2025–2026 Chapter Event ScheduleJump to:
TCAGO 2026 Competition in Organ Performance
Saturday, April 11
8:40 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Join us for the Pipe Organ Heritage Committee Tour of Saint Peter and Mankato, presented in collaboration with the Sioux Trails Chapter of the AGO, the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, and The Mankato Symphony Orchestra!
We will hear organs by J. W. Walker, Dobson, Holtkamp, Hendrickson, and Johnson & Son, played by five local organists. Each stop will include a demonstration of the organ and open console time — so bring your music and organ shoes!
The final stop of the day will be the magnificent chapel at the former convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel, home to one of Minnesota’s great organ treasures, the 1877 William Johnson & Son organ built for St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Church in Boston. It was recently announced that the chapel is now owned by the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, and the Mankato Symphony Orchestra will make it one of their primary performance venues. Members of the MSO will join Gustavus Adolphus organist Chad Winterfeldt to showcase the organ and the space.
A coach will depart from Meetinghouse Church in Edina at 8:40 a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m. The cost of the coach is $40 for TCAGO members and their guests, and $50 for non-members. Lunch will be on your own in downtown Mankato. Find a detailed schedule of the day and register now online on the TCAGO Event Registration page.
TCAGO 2026 Competition in Organ Performance
Saturday, April 18
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church, PlymouthThe TCAGO 2026 Competition in Organ Performance, sponsored by the Schubert Club and TCAGO Member Phil Asgian, returns for its biennial contest for young adult organists.
This year’s TCAGO Organ Competition features four young organists from our region. Performances are open to the public and will feature both repertoire and hymn-singing. Please join us to hear these talented young organists!
Where: St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
17205 County Road 6, Plymouth
Schedule:
10:00–1:30 competitors #1 and #2 perform
11:30–12:30 lunch break
12:30–2:00 competitors #3 and #4 perform
Judges will deliberate afterward, and the winners will be announced.
The Music of Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Saturday, April 25
9:30 a.m.
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Road, MahtomediA workshop on the topic of The Music of Sigfrid Karg-Elert by Southern Methodist University professor Stefan Engels will bring insight to attendees. Free.
The Magical Musical Universe of Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Sunday, April 26
2:30 p.m.
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Road, MahtomediThe Magical Musical Universe of Sigfrid Karg-Elert, a concert by Southern Methodist University professor Stefan Engels devoted to an overview of the spell-binding, kaleidoscopic compositions of an early 20th-century compositional genius, will feature the magnificent 108-rank 1927 Casavant/2001 Schantz pipe organ. Co-sponsored by the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Free/donation.
Friday, May 8
7:30 p.m.
The Cathedral of Saint PaulJoin us for another Members Showcase devoted to performance of new pieces from the recent publication Gregoriana (edited by Anna Lapwood https://annalapwood.co.uk/project/gregoriana), twelve short works by contemporary women composers based on Gregorian themes. Our member soloists will be Kristina Rizzotto, Diane Meredith Belcher, and Melanie Ohnstad. The Women’s Schola of the University of St. Thomas Liturgical Choir, led by Dr. Elena Bird Zolnik, will introduce the ancient Gregorian melodies on which the new organ solo works are based. Come to hear excellent performances of new music in the awesome space of the Cathedral of Saint Paul with its Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner/Quimby pipe organs… prepare for an extravagant experience of scintillating sonorities. Free and open to the public.
Meet Twins' Organist, Sue Nelson, at Target Field
June 2026
(specifics to be announced)Meet and visit with Sue Nelson, our Minnesota Twins organist, at Target Field! Enjoy a fun-filled day at the ball park with your TCAGO colleagues with our all-inclusive tickets, including all-you-can-eat food in the Legends Landing area and a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the work of Minnesota’s most popular organist! Pre-registration will be required and light-rail transit is encouraged.
Additionally, Program Committee Chair, Michael Barone, provides this invitation:
Our 2025–2026 season is filled with opportunities for increased awareness, outreach, sociability, and sharing, and you are encouraged to make time in your schedules to participate fully. We have assembled a calendar of activities that engender professional and artist growth, with varied topics that will engage your imaginations and provide you with useful information to stimulate your growth as organists and church musicians while celebrating the incredible history and contemporary vibrancy of the King of Instruments.
Don‘t hold back... get involved with your music and your colleagues in:
- Community Outreach: Organ Crawls, enhanced PR through your church community
- Performance Skills: Member Showcase appearances
- Support of Young Musicians: TCAGO Winner’s Concert, Pipe Organ Discovery Day, master classes,
- TCAGO Young Artist Competition
- Expanded Vision and Awareness: workshops and master classes, guest concert performances
- Collegiality and Comradery: pretty much every event!
We realize that members of our TCAGO chapter are spread over a large geographic area, and sometimes distance (and highway ‘improvements’) can provide an obstacle to participation. But remember that TCAGO membership offers more than merely a subscription to THE AMERICAN ORGANIST. Expand your vision, get to know your colleagues, and come on out to play. Ours is a large chapter and we invite your participation, presence and involvement.
More event links:
Pipedreams Regional Calendar