Happy Summer! While summer is often a time for relaxing and rejuvenation it is also the time to renew your membership to the American Guild of Organists. This is also a great time to consider how you may want to become more involved with our local chapter. I wanted to make sure you all know of all the ways you can support the mission of the AGO in Peoria!

Membership

Anyone can become a member, you do not need to be an active organist to sign up. In fact, many members are simply fans of organ music that want to share their joy with others. Here are some of the great benefits members of the guild receive: access to The American Organist magazine (print and/or digital delivery available), discounts at various retailers (e.g. 10% off orders at SheetMusicPlus.com), and access to educational and training resources.

In addition, members of the AGO receive discounted rates to some events and conferences. By joining today you will be able to take advantage of the discounted rate for next summer’s National Convention in St. Louis! It is not often the national convention is so close by and is a great opportunity to engage with some of the greatest organ performers in the world.

Membership Process

Whether you are renewing your current membership, returning after some time away, or a brand new member all registration is handled through the national AGO website: agohq.org. Feel free to reach out if you need assistance with the website. There are three levels of membership based on the member’s age: Young Organist (under 30 years old), Regular Member (aged 30-64), Special Member (65 years old and older). When you select the Peoria Chapter as your chapter a portion of your dues goes to support programming we provide to the local community.

Volunteering

Whether or not you take advantage of membership, our local chapter needs your help! We rely on volunteers to spread the mission of the AGO into the greater Peoria area. The more volunteers we have, the more amazing events we are able to present to our community. The Peoria Chapter is blessed to be in a good financial position, but without your help we cannot create opportunities to celebrate the organ in our community. If you are interested in becoming more involved in the chapter please reach out to us at agopeoria@gmail.com.

Donations

If membership to the guild is not possible for you right now, consider becoming a Friend of the Chapter by making a donation today. All donations are tax-deductible. You can send checks of any size to our mailing address:

We are very exciting for the events we have planned for the future to celebrate the King of Instruments in the greater Peoria area! I hope you take some time during these long summer days to think of how you may be able to support us in our mission to promote understanding of the organ and organ music in our community.

-Jonathan Giblin, Dean