Pipe Organ Encounters
Intensive organ instruction for youth
This summer, a Pipe Organ Encounter for students aged 13–18 will be held at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, during the third week of June: Sunday, June 15 through Friday, June 20, 2025
PDF Download: Twin Cities POE 2025 brochure
An Overview
Come to internationally renowned St. Olaf College for the rewarding opportunity to learn more about the pipe organ and its construction, to be instructed by experienced faculty, to visit, hear, and play outstanding instruments, and to have the chance to meet and interact with peers who share an interest in the King of Instruments. POE is designed for teenagers, ages 13–18, who have achieved an intermediate level of keyboard proficiency. Previous organ study is not required. Special consideration with regards to age and training may be allowed by the POE Committee on an individual basis.
POE Highlights
St. Olaf College, one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, will provide the exciting environment for a week-long immersion in the world of the organ. Along with recitals and a hymn festival, a highlight of the week will be a visit to the historic 108-rank Æolian-Skinner pipe organ in Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota.
Featured Instruments
Instruction, practice, and concert facilities are located on the campus of St. Olaf, and in Northfield-area churches. Featured instruments will include:
Holtkamp, III manual, 90 ranks, Boe Chapel, St. Olaf College
Dobson, III manual, 42 ranks, Studio A: Skifter Hall, St. Olaf College.
Faculty Members
Faculty will include professors from St. Olaf College, distinguished organist graduates of St. Olaf, concert organists, and professional teachers from the Twin Cities and the Midwest.
Accommodations
Housing will be in the dormitories on the St. Olaf College campus, in double rooms with shared spaces. Meals will be served in Buntrock Commons on campus.
Travel
St. Olaf is 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities and 40 minutes south of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport. For students wishing to fly in, there is a shuttle operated by Northfield Lines several times a day from MSP airport directly to the St. Olaf College campus. The Amtrak and bus stations are at the Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul. Rides can be arranged from the airport, train, or bus stations with advance notice.
Application Instructions
Registration is limited to the first 18 applicants. All students must complete the online registration/application at AGOHQ.org > Education > Pipe Organ Encounters. Early Bird registrations/applications must be received by March 15 2025, and the final registration/application deadline is May 15, 2025. Cancellation prior to May 15 will result in a full refund, and cancellation after May 15 will result in a full refund minus $100.
The payment form must be sent separately from the registration/application using the form on the brochure. Please send payment with the payment form to Emily Roth, POE Registrar, at the address listed on the payment form.
Questions may be directed to:
POE Director David Jenkins
2007 Pinehurst Avenue
Saint Paul MN 55116651-353-3409
Scholarship Information
Scholarship assistance is available through the American Guild of Organists. For information on initiating the online scholarship application process, please contact Molly Davey at molly.davey@agohq.org. In addition, participants may consider contacting nearby AGO chapters or religious institutions if other financial aid is needed.
Pipe Organ Encounters is an educational outreach program of the American Guild of Organists. Major funding for Pipe Organ Encounters is provided by the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America. Additional support is provided by the American Institute of Organbuilders, the Jordan Organ Endowment, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Permanently endowed AGO scholarships are provided in memory of Charlene Brice Alexander, Robert S. Baker, Seth Bingham, Michael Cohen, Margaret R. Curtin, Clarence Dickinson, Richard and Clara Mac Enright, Virgil Fox, Philip Hahn, Charles N. Henderson, Alfred E. Lunsford, Ruth Milliken, Bruce Prince-Joseph, Douglas Rafter, Ned Siebert, Mary K. Smith, and Martin M. Wick; and in honor of Anthony Baglivi, Philip E. Baker, Gordon and Naomi Rowley, Frederick Swann, Morgan and Mary Simmons, and the Leupold Foundation.
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The PIPE ORGAN ENCOUNTER (POE) is an introduction to the pipe organ through instruction in organ playing, repertoire, history, design, and construction. These regional summer music camps for teenage participants provide private and group instruction in service playing and solo repertoire, opportunities to learn about the musical heritage of various religious denominations, and a chance for young musicians to meet others with similar interests. Piano or organ proficiency ranging from intermediate to advanced is required. Scholarship assistance is available.
The POE Advanced provides intermediate to advanced classes in areas such as organ literature, history, pipe organ construction and design, music theory, improvisation, conducting, and service playing for participants who have achieved a high level of success in organ study. Scholarship assistance is available.
The POE Technical is a program designed for participants who are interested in learning the art and craft of organ building. The event is hosted in the workshop of an organ builder working in cooperation with a local AGO chapter. Scholarship assistance is available.
Generous funding from the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA), the American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO), the Jordan Organ Endowment, and the National Endowment for the Arts will support these summer educational programs from coast to coast and abroad. Scholarship assistance is provided by the AGO New Organist Fund.
“The AGO and APOBA have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship since 1975,” declared AGO Executive Director James Thomashower. “Likewise, the AIO has been active in supporting the Guild’s educational programs, beginning with their partnership in Pulling Out All the Stops, a video produced jointly in 1996 by the AGO, AIO, APOBA, the Organ Historical Society, and the American Theater Organ Society and aired on PBS. In addition, we are delighted to receive support from the Jordan Organ Endowment at Columbus State University as well as a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts supporting our educational activities this year.”
You may promote this event to any young pianist or organist you teach or who attends your place of worship.
For more information, please see the AGO National POE page.