Music Festival of Original Works

A Message from Edwin Taylor

Dear AGO colleagues:

As I am humbled and honored that the Tampa Chapter of the American Guild of Organists has encouraged me to offer a Choral Festival on Sunday afternoon, June 14, featuring a sampling of my published and unpublished anthems, hymntunes, and other original works, I cordially invite you to accompany—as organist or pianist—an anthem or a hymntune, and to encourage your church choir members and community choir members to join my Saint Mark’s Episcopal Choir that afternoon in the Festival Choir.  I hope that my organist colleagues from the Clearwater, Saint Petersburg, and Tampa Chapters, along with their choir members, will participate together in this single-day, end-of-the season program of new and singable music.  I will play (accompany) a bit, but really hope this will be a multi-chapter event.  Three organists from the Tampa Chapter have already RSVP’d their “yea,” and I look forward to many more.  I very much look forward to sharing that which my publisher, GIA Publications, and past congregations have seen and sung in my works.

Sunday, June 14, Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, 13312 Cain Road, Tampa, 33625

• 2:00p to 3:30p – Rehearsal

• 3:30p – Break

• 4:00p to 5:30p – Choir Festival

GIA will supply copies of whichever of the 7 anthems I select for the Festival, and I will include in our Choir packets others of my non-published anthems and hymns as well.  We will contract some musicians from The Florida Orchestra and Florida Wind Band to play with us on a couple anthems.

Here are a few links for more information about the program and music selections:

We will want RSVP’s well in advance regarding organists and the number of singers expected so we can provide some nice music packets, hence the reason for this communication now to get you thinking and planning.  Following the Festival, I will welcome all AGO members and singers in the Festival Choir to retain the workshop packet of my unpublished anthems, hymntunes, piano works, and anything else I throw in, and play them, sing them, conduct them, and share them with your home congregation, choir, and musician friends.  

So far, the Board of the Tampa Chapter has been pondering this as a non-robed event.  If, however, singers wish to bring and don their own choir robes for a picture, pageantry, or memory, please feel free to join the robed Saint Mark’s Choir.  Hmmm ... would this not make for an attractive 'spread' in The American Organist?

Sincerely yours,
Edwin R. Taylor
www.edwinrtaylor.com