Organists (l to r) Wilson, Wiester, De Foreest, Harrod, Burke, Julander and Schlager

AGO HONORS JOHN BURKE WITH HALLOWEEN TREAT CONCERT

The American Guild of Organists (AGO) presented a recital of organ, piano, and voice Oct. 27 in Santa Rosa’s First Methodist Church, celebrating Halloween and honoring senior Sonoma County musicians. Area organists and vocalists conjured up the “Great Pumpkin” with music of Bach, Schumann, Schubert, Vierne, Boëllmann, Purvis, and Joplin, selected for a Halloween treat without tricks.

The Master of Ceremonies and Musician of Honor was organist, choral director, and teacher John Thomas Burke. He has directed choral workshops in church music and children’s choir performance throughout California in a musical career spanning 74 years, and is a past Dean of the San Francisco AGO and a former governor of the Choral Conductors Guild of California. Doug Albertson, Director of Music at the Church, and Carolyn Wiester, Dean of the Redwood Empire AGO Chapter, welcomed the audience and performers.

Composer Janis Dunson Wilson played her composition “Seasons Come to the Forest” at the three-manual, 27 rank Schoenstein organ with Mr. Albertson narrating. “Seasons” is a suite of organ music demonstrating the varied sounds of the pipe organ for young people. Vocal selections followed the organ suite with soprano Janice Hall singing Robert Schumann’s “Requiem,” opus 90, No. 7, and Mr. Albertson sang Schubert’s “Der Erlkönig,” elegantly accompanied on the piano by Mr. Burke.

Organists Douglas DeForeest, Jim Harrod, Evelyn Schlager, Carolyn Wiester, Layten Heckman and Harold Julander played familiar selections, chosen mostly to thrill and excite the audience with a pretense of ghostly fright.

The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is the national organization for professional organists, choral directors, and organ music devotees. The local chapter presents many programs, and information is at www.agohq.org/chapters/redwoodempire.