Professional Development Day 2026
Saturday, January 31, 2026
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church
301 County Road 19
Excelsior, MN 55331
Organ Specifications: Schantz Organ Company, Opus 2059, II manual, 32 stops, 26 ranks, 1,576 pipes. Additional details:
https://www.pipeorganlist.org/OrganList/data_mn/MN-ExcelsiorMtCalvary.html
Free, with $15 cost for lunch add-on option.
The Twin Cities chapter of the American Guild of Organists invites you to a day filled with learning, networking, and fun at our Professional Development Day 2026! This event promises to be an enriching experience with unique workshops, lunch with social time, and a sheet music exchange giveaway.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to grow professionally and connect with fellow organists and enthusiasts. Register by Monday, January 26 to secure your spot at tcago.org!
Download, print and share this 11x17 poster.
We look forward to seeing you there for a day of inspiration, learning, and fun!
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SCHEDULE
9:00 – 3:00PM: Sheet Music Exchange Giveaway
9:00AM: Registration Check-in, Coffee and Light Snacks
9:30AM: Diane Meredith Belcher: Hat Tricks – Managing Multiple Roles, Examining Gender Issues
10:30AM: break
11:00AM: Tom Rowland: Edward Berryman – The Life of an Artist: a review of the work, as performer teacher and composer, of one of the Twin Cities most prominent and revered organists.
12:00 – 1:00PM: lunch/social time ($15 add-on cost per individual)
1:00PM – 2:30PM: Fresh Finds for Service Playing facilitated by Nils Halker
2:30 – 3:00PM: Final Browsing of Sheet Music Exchange Giveaway and Closing
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WORKSHOP SCHEDULE & DETAIL
Additional detail is outlined below
9:00 – 3:00PM: Sheet Music Exchange GiveawayThroughout the day, a “sheet music exchange giveway” …a joyful musical treasure-hunt where you can browse through ‘recycled’ music of every sort, discover new-to-you scores and economically expand your own library! [Additional details far below]
9:00AM: Registration Check-in, Coffee and Light Snacks
9:30AM: Diane Meredith Belcher: Hat Tricks – Managing Multiple Roles, Examining Gender Issues
Musicians rarely wear just one hat. We perform, teach, organize, lead, create, and support others—often all at once. This workshop offers space to reflect on how those roles fit together, how they sometimes pull against each other, and how they might ultimately strengthen one another. We’ll also consider how current conversations and initiatives around gender affect and involve us all, and how engaging with these ideas can help bring about more balanced, inclusive, and fulfilling lives as working musicians.
10:30AM: break
11:00AM: Tom Rowland: Edward Berryman – The Life of an Artist: a review of the work, as performer teacher and composer, of one of the Twin Cities most prominent and revered organists.
Dr. Edward D. Berryman (1920-2008) was one of the Twin Cities’ most prominent and revered organists. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in Music at the University of Omaha, a Master of Art at the University of Minnesota and a Doctorate of Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York. For seventeen years he was a member of the University of Minnesota music faculty and for ten years was organist and choirmaster at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Minneapolis. He was director of music at Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Minneapolis from 1962-1987. He was well known as a concert organist and was a frequent consultant for churches seeking new organs. He spent years exploring the possibilities of synthesizers. He concertized with eleven synthesizers from four manuals and complete organ pedalboard.
This session will reflection on Dr. Berryman’s role as one of the Twin Cities’ most prominent and revered organists, noted for his ‘orchestral’ choral accompaniments and his vivid and virtuosic command of large, expressive instruments. An introduction to his original organ compositions and other works presented ‘in his style’ will provide a picture of a genial and generous musician.
Then, using Dr. Berryman’s one handouts from the many clinics and seminars he led, we’ll explore Techniques and Materials for the Church Organist, with demonstrations by former students of “Berryman Tips and Tricks” that you will want to try out and include in your own hymn playing, anthem accompaniment and improvisation. Some more of these ‘tips and tricks’ may be demonstrated in our post-lunch ‘discovery’ session.
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LUNCH
12:00 – 1:00PM: lunch/social time ($15 add-on cost per individual due at registration)
- Turkey Wild Rice casserole with cranberries and almonds (gluten free, with a vegetarian option)
- Roasted beet salad with goat cheese, walnuts, and orange-balsamic vinaigrette, gluten free
- Winter Fruit salad with honey poppyseed dressing, gluten free
- Rolls and butter
- Assorted bite sized desserts (bars, tartlets, mini cupcakes)
- Coffee, Tea, Water, Lemonade
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1:00PM – 2:30PM: Fresh Finds for Service Playing
Facilitated by Nils Halker
Looking for fresh inspiration for your service playing or repertoire list that you may need in a pinch? Bring your favorite sight-readable or easy to learn organ music. We are looking for practical, easy-to-prepare, and off-the-beaten-path pieces that are either still in print or available on IMSLP -- from preludes and postludes to offertories and communion pieces and share what makes it special.
