Dear SVAGO Members,
We have just slid into Advent and I wish you all of you who are on the bench the best to make it through: power on!
Recapping this fall……
- Thanks to Patrick, we had a really nice turn-out at the now annual SVAGO end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall potluck! Great community and food!
- We marched onward to the Pipescreams concert in October. It could not have happened without the efforts of Patti Bowen, Steven Egler, Gregg Largent (who was a SPECTACULAR MC!), and of course, our “site manager”: Jan Sutherland. Much thanks to Jan for coordinating the event on her end at First Presbyterian Church in Bay City. Performers included: Chelsea Worden, Mary Jo Cox (piano), Jay Michaud, David King (recitation of “The Raven”), Mark Cox (tuba), Patti Bowen, Steve Egler, and Jan Sutherland.
- Shortly thereafter, Memorial Presbyterian Church of Midland hosted the annual Kent Dennis Recital and our featured performers/members were: Jay Michaud, Chelsea Worden, Calla Ringgenberg, Patti Bowen, Jon Eifert, and Timothy Nechuta. It was a wonderful recital with great music!
At this time of year, we are charged with electing new officers. I wish to say a large thank you to Patrick Winningham, Brian Heinlein, and Annelise Holcomb for their service on the board and to our AGO membership. Many thanks to Steve Egler who chaired the Nominating Committee. The AGO Bylaws state that a chapter should fill the positions of dean, treasurer, and secretary—all based on the size of the chapter. In our case, we need a dean, treasurer, sub-dean, secretary, and a webmaster. Our chapter size is diminishing, thus the Nominating Committee and myself have mutually decided to eliminate the members at large. This may change in coming years, but for now, it reflects the size of our membership.
Our slate of officers for the next term (2024-2026) is:
- Dean: Adrienne Wiley
- Sub-Dean: Jon Eiffert
- Treasurer: Patti Bowen
- Secretary: Chelsea Worden
- Webmaster: Jay Michaud
See the following from Chapter Election Procedures from the Chapter Management Handbook:
- 6. The slate of nominees submitted by the nominating committee must be delivered to the executive committee, recorded in the minutes, and announced in writing to the membership by March 1. If a chapter operates on a two-year election cycle, theannouncement to the membership must be by March 1 of even-numbered years.
- 7. Additional nominations may be made by petition of at least five voting members in good standing and should be received by the secretary no later than April 1 (or within 30 days after the members have been given the nominating committee's slate, whichever is later).
- (Since we currently do not have a Secretary, this petition should be delivered to Steven Egler, Nominating Committee Chair. <egler1s@cmich.edu>)
- (Since we currently do not have a Secretary, this petition should be delivered to Steven Egler, Nominating Committee Chair. <egler1s@cmich.edu>)
- 8. The election must be concluded by May 31. See "Balloting Procedures" in this section for procedures. A plurality (more votes than for any other candidate) of votes cast is sufficient for election.
Both Patti and I have agreed to stay on and continue in our positions. . Annelise is stepping down (due to the birth of her daughter, Iris, in October!) thus Jay has accepted the position. Both Chelsea and Jon have agreed to join in on the board. While the slate of officers has been suggested, actual voting (according the to AGO bylaws) does not happen until May 31. STAY TUNED AND BE READY TO SUPPORT THESE GREAT PEOPLE!
Other news:
- January 31 is the deadline for applications through the Midland Community Foundation for the Kent Dennis Scholarship. Pianists and organists can apply. Auditions are scheduled (tentatively) at Memorial Presbyterian Church of Midland, March 29, at 5:00 p.m. Spread the word!
- And: programs for the 2023-2024 year are finished. This is a year to re-group, of sorts, save our money, and also invest in the forgotten “Organ Tune Up” program. Patti and I have been working on this. Years ago the SVAGO chapter offered this program during the summer months to student and adult organists to get them involved in taking organ lessons during for a nominal fee. We are working on this and should have more information after the New Year. We need to grow our membership and our visibility to young people—getting them involved is so important as they could be our future church musicians.
I would like to thank you all for your patience with me as a new leader of this organization. Learning the ropes and trying to do what is in the best interest of the SVAGO is top of my list.
I hope you all make it through the Advent/Christmas Season with great joy and look forward to another great year ahead.
All the best,
Adrienne Wiley
Dean, SVAGO