________________________________________________________
This past weekend, my church choir and a few friends recorded two segments for a BBC
documentary entitled Charles Wesley Songs of Praise, to be aired in the fall in Great
Britain. We auditioned several weeks ago and later received word that we were going to
be the Savannah choir featured on this program. This past Saturday, we did the audio
portion at First Presbyterian (recent Schleuter organ), then traveled to St. Simon's Island
for the video portion on Sunday. The video part took seven hours to shoot! Grueling, to
say the least, but fun. Basically, we did lip-syncing to the audio recording from the day
before, while the cameramen shot the entire choir, first, then zoomed in on individuals
while we sang two lines of a hymn over and over. The hymns chosen were 'Jesu, Lover of
My Soul' to the Aberystwyth tune, and 'Behold the Servant of the Lord' to a Mozart tune,
arr. Paul Leddington Wright. The latter was really lovely, and makes a great summer
anthem! This was a great group building activity, and we were honored to have been a
part of this. We'll have a viewing of the program when the BBC sends us a copy.
This past weekend, my church choir and a few friends recorded two segments for a BBC
documentary entitled Charles Wesley Songs of Praise, to be aired in the fall in Great
Britain. We auditioned several weeks ago and later received word that we were going to
be the Savannah choir featured on this program. This past Saturday, we did the audio
portion at First Presbyterian (recent Schleuter organ), then traveled to St. Simon's Island
for the video portion on Sunday. The video part took seven hours to shoot! Grueling, to
say the least, but fun. Basically, we did lip-syncing to the audio recording from the day
before, while the cameramen shot the entire choir, first, then zoomed in on individuals
while we sang two lines of a hymn over and over. The hymns chosen were 'Jesu, Lover of
My Soul' to the Aberystwyth tune, and 'Behold the Servant of the Lord' to a Mozart tune,
arr. Paul Leddington Wright. The latter was really lovely, and makes a great summer
anthem! This was a great group building activity, and we were honored to have been a
part of this. We'll have a viewing of the program when the BBC sends us a copy.
St. John’s Episcopal Choirs in England
The Girls, Boys and Adult Choirs of St. John’s Episcopal Church traveled to Britain this
summer to serve as choir-in-residence for one week at Lichfield Cathedral in the West
Midlands. Lichfield Cathedral is a Medieval cathedral built at the site where St. Chad, a 7th
century bishop, did most of his work. During the week, the choirs sang a full Choral
Evensong each night from Monday to Sunday, plus the Holy Eucharist service on Sunday
morning. Each day started with a rehearsal in the choir room which is located in one of the
front towers. Everyone walked up two flights of circular stone stairs to reach the cramped
little room. After rehearsal a tour or activity was scheduled, allowing people to see religious
and historic sites. One of the highlights of the week was when one of the cathedral priests
took choir members, including children, up to the cathedral library to see some very old
books. Among the items shown were a 14th century Wycliffe Bible and 15th century Great
Bible, as well as two early versions of the King James Bible with a couple of glaring errors.
This is a part of the cathedral not open to the typical tourist. The choir returned for warm-up
and Choral Evensong each afternoon. During the week the choir stayed in the George Hotel,
originally an eighteenth century inn. Although it has been expanded and taken over by Best
Western Hotels, it retains its historic charm. After dinner each night, the choirmaster led a
gaggle of children to a nearby playground while the adults enjoyed the ministrations of the
hotel lounge. It was a week of spiritual and musical growth. In addition, both adults and
children learned much and of course, had fun. As Sunday drew to a close, some of the
children expressed sadness that the residency was coming to an end, not only because of
the “fun” activities but because singing in the cathedral itself had come to mean so much to
them over the course of the week.
The Girls, Boys and Adult Choirs of St. John’s Episcopal Church traveled to Britain this
summer to serve as choir-in-residence for one week at Lichfield Cathedral in the West
Midlands. Lichfield Cathedral is a Medieval cathedral built at the site where St. Chad, a 7th
century bishop, did most of his work. During the week, the choirs sang a full Choral
Evensong each night from Monday to Sunday, plus the Holy Eucharist service on Sunday
morning. Each day started with a rehearsal in the choir room which is located in one of the
front towers. Everyone walked up two flights of circular stone stairs to reach the cramped
little room. After rehearsal a tour or activity was scheduled, allowing people to see religious
and historic sites. One of the highlights of the week was when one of the cathedral priests
took choir members, including children, up to the cathedral library to see some very old
books. Among the items shown were a 14th century Wycliffe Bible and 15th century Great
Bible, as well as two early versions of the King James Bible with a couple of glaring errors.
This is a part of the cathedral not open to the typical tourist. The choir returned for warm-up
and Choral Evensong each afternoon. During the week the choir stayed in the George Hotel,
originally an eighteenth century inn. Although it has been expanded and taken over by Best
Western Hotels, it retains its historic charm. After dinner each night, the choirmaster led a
gaggle of children to a nearby playground while the adults enjoyed the ministrations of the
hotel lounge. It was a week of spiritual and musical growth. In addition, both adults and
children learned much and of course, had fun. As Sunday drew to a close, some of the
children expressed sadness that the residency was coming to an end, not only because of
the “fun” activities but because singing in the cathedral itself had come to mean so much to
them over the course of the week.
