Event: “Nurturing Young Organists for the Church” workshop
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008
Time: 1:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Music Center
Cost: Free, though registration required
For more information: Call the Goshen College Music Center at (574) 535-7361
Web site: www.gcmusiccenter.org

Goshen College offers workshop on encouraging young organists in the church Jan. 19

GOSHEN, Ind. – The Goshen College Music Center is sponsoring a daylong workshop, “Nurturing Young Organists for the Church,” on Saturday, Jan. 19. The free event (registration required) will explore the challenges of attracting and preparing young organists for musical leadership in the church. Professor Carole Terry, from the University of Washington-Seattle, will be the workshop’s resource person and recitalist.

Workshop activities are scheduled from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Goshen College Music Center. Events will include group discussions, an organ master class and a concluding organ recital by Terry at 7:30 p.m. in Rieth Recital Hall on GC’s Taylor and Boody pipe organ. Organ teachers and student organists are especially encouraged to participate.

“Churches everywhere are facing the challenge of finding enough trained organists,” said organist and Assistant Professor of Music Christine Thögersen, one of the workshop planners. “If there is to be renewed interest in the instrument, it is imperative that all of us work together to mentor young musicians. This could mean simply encouraging a young person to consider playing or be as far-reaching as helping through financial support for lessons.”

Terry is professor of organ and harpsichord at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle. As a member of the College of Mentors at The John Ernest Foundation, her role is to promote the enrichment of young organ scholars, organ performances and the encouragement of organ studies.

Terry’s career as a renowned performer and pedagogue of the organ and harpsichord has taken her to many cities and universities throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East. Especially known for her performances and recordings of German Romantic music, she is also an expert on the physiology of keyboard performance – the subject of her forthcoming academic work.

Her recent convention and concert appearances include the American Guild of Organists Pedagogy Conference in Knoxville, Tenn., the McGill Summer Organ Academy in Montreal, and recitals in San Francisco, Seattle and New York.

Participation in the workshop and admittance to the evening recital by Carole Terry is free with prior registration. For more information or to register, call the Goshen College Music Center at (574) 535-7361.

Non-registrants can purchase tickets to the evening recital ($7 adults, $5 seniors and students) by calling the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566. Seats are general admission.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.