Panel Discussion: The AGO Certification Examinations

Jonathan B. Hall with panelists drawn from present and recent members of the AGO Committee for Professional Certification

Thursday, June 23, 9 AM

At the core of the Guild’s mission – since its founding in 1896 – are professional examinations. Over the years, the syllabus of exams has grown to include the Choirmaster, Colleague, and Service Playing Certificate in addition to the original Associate and Fellow. What are your questions about the Guild’s examination system? Can these exams be for you? What is their role in the life of an organist in the US today? Are they relevant? How can they help you? Please come and bring both questions and an open mind. The panel members – all representing the Committee for Professional Certification – are eager to have a dialogue with you. We hope to share our passionate belief in the examination system with you, and inspire you to prepare for an exam in the near future!

Jonathan B. Hall, DM, FAGO, ChM, became an Associate in 1997 and won both the Associateship Prize and the S. Lewis Elmer Prize in that year. He later earned a Doctor of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College London in Organ, and teaches music theory at New York University. His book, Calvin Hampton: A Musician Without Borders, is available from Wayne Leupold Publications.