In this interactive workshop, futurist, change facilitator, and eminent organist Randy Steere will explore emerging paths for the organ and organ music programming – revealing strategies that will attract and keep a growing audience.  Whether you are an organ professional, a musician of any kind who feels like your audience is dwindling, an arts administrator, a member of the clergy or music ministry, or a lover of organ music, this vision for the future will be relevant for you. The principles of this workshop can be applied in concert halls, churches, and educational institutions to keep organ music alive and exciting. Audience reactions to the concert the night before will provide food for discussion and insight. (Attendance at the concert the night before is not a requirement to attend the workshop.)

Concert: 7:30 pm, Friday, March 21, 2025
Workshop: 10 am - noon, Saturday, March 22, 2025
Location: Edwards Church, 297 Main St., Northampton, MA 01060

ABOUT RANDY STEERE

Acclaimed for his solo appearances throughout New England, Randy Steere has most recently served as Assistant Organist at Old South Church. A New England native, he received his B.M. degree from Barrington College (student of Alan Brown), an M.M. from Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music (student of Dr. Baker), an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, and a Master’s of Computer Science from RPI.
 
After graduating from Yale, Randy served as the full-time Minister of Music at the First Church of Christ, Congregational, Glastonbury (CT) where for 9 years he developed an expansive ministry, including two large adult choirs, two handbell choirs, a children’s choir, two concert series, young singles ministry, and weekly commercial TV and radio broadcasts. Under Randy’s initiative, the church hosted the East Branch of the Hartford Camerata School of Music, where he also taught organ and choral conducting. Additionally, he taught organ performance, handbells, and church music classes at Barrington College (now Gordon College).
 
Following his full-time career in music, Randy switched to computers and became an IT Director at a mid-sized law firm for 7 years before running his own consulting and software company for 20 years. In 2020, he fully retired to become more actively involved in the music world once again.  While in Connecticut, Randy served on the Board of the Hartford Chapter AGO and was on the Board of Trustees for “Arioso,” a string ensemble of Hartford Symphony players where he was responsible for grant applications. He has taken several organ study trips abroad, worked for organ builders, and given numerous educational sessions for various AGO chapters. 
 
He is currently Resident Organist with the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, an all-professional orchestra at the Groton Hill Music Center, Dean of the Worcester AGO Chapter, Treasurer of the Merrimack Valley AGO Chapter, a Trustee of the Methuen Memorial Music Hall,and in charge of the organ concert series at the Groton Hill Music Center.

Concert Organist Brian Hoffman will present two distinct multimedia presentations, featuring J.S. Bach, the pipe organ, a 13’ wide 4K projection screen, and narration.

Part 1. “Bach & the Majestic Organ”

- live performances of Bach organ works.

- a virtual video tour through the inside chambers of pipe organs.

            - imagery of incredible pipe organ facades from around the world.

- all set to the music of Bach, accompanied live by Brian Hoffman.

Part 2. “Bach in Space”

- a narrated, virtual flight to the International Space Station.

- stunning fly-over videos of Earth, set to the music of Bach, accompanied live by Brian Hoffman.

- created by NASA Education Manager Dan Barstow and first premiered by Dan Barstow & Brian   Hoffman in 2022. Photography of Earth taken by astronauts aboard the ISS.

7:30 pm, Friday, April 25, 2025
Location: Christ Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St, Springfield, MA 01103

Brian Hoffman is a concert organist whose numerous performances include solo recitals at St. Patrick's Cathedral NYC, Methuen Memorial Music Hall, and on the world’s largest church organ at West Point Cadet Chapel. As a composer, he has written many works for choir, organ, and various ensembles. As a recording artist, he has recorded his original compositions, as well as the organ works of J.S. Bach, Cesar Franck and Felix Mendelssohn. His ongoing project, begun during the pandemic of 2020, is the recordings of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach on organs from around the world via the Hauptwerk program. 13 CDs have been completed to date and will be available for purchase at the March 23 performance, as well as on iTunes, Amazon and all of the major streaming services.

For more information, please visit: brianhoffmanorganist.com