About the Young Organist Collaborative at St John's

YOC currently provides organ study opportunities for youth, ages ten to sixteen. YOC seeks out young music students who have a minimum of one and a half years of music experience and live near Portsmouth, Concord or Manchester, New Hampshire or Brunswick or Portland, Maine.

The students are auditioned in May, and upon acceptance into the program, are offered 16 lessons with a qualified organ instructor, at no cost to the student. At the end of the program year, the students perform a recital on the Letourneau pipe organ at St. John's Church in Portsmouth, NH. The program year runs from September to May.

YOC seeks to stimulate young musicians to explore the pipe organ and become aware of the diverse repertoire available, including classical, sacred, jazz, theater, and contemporary music. YOC has introduced over 40 students to the pipe organ.

In October 2004, YOC offered its first Master Class for students, which was conducted by Paul Jacobs, Chair of the Organ Department at The Juilliard School in New York City. In 2006, Ray Cornils, Municipal Organist for the City of Portland, Maine. Dr. Gerre Hancock of the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Douglas Major, former organist at the National Cathedral and Dr. Abbey Siegfried, music director of St. John’s Church in Portsmouth have also conducted masterclasses. Students also have opportunities to tour the workshops of some of New England's many fine pipe organ builders.

• Several students have been offered positions as summer organists at churches in the New Hampshire seacoast area.
• Several YOC students have auditioned and been accepted to attend "Pipe Organ Encounters" (POE), which is an intensive week-long organ study program held during the summer for young organists. These programs are sponsored by the American Guild of Organists and staffed by master teachers. The POE's were held in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
• Fifteen Seacoast churches have made their organs available to YOC students for practice, study, and for performance, including United Methodist, United Church of Christ (DCC), Baptist, Unitarian-Universalist, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal congregations.
• Five students have either purchased or received donated organs for home practice.

The Young Organist Collaborative
c/o St. John's Church
101 Chapel Street Portsmouth, NH 03801.
If you have any questions, or would like more information about YOC, please contact Kathryn Mulhearn at (603) 436-8283

(Posted March 6, 2008 by bmenk)