunday
II. Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy
III. March: Folk Songs from Somerset

Elegiac Romance - John Ireland (1879-1962)

Pomp & Circumstance March No. 4 - Edward Elgar (1857-1934)/arr. G. Sinclair

TCAGO Member Performers NeededOne of the greatest strengths of our chapter is the willingness of members to share their ...
07/12/2026

TCAGO Member Performers Needed

One of the greatest strengths of our chapter is the willingness of members to share their artistry with one another and with the wider community. As we prepare for the 2026–2027 season, we invite you to consider participating in one or more of the exciting performance opportunities described below.
TCAGO Chapter members are encouraged to participate by submitting repertoire suggestions and expressing interest in the events outlined below. Here is a member performer lineup:

November 22: to showcase the recently expanded Aeolian-Skinner/Holtkamp organ at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley https://pipeorgandatabase.org/instruments/47502, let’s create a program devoted to a Selective Survey of American Composers (old and new, ‘independent thinkers’ encouraged) to continue our celebration of the 250th Anniversary of our nations’ Declaration of Independence. We’re looking to build a program of 75-80 minutes of music (not counting spoken introductions). Some organ-plus repertoire could be considered. Four centuries of American organ composers are available to draw from. Please submit several selection options, with timings, so that an interestingly varied program can be assembled…simple or scintillating, perky or profound. A pair of the Henry Martin Preludes & Fugues might be nice http://www.evensongmusic.net/?page_id=122 , or some Persichetti or Pinkham, Parker or Thayer or Chadwick or Buck, anonymous pieces from the Revolutionary or post-Revolutionary era (check out the two Barbara Owen collections). We’ll need a minimum five to six performers. Use your imagination. And check PIPEDREAMS programming for June and July. Send you repertoire to Samuel Libra, Event Curator. [email protected]


March 20, Saturday from 9AM-5PM – the annual audience-builder and crowd-pleaser Before Bach’s Birthday Bash, with hour-long concerts at Gloria Dei Lutheran, Pilgrim Congregational, Nativity of Mary, St. Thomas More, and House of Hope churches. Please submit several selection options, with timings, so that an interestingly varied program can be assembled. Michael Barone is Curator. [email protected]


May 7, Friday at 7:30PM – an Ascension-tide concert primarily devoted to the Gregorian chant-based 12 Chorale Preludes by Jeanne Demessieux…with related chants sung as introduction to each prelude…plus a complete performance of the Ascension Suite by Olivier Messiaen, featuring the 1925 Skinner chancel organ and the 1963 Aeolian-Skinner/2013 Quimby gallery organ at the Cathedral of Saint Paul, (Summit Avenue and Selby Street) in St. Paul, MN. The 12 Demessieux pieces could be divided into groups of four, the Messiaen either with a different player for each movement or 1 & 2 and 3 & 4? Joel Anderson is Curator. [email protected]

Summer Organ Festival Concert Featuring Chad FothergillSt. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church17205 County Rd 6, Plymouth,...
07/08/2026

Summer Organ Festival Concert Featuring Chad Fothergill

St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
17205 County Rd 6, Plymouth, MN 55447

Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 12:15 PM

Please join us tomorrow, Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 12:15 PM for the first concert in the SPD Summer Organ Festival, which will feature renowned organist Chad Fothergill from Duke University Chapel. The program will last 45 minutes, with cookies served afterward!

Biography:
Chad Fothergill serves as Chapel Organist at Duke University Chapel where, in addition to accompanying the Chapel Choir, he mentors the Chapel’s organ scholar, performs at weekly organ demonstrations as well as in Chapel concerts, and serves as primary organist for Duke Divinity School. Prior to his appointment at Duke, he was interim co-director of the Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University, editor of CrossAccent: Journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, an editorial assistant for Cambridge University Press, and held visiting faculty appointments at Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Delaware. He continues to serve as cantor at the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival, a four-week residential summer program for high school music students. Mr. Fothergill completed degrees in organ performance at Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Iowa. As a scholar-performer, he is frequently engaged as a worship leader, speaker, writer, consultant, and composer, and has fulfilled commissions for articles, blogs, compositions, editorials, reviews, and reference entries for several worship resources and professional journals.

Event Recap - Gregoriana Members RecitalOn May 8, 2026, members and friends of the Twin Cities chapter of the American G...
06/09/2026

Event Recap - Gregoriana Members Recital

On May 8, 2026, members and friends of the Twin Cities chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) presented a concert performance of Gregoriana, a recently published collection (Stainer & Bell) edited by Anna Lapwood. This volume features twelve Gregorian chant-based works by contemporary women composers, suitable for liturgical and/or concert performance. Composers represented in the collection are Melissa Dunphy, Zanadia Stewart Robles, Kristina Arakelyan, Grace-Evangeline Mason, Sarah MacDonald, Julia Ainscough, Rhian Samuel, Cecilia McDowall, Amy Summers, Kerensa Briggs, and Dobrinka Tabakova. Their expressive works varied from the atmospheric to the intense, though all were of an approachable technical difficulty and should prove very ‘useable’ for the skilled church musician.

The organ solos…played by Kristina Rizzotto, Diane Meredith Belcher, and Melanie Ohnstad…were preceded by the appropriate chant theme sung by a small women’s schola from the University of St. Thomas Liturgical Choir, led by Elena Bird Zolnik.
The concert took place in the resplendent acoustics of the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Minnesota’s capitol city, drawing upon the resources of the Cathedral’s 1925 Skinner (III/30) and 1963 Aeolian-Skinner (III/35), expanded in 2013 by Quimby (IV/86), which served the music perfectly.

— Michael Barone, TCAGO Program Chair

Address

17205 County Road 6
Plymouth, MN
55447

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