Schedule at a Glance

Registration

​

Keynote II: "Dance Inspired Compositions for Organ"

Pamela Decker

Sunnyside 7th Day Adventist Church

In this presentation the focus will be on dance-related influences—including elements such as rhythm, modes or scales, nationalities, history, and stylistic trends—in organ music by American composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Works by Calvin Hampton, Gerald Near, Herbert Bielawa, and Pamela Decker will be among the literature that the keynote presentation will offer for analysis and stylistic examination and discussion.

Master Class:

“Bach, Dance, and the Breath” - George Ritchie

The masterclass will focus on organ works of J.S. Bach.  Emphasis will be given to comments by his pupils and contemporaries about the fundamental importance of metrical structures, with an explanation of how those comments relate to the human breath, to dance, and to performance of the music.

​

Workshops:

“Seasoned Voices” - Ralph Nelson

Most church choir directors are both blessed and challenged with valuable choir members who are simply getting older every year. Since these choir members are often our most loyal members, we’d like to keep these singers involved in the choir for as long as we can. However, the problems of the aging voice often present real challenges for choir directors.  In this session, Ralph Nelson, Director of the Holladay Park Plaza Singers (a local senior center in Portland with a choir of 40 voices - ages 75 to 104) will look at tips and techniques for working with the aging voice.  Ralph will examine what happens to the voice as we age, and in particular, he’ll give suggestions and techniques for keeping aging voices healthy, and also for keeping a good sound in our choirs as the voices age. Specifically, he’ll discuss tips and techniques for dealing with warm-ups, repertoire selection, hearing loss issues, memory loss issues, and important aspects of communicating with an aging population.

​

“Baroque Basics: An Introduction to the Dance Rhythms of the Early Eighteen Century” - Anna Mansbridge

Baroque Dance, or La Belle Danse, evolved under the French King Louis XIV during the years from the mid-seventeenth century, and continued on into the eighteenth century.  Popular dances performed at court by the aristocracy, and in the theatre by professional dancers, included the bourrèe, sarabande, gavotte, loure, gigue, and of course the “Queen of Dances,” the minuet. In this workshop we will learn some of the basic movements of the Baroque technique, and experience how they are danced to the different musical types.

Concert

Susanna Valleau

Holy Rosary Catholic Church

Using dance and movement as inspiration, Susanna Valleau's program will explore the breadth of colors on Bond's Opus 25 organ through the works of Margaret Sandresky, J.S. Bach, Ad Wammes and Florence Price.

Concert: Commissioned Piece World Premiere

“A Kaleidoscope of Song and Dance”

Pamela Decker

First United Methodist Church

This recital program will culminate in the premiere performance of the commissioned work titled Passacaglia and Dance Variations, by Pamela Decker. This 10-minute piece develops from a haunting melodic ground bass theme (in a transformed Phrygian mode) and grows into an evolving procession of dances from many parts of the world, all with the presence of the melodic and harmonic implications of the primary theme. The premiere performance will present the organ solo work in tandem with dance interpretation by members of Oregon Ballet Theater. Leading up to the commission premiere will be dance-based works and lyrical, song-like pieces by American, British, and Russian composers. The chosen works display influences that trace back to origins in Spain, France, England, South America, Africa, and the United States. 

Meet the Artists

Banquet

Closing