Columbia 2013 Regional: Top Five List for Day One

Ah, to be with friends at a regional convention . . . priceless! Missing all of you that cannot attend.

So, the top five list for Day One at the Columbia Regional:

5) Nice reception at the exhibit hall one the first floor of the Hilton. Smiles all around!
4) Got caught in the rain while walking to the hotel following the Quimby/RCYO competition at Trinity Cathedral. Hey, the rain is really keeping Columbia cool so far!!!
3) Stefan Engels playing Karg-Elert on the E.M. Skinner/Colby at Washington Street United Methodist. Lovely strings and yes, an antiphonal! Also, wonderful to hear the newly commissioned work by Trey Clegg (Toccata on "Go Tell It On The Mountain")
2) Watching the young faces of the Capella Pueri sing at the opening convocation at St. Peter's Catholic Church.
1) Listening to a great Quimby/RCYO competition this afternoon. Congrats go to all who performed. 1st Prize went to Carolyn Craig; 2nd Prize to Thomas Williford.

Photo on left: RCYO Competitors and Judges.

In back row are judges Patrick Pope, Dr. Pamela Decker, and Susan Talley.

In front are competitors Thomas Williford, David Harrison, Emily Caitlin Dowling, and Carolyn Craig.

And the winners are (from left): Thomas Williford, 2nd Prize and Carolyn Craig, 1st Prize. Carolyn will represent Region IV as a Rising Star at the National Convention in Boston. Congratulations, Carolyn!

Deadline Extended!

The deadline for applying to the upcoming POE in Birmingham has been extended to July 1. Please encourage young organists to check it out at: http://POE2013.birminghamago.org/ 

Inquiries and questions may be directed to Greg Roberson, POE 2013 Director at: poe2013@birminghamago.org.

Central Florida "Meeting of the Deans"

On Tuesday, May 14, leadership from chapters in Central Florida gathered at Hyde Park United Methodist Church. The event was hosted Penny Walsh (Tampa) and Michael Hunter (Florida District Convener). Also in attendance were Tom Huffman (Clearwater), Glenn Osborne (Central Florida), Charles and Annette Sims (St. Petersburg), Michelle Klima and Shawn Thomas (Gainesville), and your regional councillor, Laura Ellis. Always wonderful to brainstorm about the AGO with colleagues!

Pictured in front of the organ at Hyde Park UMC are (from left): Penny Walsh, Tom Huffman, Glenn Osborne, Michael Hunter, Charles Sims, Annette Sims, Michelle Klima, Laura Ellis, and Shawn Thomas.

Officers of Clearwater Chapter installed

Your Region IV Councillor had the honor of installing the new officers and executive board of the Clearwater chapter this evening. Following a wonderful meal, the chapter members had a chance to visit the recently renovated sanctuary of St. Jerome's Catholic Church, Largo, Florida. A thank you is extended to host Thomas Kurt, Director of Music at St. Jerome's Church. Thanks also to Kevin Johnson, outgoing Clearwater Dean, for inviting me down for the event!

Birmingham POE still accepting applications

Calling all young organists . . . 

The Birmingham Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) is still accepting registrations. Please visit their website at www.birminghamago.org, click on the POE link and register today! 

Greenville Chapter Meeting

Your Regional Councillor is 'on the road again!' This time for a visit to the Greenville (South Carolina) Chapter on Thursday, April 25. The meeting was held at Christ Church Episcopal (David Turner, host)  where we had a wonderful dinner, followed by an engaging talk by liturgical mystery author Mark Schweizer (https://www.sjmpbooks.com/pages/bio.html). It was a hard act to follow, but I concluded the evening with all things AGO . . . national restructuring, online dues, etc. A wonderful evening. Thank you to Charles Tompkins for inviting me to Greenville. Below is a pic of the attendees!

Congratulations to Region IV's RCYO winners!

The winners have been announced! (see previous posts) Congratulations to Carolyn Craig, Emily Caitlin Dowling, David Harrison and Thomas Williford for winning their local chapter competition of the 2103 AGO/Quimby Regional Competition for Young Organists (RCYO)!

All four young organists will be competing in the finals of the Region IV Quimby/RCYO in Columbia, South Carolina. The competition will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 3, 2013, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (http://www.trinitysc.org)

Again, thanks to all who made the local chapter competitions a success. Join me in Columbia this summer to hear these fine young organists compete! Remember, the winner will appear in Boston 2014 as Region IV's Rising Star . . . . neat, eh?