___________________________________________________________
Tim Hall Attends French Organ Music Seminar
In July of 2006, Wesley Monumental UMC honored Timothy Hall on his Fifteenth Anniversary as
Director of Music and Organist. During an after-church reception, hall was presented with a
study trip to Paris, France as a participant in the French Organ Music Seminar.
The biennial French Organ Music Seminar took place June 29-July 7, 2007 in Paris, France.
The Seminar gives American organists the opportunity not only to hear the major organs in and
around Paris played by world-renowned artists, but also to play these instruments, themselves,
and to study in private and group lessons with experts in the field of French organ music. This
year’s participants numbered around thirty, including one participant from Poland, and we stayed
in two adjacent hotels near the Montmartre district. (The window of my hotel room overlooked
the Montmartre Cemetery, where I later found the graves of Adolphe Adam, Hector Berlioz, the
Boulanger sisters, Leo Delibes and Jacques Offenbach, just to name a few. I later visited
Montparnasse Cemetery, where I found the graves of Aristide Cavaille-Coll, Cesar Franck and
Camille Saint-Saens.)
A typical day began with a big breakfast in the hotel (we really needed it, as we might not eat
again until late afternoon or early evening), meeting of groups in the hotel lobby at 9 a.m., travel
via The Metro to three or four different churches for organ demonstrations, master classes or
lessons and as much individual playing as time would allow. Most of our days ended somewhere
around 10 p.m.
Highlights of the week included being in the organ loft at Notre Dame with Olivier Latry, Titulaire
Organist, for a rehearsal of the Langlais Mass to be performed by three American choirs, as well
as being in the loft for the actual Sunday mass and watching Latry at work (absolutely amazing),
playing the organ Widor once played at St. Sulpice, with Titulaire Organist Daniel Roth pulling
stops, studying at the Paris Conservatory with Marie-Louise Langlais, playing Gounod’s organ at
St. Cloud and spending an hour in the Durufle apartment, just to name a few. I heard Franck’s
organ at St. Clotilde being tuned on a very stormy day. Would you believe I ran into a
vacationing Savannah family one day in Notre Dame?
Upon my arrival home, someone asked me to sum up in two sentences what this trip meant to
me. (I think I can do it in three.) I found visiting Paris for the first time absolutely thrilling, and I
can’t help feeling as though I left part of myself behind which might need to be retrieved on
another trip. I have heard about Cavaille-Coll organs for over thirty years, and now I know what
everyone was so excited about. (If you haven’t heard them, go!) Finally, to experience the
master classes and private lessons with such masters of the organ as Marie-Louise Langlais,
Susan Landale, Frederic Blanc, Naji Hakim and Francois Espinasse was among the greatest
musicals experiences of my life, and I am eternally grateful.
For more information on the French Organ Music Seminar, as well as its British and German
counterparts, the web site is www.bfoms.com.
James Richardson and Choir in Switzerland
James Richardson and the choir from First Baptist Church attended the International Church
Music Festival held in Bern, Switzerland, June 18-26, 2007. The festival was conducted by Sir
David Willcocks and Paul Leddington Wright.
The repertoire included Schubert’s Mass in B Flat, Mozart’s Te Deum, and Handel’s Messiah—
Part Three.
There were choirs participating from the USA, Switzerland, England, Holland, the Ukraine, Kenya,
the Slovak Republic, and Greece.
James served as organist for the worship services and the gala concert which was also
accompanied by a full orchestra.
_________________________________________________________
Tim Hall Attends French Organ Music Seminar
In July of 2006, Wesley Monumental UMC honored Timothy Hall on his Fifteenth Anniversary as
Director of Music and Organist. During an after-church reception, hall was presented with a
study trip to Paris, France as a participant in the French Organ Music Seminar.
The biennial French Organ Music Seminar took place June 29-July 7, 2007 in Paris, France.
The Seminar gives American organists the opportunity not only to hear the major organs in and
around Paris played by world-renowned artists, but also to play these instruments, themselves,
and to study in private and group lessons with experts in the field of French organ music. This
year’s participants numbered around thirty, including one participant from Poland, and we stayed
in two adjacent hotels near the Montmartre district. (The window of my hotel room overlooked
the Montmartre Cemetery, where I later found the graves of Adolphe Adam, Hector Berlioz, the
Boulanger sisters, Leo Delibes and Jacques Offenbach, just to name a few. I later visited
Montparnasse Cemetery, where I found the graves of Aristide Cavaille-Coll, Cesar Franck and
Camille Saint-Saens.)
A typical day began with a big breakfast in the hotel (we really needed it, as we might not eat
again until late afternoon or early evening), meeting of groups in the hotel lobby at 9 a.m., travel
via The Metro to three or four different churches for organ demonstrations, master classes or
lessons and as much individual playing as time would allow. Most of our days ended somewhere
around 10 p.m.
