Group’s monthly music series hits right notes

The music plays on, filling the air for the American Guild of Organists, Grand Strand Chapter.

The group, continuing an almost monthly series of workshops begun in September, always free and with the public welcome, will see and hear double for its next installment, a recital.

During “Organ and Piano Duos with Chapter Members,” with Patrick Downes, host, at 4 p.m. March 13 at First United Methodist Church, 901 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, guests will be treated to duets as well as solos.

Billy Fallaw, chapter dean and director of music/organist at First United Methodist Church in Conway, ran over some specifics about the chapter membership’s shared love of playing keyboards with pipes and pedals.

Question | With establishment of the Americans Guild of Organists’ Grand Strand Chapter in 2010, how has this group grown to spread the joy of organ music?

A. | The chapter was granted a charter with 12 organists willing to commit to the organization. Since that time, we have grown to 26 members from all over the Grand Strand, with one member in Norway, and dual chapter members – belonging to more than one chapter – in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York. We have expanded our outreach to the community in 2016 to monthly meetings at a variety of venues along the Grand Strand. Our mission is to offer workshops that benefit our membership as well as area musicians who might benefit from our free workshops, but are not AGO members. In addition, we offer concerts throughout the area for lovers of organ music and choral music. Our meetings, programs and concertshave all been free to attend. Membership in the AGO is open to organists, clergy, and anyone who loves and supports organ music.

Q. | How has this almost-monthly series of music programs begun in September hit new notes in awareness with the public and shown other parts in the intricate art of playing organ music?

A. | Monthly meetings were quite an undertaking for a young, small chapter as ours. Nevertheless, we had heard that there was interest in workshops for musicians in our area who serve churches as bi-vocational musicians. We partnered with some faculty at Coastal Carolina University to offer three workshops for bi-vocational church musicians this year: “The Alexander Technique,” which helps prevent injury in the repetition of practice; “Choral and Rehearsal Techniques for the Volunteer Choir”; and “Conducting for the Bi-vocational Director.” Our last program, at 4 p.m. April 17, will be a “Festival of Hymns” at Belin United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet. The organ is the focal point of all of our efforts with these and future programs. Those who attend our programs are always invited to approach the console of the organ at our venues to explore and ask questions. The organ is truly an intricate work of art.

Q. | How engaging are the “Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza” gatherings, especially with youth in the community?

A. | “Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza” is an effort nationwide by the AGO to generate excitement about the organ among young musicians, generally piano students. The Grand Strand Chapter offers this program locally at different venues with fine pipe organs. The event is very informative and hands-on for these students. Participants have explored the organ by learning about the console (the keyboard and stops), which is the “brain” of the instrument; walking through the pipe work (the speaking part of the instrument); and this year, under the leadership of member Ashley Sosis, from Trinity Church in Myrtle Beach, building a small pipe instrument using PVC pipe. It was a huge success and a fun project. In addition, students always have an opportunity to play their piano pieces on the organ. This generates great interest in the organ and has led to some students studying organ. The program ends with everyone sharing pizza together.

Q. | When children take part in such a forum, how big a step in curiosity and learning another degree or level about keyboards do they take home?

A. | Students get to see how it feels to sit at the “King of Instruments” and command the sound by pulling various stops. It’s a rush for adults and youth alike! The keyboards of organ and piano are basically the same, making the transition from piano to organ fairly simple, but each one’s technique is different. With further organ study, students learn organ technique and how to play the pedals with their feet while playing hands on the keyboards simultaneously.

Q. | Is the talent needed to play the organ an extension of, or another step beyond, playing the piano?

A. | Most, if not all, organists began their music career by studying piano. From there, an interest developed in exploring the organ because of its ability to sustain sounds indefinitely (because of to a wind source), multitude of sounds (flutes, reeds, principals, mixtures), and craftsmanship (console and pipe case woodwork and exposed pipe work). My 12-year-old son, Ross, is transitioning now from piano to organ and is fascinated with the pipe organ. His piano background has helped to acclimate him to the organ.

Q. | Is there any guesstimate of how many places of worship have organists who lend their hands and feet regularly every weekend?

A. | Wherever there is what is commonly called “traditional worship” offered in a house of worship, it is likely that there is an organist serving the congregation. Most of our membership are playing for worship somewhere in the area on any given Sunday either as a substitute for a regular organist, or as someone hired to provide a music program to enhance corporate worship. While organs are becoming a thing of the past in some cases, it is not that way everywhere. Pipe organs and builders abound globally, and through programs such as “Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza” more young students are being introduced to the organ and choosing to studying organ.

Q. | Years ago, in my Lake Erie homeland, I attended recitals at the Cleveland Museum of Art and heard its 4,000-pipe organ with its 79.5 ranks and 62 stops, at work, and later had the honor of writing about Trinity Church in Fredonia, N.Y., celebrating the restoration of its wall of an organ, thanks to service and TLC from a specialty firm in Quebec. How many sites across our area have working pipe organs?

A. | In Conway: First United Methodist, First Baptist, Trinity United Methodist, and St. Paul’s all have pipe instruments. In Myrtle Beach: First United Methodist and Trinity Church have pipe instruments. Also, Prince George Winyah Church in Georgetown has a pipe instrument. For anyone who might be interested in knowing where and what kind of pipe organs are scattered across the United States: Google OHS Pipe Organ Database. Pictures are available in most cases.

Q. | What are the most famous songs in which the organ carries the biggest sound?

A. | Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3 “Organ Symphony,” Widor’s “Toccata from Symphony V,” and Vierne’s “Carillon de Westminster” come to mind quickly.

Q. | Any topics or themes already in mind as AGO Grand Strand Chapter lines up meetings for 2016-17?

A. | The executive committee will meet this summer to plan the 2016-17 academic year programming for the Grand Strand AGO. We are exploring the possibility of hosting a Southeast Regional AGO Event in 2019. This would be huge for our chapter and our area.

This story was originally published March 6, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Group’s monthly music series hits right notes."