In memorium: Dr. Parley L. Belnap

I regret to announce that Dr. Parley L. Belnap passed away Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 7, 2018, in the company of his family.

Dr. Belnap studied with many notable organists, including Marcel Dupré and Flor Peeters, and taught many notable organists including tabernacle organists Clay Christiansen, Linda Margetts, and Andrew Unsworth, as well as Ryan T. Murphy, the associate music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Michael Ohman, another notable organist and former student shared an interview he had with Parley, which is a wonderful life history that I recommend reading.

In the words of Dr. Don Cook, "The BYU Organ Program is now enjoying the benefits of Dr. Belnap’s vision. For example, the group organ program with its organ lab and the Independent Study organ courses were his brain children. The wonderfully varied practice organs were designed and installed under his leadership. His Hymn Studies for Organists is still an excellent resource for hymn playing."

The Utah Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is presenting a recital in his honor this Saturday, November 10, at 6:00 p.m. in the American Fork East Stake Center, 825 East 500 North, American Fork, UT. As part of this event, tributes from Dr. Belnap's former students have been gathered and will be shared. These tributes will also be made available on the UVAGO website in the near future.

 "I felt I wanted to bring scholarship, spirituality, expertise and excellence to BYU because it’s such a wonderful place. I wanted to share with good students what I’d learned from all my experiences...It’s an honor to serve in this great church, to train the talented people whom I’ve been privileged to train....I have a firm testimony of the restoration of the gospel, that God lives, and that Jesus is the Christ. I’m thankful for my wonderful years at BYU, and the wonderful students and faculty associates. I have much to thank the Lord for."  -- Dr. Parley Belnap

BYU Organ Workshop Notes and Pictures

Are you following this blog on the facebook page?  If not, you're missing out on so much!  Check it out today for pictures and notes from the BYU Organ Workshop!

13th Annual BYU Organ Workshop

Registration for the 13th Annual BYU Organ Workshop is now open!

In the past, I've shared how wonderful this workshop is.  I believe that it is invaluable to organists of all levels.  I highly encourage my readers to attend!  Plus, this year participants will also have the opportunity to play a Temple Square organ on Wednesday evening.

If you register before April 4th, you'll receive an Early Bird Discount, so don't delay!

http://ce.byu.edu/cw/organ/index.php

Today is World Organ Day!

Today is World Organ Day! Click here for a list of concerts that are being held today.

Sacred music regulates the Notre Dame cathedral’s life since its construction and the organ has been there since the beginning. First in the choir only, then hanged in the nave, an organ was built on the gallery in 1401 and became after many restorations and reconstructions, one of the most famous organs in the world: The Great Organ of Notre-Dame de Paris.Thanks to it, Organ music regulates the cathedral life since its early times. It is to pay tribute to this music that during the 850th anniversary, on May 6th 2013 will the World Organ Day 2013 be held.

This global event is completely new. It will consist in more than 850 concerts which will make the repertoire of Notre-Dame de Paris ring out in places of worship and concert halls on the five continents. Due to time differences the concerts will stretch on more than 24 hours, giving this event proportions without precedent.

The concerts are coordinated by Notre-Dame de Paris 2013 association in partnership with several organists associations but independently organized by each place of worship or concert hall. In order to introduce or help the widest audience to rediscover the beauty of organ music, many media-related means will be displayed to give more visibility to this instrument which is sometimes unrecognized by the general public.

Take some time today to share the organ with others.

You may not be able to attend or perform in a recital, but there are other things that you can do to promote and celebrate the king of instruments, the organ. Perhaps you can play your favorite piece for a friend or family member, introduce someone to a new prelude piece, make posts on Facebook concerning World Organ Day, post links to your favorite organ repertoire, or offer to give someone a free organ lesson. There are all kinds of possibilities!

Monday is World Organ Day

Monday is World Organ Day. This global event is completely new. It will consist in more than 850 concerts which will make the repertoire of Notre-Dame de Paris ring out in places of worship and concert halls on the five continents. Due to time differences the concerts will stretch on more than 24 hours, giving this event proportions without precedent.

The concerts are coordinated by Notre-Dame de Paris 2013 association in partnership with several organists associations but independently organized by each place of worship or concert hall. In order to introduce or help the widest audience to rediscover the beauty of organ music, many media-related means will be displayed to give more visibility to this instrument which is sometimes unrecognized by the general public.  Click here for more information.

BYU Organ Workshop: Register Before April 1st and save

I have mentioned the BYU Organ Workshop on this blog in the past.  Here's an email I received this past week:

Our 2013 BYU Organ Workshop will be held August 6-9 and we’d love to have you attend again to refresh and sharpen your organ-playing skills. If you attended before and hope to return, Monday, April 1 is the deadline for the “early bird discount.”  Please spread the word to others who may be interested and get the best buy for your money by registering before the price rises.

Here’s our web site http://organworkshop.byu.edu or you can do it by phone at 1-877-221-6716. Hope to see you in August!

