Welcome to Suffolk AGO

Welcome to the website of the Suffolk Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO).  We are a not-for-profit organization of professional musicians, educators, choir directors,  organ builders, and amateur organists and enthusiasts from all walks of life.  The Suffolk Chapter carries out the mission of the American Guild of Organists locally by sponsoring workshops, masterclasses, scholarship awards, recitals and other activities to promote the continuing education of organists and choir directors, as well as to create a fellowship of all people who love the organ and organ music. The chapter serves the western portion of Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, and is one of 28 chapters in the New York-Northern New Jersey area (Region II).

We meet on a regular basis throughout the year and hold annual events such as the Children's Choir Directors' Workshop and Children's Choir Festival, the Organ Expo, and the Scholarship Recital and Awards for students of the organ, in addition to other workshops and lecture/recitals led by members and guests.   In some cases we partner with neighboring chapters in the Long Island/New York City area to organize activities.  Meetings are educational and informal. 

This is the International Year of the Organ

 
The Suffolk Chapter's celebration began when we joined over 200 other chapters in the United States, Canada, and abroad in presenting an Organ Spectacular recital on Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 7:30 pm.  See Chapter News below for more about the Organ Spectacular.  

In addition, on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 7:30 pm, the Suffolk Chapter will join the Nassau and Queens Chapters in sponsoring a grand organ concert, together with St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, by the international star of the popular television series Joy of Music,  Diane Bish.  


View a brief video of Diane Bish thanking the AGO for its promotion of the International Year of the Organ by clicking on the picture at right.

View a brief video of Michael Barone, host of the nationally broadcast radio program, Pipedreams, in which he supports the AGO's International Year of the Organ, by clicking on the picture at left.




Learn more about the events by selecting Chapter Programs from the menu at the top of this page. 

Next Chapter Meeting:

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 7:30 pm Diane Bish in Concert

A concert by the inimitable Ms. Bish, international star of television's Joy of Music program. Co-sponsored by Nassau, Queens, and Suffolk Chapters, together with St. Agnes Cathedral. Tickets: $20 Adults; $15 Students, Seniors, and members of sponsoring AGO chapters with valid membership card. St. Agnes Cathedral, 29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, NY 11570.

Learn more about this year's activities and upcoming meetings by clicking here or by selecting Chapter Programs from the menu at the top of the page.


Chapter News

On Sunday, October 19, 2008 the Suffolk Chapter presented "Organ Spectacular" to launch its celebration of the International Year of the Organ. The evening was filled with a variety of wonderful repertoire from Bach to Messiaen, along with some delightful original compositions and arrangements by member-performers as well as the featured piece for the program, Ornament of Grace by Bernard Sanders. David Bouchier, radio host of local NPR affiliate WSHU-FM, introduced each selection on the program with humorous and informative comments about the composer and the performer. A large crowd of approximately 200 people was in attendance, and the recital was very well received.

Thanks are due to many people for making the Organ Spectacular such a success. The Chapter thanks David Bouchier for donating his time and talent to host our recital with such style and grace, and WSHU-FM radio for its donation of broadcast announcements to publicize
our recital. The Chapter thanks St. James RC Church of Setauket, the Reverend Robert Smith, Pastor, and James Sheridan, Director of Music, for their continuing support of Suffolk AGO and for hosting our event that evening. The Chapter also thanks all our advertisers, all the Organ Spectacular committtee members who coordinated the event, and of course our performers for "answering the call."





Membership
Keeping your membership current means you can continue to receive the national magazine and our newsletter, Suffolk Soundings, as well as benefit from our chapter programs. The new membership year starts July 1st, and renewal forms were sent out to members in early June by US Mail. If you've misplaced your renewal form or you're joining us for the first time, you can click here and print out a copy.

If you're not a member yet, learn more about the benefits of membership by clicking here or by selecting "Join the AGO" in the Menu at the top of this page.

Scholarships
Learn more about Suffolk AGO Scholarships by clicking here or by selecting Scholarships from the menu at the top of this page.   

AGO Substitute List
All members receive a comprehensive list of substitute organists each month in our newsletter, Suffolk Soundings.    

AGO Placement List
Churches, temples, and other organizations who are searching for directors of music, organists, and choir directors advertise their open positions in our newsletter, Suffolk Soundings,  as well as here on the website.  If you have an open position to advertise, learn more about listing your position with the Suffolk Chapter of the AGO by clicking here or by selecting Placement in the menu at the top of this page.

For Sale
We occasionally list items that may be of interest to our members.  Learn more about sale items by clicking here or by selecting Placement from the menu at the top of the page.