We will exchange ideas, discover hidden gems, and try out selections on the organ together. Come ready to learn, play, and leave with a list of new possibilities for your repertoire! We will compile a list of all the pieces and play them for each other! (If you're not comfortable playing it yourself, we'll have someone ready to play it). If you have questions, contact Nils Halker nils@stcstp.org.
Add your repertoire ideas to this Google Form here. (Submit up to three ideas per person).
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2:30– 3:00PM: Final Browsing of Sheet Music Exchange Giveaway and Closing
Final browsing of the sheet music exchange giveaway, and closing social time with colleagues.
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SHEET MUSIC EXCHANGE GIVEAWAY
Calling all organists, pianists, choral directors, and music lovers!
Do you have stacks of sheet music collecting dust? Scores you’ve outgrown or duplicates you no longer need? It’s time to give them a second life—and spark inspiration in someone else’s repertoire!
During our TCAGO Professional Development Day on January 31, 2026, we’re hosting a Sheet Music Exchange Giveaway—a joyful, musical treasure hunt where you can donate and discover new-to-you scores.
Whether it’s organ, piano, or instrumental music, we welcome new or gently used sheet music of all kinds. Let’s share the wealth and keep the music flowing!
How to Donate
We’re making it easy for you to contribute:
• Coordinate with Jeff Patry to arrange a drop-off before January 31:
First Lutheran Church, 1555 40th Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN
jeffreypatry@yahoo.com | 612-327-9894
• Or drop off by January 29 at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Excelsior:
301 County Road 19, Excelsior, MN
jeremy.haug@mountcalvary.org | 612-578-8058
Why Participate?
• Declutter your shelves and make space for fresh inspiration
• Support your fellow musicians by sharing resources
• Discover hidden gems to add to your own collection
• Connect with colleagues and celebrate the joy of music together
Let’s make this exchange a highlight of our professional development day!
Bring your music, bring your energy, and let’s make January 31 a day of learning and new treasures.
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BIOGRAPHIES
Diane Meredith Belcher is an internationally renowned, multi-faceted classical musician whose virtuoso performances have been described by American Record Guide as “glowingly brilliant, rhythmically vibrant, and consistently expressive” and by Orgel International as “exemplary in every respect”. She has garnered widespread acclaim since her solo recital debut as an organist at age 15, performing throughout the U.S., in Europe, and in Canada, including appearances at Disney Hall, Grace Cathedral, Verizon Hall, Benaroya Hall, Woolsey Hall, and the Oregon Bach Festival. Her orchestral appearances are numerous, and she has presented duo-recitals with such artists as Los Angeles Philharmonic’s trumpeter Rob Roy McGregor. Among her solo recordings is the premiere of the Claremont Glatter-Götz/Rosales organ, and an album with New York Philharmonic’s principal trombonist Joseph Alessi. She has served as organist, music director, conductor, and professor at various institutions including Holy Trinity/Bach Vespers, New York City; Dartmouth College, Hanover NH; Saint Mark’s Church, Philadelphia; and Westminster Choir College, Princeton NJ. In 2023-2024 she celebrated her 50th anniversary season with a research trip to Germany and the Netherlands, culminating with her seventh solo performance at a national convention of the American Guild of Organists, a rare honor. She is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and The Eastman School of Music, and a prizewinner of both the St. Albans International Organ Competition and France's Grand Prix de Chartres. A native of the Philadelphia area, she moved to the Twin Cities in the summer of 2025, where she now bases her freelance career of performing, writing, private teaching, and composing. The author of “ORGANING” on Substack, she is also co-founder of WONA: Women Organists & Organbuilders of North America. Her concert appearances are managed by Karen McFarlane Artists.
Tom Rowland took piano lessons from family friend, Dr. Edward D. Berryman, from an early age until he was in the ninth grade. Tom later earned a minor in music at Macalester College while studying organ with Dr. Berryman. Later still, at the University of Minnesota, Tom studied with Heinrich Fleischer for his MM in Organ Performance. Tom served for 34 years at St, James Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Saint Paul and more recently at Meetinghouse Church in Edina. Like so many who knew him, Tom enjoyed a close friend and mentorship with Dr. Berryman until Ed's death in 2008.