BYU Organ Workshop

Every year about this time, Brigham Young University puts on an Organ Workshop that is absolutely amazing!  This year's workshop begins this afternoon from 3:00-7:00 p.m. with a preworkshop seminar: “A Survey of Latter-day Saint Hymnody: 1835 to the Present” with Douglas Bush.

If you haven't preregistered, it's not too late! You can register tomorrow morning from 8:00-9:00 a.m. in the Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU for only $290 for four full days of organ instruction.

I attended the workshop the past two years, and I can tell you that it's worth every penny! This year the participants will also have the opportunity to play a Temple Square organ on Wednesday evening.

If you can't make it this year, start saving so that you can attend next summer. It will expand your view as to what the organ can do, and it could quite possibly change your life for the better.

If you happen to be in or around Provo, UT this week, there are a few activities that are open to all:

• Monday, July 30: Pre-Workshop Seminar -A Survey of Latter-day Saint Hymnody: 1835 to the Present, Dr. Douglas Bush, 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., Madsen Recital Hall, BYU
• Tuesday, July 31: Organ Recital - Dr. Don Cook, 7:30 p.m., new BYU Multi-Stake Building, 900 E 300 N, Provo
• Thursday, August 2: Hymn Sing: Celebrating 175 Years of Latter-day Saint Hymnody, Dr. Douglas Bush, 7:30 p.m., De Jong Concert Hall, BYU

Unfortunately, for multiple reasons I am unable to attend the workshop this year. I'm still hoping to attend the Hymn Sing on Thursday evening, and highly recommend it. My first hymn sing with a trained organist was one of the most spiritually exhilarating experiences of my life!  I had no idea how effectively a trained organist could capture and share the spirit of the hymns.

There is such a thing as a free lunch!

If you live in or are visiting Utah, mark your calendars for April 21, 2012 (TOMORROW!) from 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

The Utah Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is presenting Super Saturday, Training for the Church Organist (a free event with lunch included). The event will be held at the Harris Fine Arts building on the BYU campus in Provo, UT. This year's keynote speaker is Tabernacle Organist Clay Christiansen. Clay will also be presiding over a hymn playing masterclass and doing an organ music demonstration. There will also be many classes for beginning, intermediate, and advanced organists.

Workshop instructors will include Tabernacle Organist, Clay Christiansen, BYU organ faculty, and other AGO organ specialists. These classes include:

Organ Essentials I, Manual Technique
Organ Essentials II, Pedal Technique
Organ Essentials III, Registration
Advanced Registration
Preludes From Hymns
Hymn Master Class
Hymn Playing Protocol
New In Print Music
Theory for Organists
Organ Arrangements from Piano Choir Music
Organ Lab Instruction
Inside a Pipe Organ
Service Playing: Worship or Performance
Pianist to Organist & Other Organ Resources
Understanding Hymn Text
Performing with Confidence
30 minute recital: Parker Ludwig

It will be a great day of workshops, and best of all, everything (including lunch) is free! If you live close enough to come, I highly recommend it.  I'll be helping in the organ lab during the first hour of classes, and playing for the master class the second hour. 

Hope to see you there!

If you don't live close to Provo, UT, check the AGO website to find a chapter near you:
http://www.agohq.org/regional/index.html
The American Guild of Organists is a wonderful resource for organists, and if you aren't already, I recommend that you become involved in your local chapter.

Day 1 of the BYU Organ Workshop

After registering I had some pumpkin bread and milk and now I'm sitting in the Madsen Recital Hall in anticipation of the opening session. As I looked over my preferred classes, I was very excited to see that I'll be spending my early afternoon with Linda Margetts!

My plan for today is to either attend Highlights from the History of the Organ or Playing Bach's Greatest Hits; Organ Building and Registration: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands; practice during the lunch hour; attend the Level 4 Organ Technique and Repertoire class; Hymn Improvisation; another hour of practice; then end with Putting it all Together: Getting our Congregations to Sing.

I'm also looking forward to Lella Pomeroy's concert this evening. If you're local, you can attend the evening activities. Her concert is at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall at BYU. Tomorrow evening is the Hymn Sing with Bonnie Goodliffe and it will be amazing!

At the BYU Organ Workshop

I'm currently at the BYU Organ Workshop and have enjoyed Dr. Bush's pre-workshop class. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed on the right column of this site. Technology permitting, I'll try to keep it going. Also, feel free to follow this blog on facebook. There's a link on the right-hand side as well.

Thanks for reading and if you're here too, let me know!

Utah Super Saturday

The Utah Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists is hosting a Super Saturday this Saturday, April 24th, at BYU in Provo, UT.

Pianists and organists of all ages are invited to attend, and admission (including the lunch) is free.

The keynote speaker is W. Herbert Klopfer, member of the General Music Committee of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Pre-registration is required for individual instruction.

Check-in is at 8:00 a.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall South Foyer.

For more information, follow these links:
General Information Flyer
Schedule of Events

*** If you know of an event in your area that you would like featured on this blog, please leave a comment on one of the posts. Thanks! ***