Highlights of the week included being in the organ loft at Notre Dame with Olivier Latry, Titulaire
Organist, for a rehearsal of the Langlais Mass to be performed by three American choirs, as well
as being in the loft for the actual Sunday mass and watching Latry at work (absolutely amazing),
playing the organ Widor once played at St. Sulpice, with Titulaire Organist Daniel Roth pulling
stops, studying at the Paris Conservatory with Marie-Louise Langlais, playing Gounod’s organ at
St. Cloud and spending an hour in the Durufle apartment, just to name a few. I heard Franck’s
organ at St. Clotilde being tuned on a very stormy day. Would you believe I ran into a
vacationing Savannah family one day in Notre Dame?
Upon my arrival home, someone asked me to sum up in two sentences what this trip meant to
me. (I think I can do it in three.) I found visiting Paris for the first time absolutely thrilling, and I
can’t help feeling as though I left part of myself behind which might need to be retrieved on
another trip. I have heard about Cavaille-Coll organs for over thirty years, and now I know what
everyone was so excited about. (If you haven’t heard them, go!) Finally, to experience the
master classes and private lessons with such masters of the organ as Marie-Louise Langlais,
Susan Landale, Frederic Blanc, Naji Hakim and Francois Espinasse was among the greatest
musicals experiences of my life, and I am eternally grateful.
For more information on the French Organ Music Seminar, as well as its British and German
counterparts, the web site is www.bfoms.com.
James Richardson and Choir in Switzerland
James Richardson and the choir from First Baptist Church attended the International Church
Music Festival held in Bern, Switzerland, June 18-26, 2007. The festival was conducted by Sir
David Willcocks and Paul Leddington Wright.
The repertoire included Schubert’s Mass in B Flat, Mozart’s Te Deum, and Handel’s Messiah—
Part Three.
There were choirs participating from the USA, Switzerland, England, Holland, the Ukraine, Kenya,
the Slovak Republic, and Greece.
James served as organist for the worship services and the gala concert which was also
accompanied by a full orchestra.
_________________________________________________________
A note from Pamela Radford, organist at 1st Presbyterian Church, Statesboro,
Ga. and Savannah AGO member.
I just returned from Italy on a tour with Maureen Simpson and St. Mary Help of Christians
Choir. We did 3 concerts and 4 Masses in Assisi, Orvieto, and Rome. Here's a picture of
me at the console of the organ in St. Peter's Basilica. In the background is the Altar of
St. Peter's Chair. Needless to say it was a thrilling experience. We also an audience with
the Pope and performed there.
Ga. and Savannah AGO member.
I just returned from Italy on a tour with Maureen Simpson and St. Mary Help of Christians
Choir. We did 3 concerts and 4 Masses in Assisi, Orvieto, and Rome. Here's a picture of
me at the console of the organ in St. Peter's Basilica. In the background is the Altar of
St. Peter's Chair. Needless to say it was a thrilling experience. We also an audience with
the Pope and performed there.
Martha Price Thompson—Vidalia, Georgia
Martha worked her way through Bessie Tift college in
Forsyth, Ga. as a concert organist. She was organist and
music director at Forsyth 1st Baptist Church, played organ
for special events at the old Macon City Auditorium, and
was substitute organist at Atlanta’s “The Temple” Jewish
Synagogue and played for USO shows on the “Mighty Mo”
pipe organ in Atlanta’s Fox Theater.
Martha was also organist, music director and a children’s
choir director at Vidalia 1st Baptist Church from 1950-
1971. In 1964, she directed the first ever performance in
Vidalia of Handel’s Messiah.
The year 2007 marked the centennial anniversary of
Washington’s National Cathedral in our nation’s capital. In
recognition of Martha’s 80th birthday, as well as her 60th
anniversary as a member of the AGO, the Music Office at
National Cathedral invited Martha to come to Washington
to tour the Cathedral and to actually play the Great
Organ. This was a life-long dream come true for her.
The Chapter would like to congratulate Martha Price
Thompson!
Thanks to AndyThompson for permission to reprint this
tribute to his mother.
Martha worked her way through Bessie Tift college in
Forsyth, Ga. as a concert organist. She was organist and
music director at Forsyth 1st Baptist Church, played organ
for special events at the old Macon City Auditorium, and
was substitute organist at Atlanta’s “The Temple” Jewish
Synagogue and played for USO shows on the “Mighty Mo”
pipe organ in Atlanta’s Fox Theater.
Martha was also organist, music director and a children’s
choir director at Vidalia 1st Baptist Church from 1950-
1971. In 1964, she directed the first ever performance in
Vidalia of Handel’s Messiah.
The year 2007 marked the centennial anniversary of
Washington’s National Cathedral in our nation’s capital. In
recognition of Martha’s 80th birthday, as well as her 60th
anniversary as a member of the AGO, the Music Office at
National Cathedral invited Martha to come to Washington
to tour the Cathedral and to actually play the Great
Organ. This was a life-long dream come true for her.
The Chapter would like to congratulate Martha Price
Thompson!
Thanks to AndyThompson for permission to reprint this
tribute to his mother.
Martha rescued this 1800's
church organ from the back
porch of a Michigan farm house.
church organ from the back
porch of a Michigan farm house.
| LOCAL STARS |
| Photo courtesy of Timothy Hall |