Playing at the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists in Seattle

At the beginning of July, I was honored to be the guest organist for the opening Evensong service of the National Convention for the American Guild of Organists (AGO) in Seattle, WA. This was the first opportunity for organists across the nation to gather in person since July 2018, after the 2020 conference in Atlanta was cancelled due to COVID. This conference in Seattle happened to be my first, both as a performer and an attendee, and I had a lovely experience being a part of it!

Evensong is a form of worship traditionally found in the Anglican and Episcopal denominations – it is a succinct form of Evening Prayer that combines centering prayers, lessons from the Old and New Testaments, uplifting musical settings of Psalms, the Magnificat (Song of Mary, from Luke 1:46-55) and the Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon, from Luke 2:29-32), plus a choral anthem or two. This type of service is especially familiar to me after my two stints working in the U.K., where I played for three or four Evensongs every week, and it was such a joy to get to contribute to worship in this format once again.

There is nothing quite like accompanying hymns at an organists’ convention. While many of us tend to be hidden away from the congregation at our organ consoles on an average Sunday morning, the truth is that most of us love to sing! The beautiful church of Epiphany Parish, where the service was held, was filled with hundreds of organists, each singing their heart out, and it was a FABULOUS sound which lifted my spirits. I feel very lucky that our congregation here at Glenn is also a “singing” congregation that isn’t shy about praising God loudly and proudly. For me personally, communal singing is such an inspiring and important component of worship. I was also so pleased to work with the two talented musicians in residence at Epiphany, Zach Hemenway and Wyatt Smith (see picture below), as well as their stellar choir, which is hugely blessed in both talent and number.

Throughout the week following this opening Evensong, I enjoyed several other worship services (Lutheran Midday Prayer, Catholic Vespers, an Advent Procession at St. Mark’s Cathedral, and a Hymn Festival), tons of organ recitals by hugely talented performers on interesting instruments in and around Seattle, stimulating presentations and panel discussions (an example of some of the papers on offer: “The Role of the Organ in the African-American Church,” “Strategies for Productive Practicing,” “Muscular Awareness in Organ Performing,” “The Organ in America since 1975,” and way more), and importantly, many opportunities for socializing and networking with wonderful colleagues.

The pipe organ can be quite a solitary instrument; aside from my collaborations with a choir or a congregation in worship, the majority of my time is spent practicing alone, normally in an empty church. So, it was especially refreshing to spend so much time with like-minded colleagues, exchanging ideas about repertoire worth performing, liturgical and artistic choices worth trying, and tactics for managing stress and avoiding burnout.

I am so glad to have played a small part in this gathering of organists, and I was very proud to represent Atlanta and Glenn Memorial on this national scale!

-Käthe Wright Kaufman
Associate Director of Music and Worship Arts at Glenn