Are you a pianist who is interested in trying the organ? Are you returning to organ-playing after an absence? Do you wish to hone your organ-playing skills for church service or accompaniment?
Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, and Brian Mathias team up to present this live 2-hour seminar. Subtopics will include rehearsal skills, registration, and adapting scores for the organ.
Workshop instructors include BYU music professors, experienced teachers/organists from the area, and special guest instructors.
Receive customized instruction for your specific level, participate in private organ instruction and supervised practice
Click a name to read their biography.
Don is an associate professor of music, the organ area coordinator, and the university carillonneur at Brigham Young University. He has been the program director of the BYU Organ Workshop since 2002. He is currently serving as National Councillor for Education for the American Guild of Organists. Don is currently studying the relative intensity of organ stops in German, French, and American organs.
Seth is a native of Castle Dale, Utah. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance at the University of Kansas, where he studied under James Higdon and Michael Bauer, and will graduate this May. He was appointed to a graduate teaching assistantship, where he taught private lessons and worked closely with the organ faculty to organize and execute organ department business. Before attending the University of Kansas, he received his Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in organ performance and pedagogy from Brigham Young University, where he studied with Don Cook and Douglas Bush. Seth is an active recitalist and performs many recitals around the United States every year. He served for many years as a Guest Tabernacle Organist on Temple Square and participated in the daily recital series performed on the famous Mormon Tabernacle Organ. Seth has had an abundance of church music roles in many denominations, and is currently serving as Director of Music and Organist at St. James Episcopal Church in Midvale, Utah. His church playing experiences in the LDS Church have afforded him to play for many large and small meetings, with several of them being televised. In 2009, he took first place in region IX of the RCYO AGO organ competition for young organists, allowing him to perform at the National AGO convention in Washington, D.C. in 2010. As a natural teacher with much background, Seth loves to share his passion for music and the organ with others.
Mark Campbell is a native of Provo. In high school he began his organ studies with Carol Dean (1947–2018), one of the most prolific and important private organ teachers in Utah Valley. She made sure to immerse Mark in the vibrant organ culture in the region, as well as introduce him to the organ program at Brigham Young University. Since then, Mark has studied with Professors Douglas Bush (1947–2013) and Don Cook (BYU), Professors David Eaton and Robert S. Brewer in San Antonio (UTSA), and is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Church Music at the University of Kansas (KU) where he studies with Professors James Higdon, Michael Bauer and Kevin Vogt.
Felipe Dominguez (b. 1983) is a Chilean/American organist, harpsichordist, clavichordist and musicologist. A graduate of Brigham Young University (B.M. 2010, M.M. 2012), he studied organ and harpsichord with Douglas Bush and Don Cook. He has pursued further postgraduate organ instruction in Europe with Edoardo Belotti, Hans Davidsson, Harald Vogel, and Leon Berben. Mr. Dominguez has performed as a soloist and in ensembles in Chile, Argentina, the United States and Europe. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Musicology at Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC. In addition to his musical career, Mr. Dominguez has a succesful career in the government sector and as an entrepreneur.
A native of San Francisco, Elizabeth Forsyth received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in organ performance from BYU. Active in church music for almost 50 years, she has served Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian and LDS congregations as both organist and director of music. Currently she is the organist at First Congregational Church, Berkeley. She has served on the executive boards of both the San Francisco and Philadelphia chapters of the American Guild of Organists and will serve as one of four program chairs for the AGO National Convention in 2024. As a recitalist, Ms. Forsyth has performed throughout the Bay Area, Utah, Idaho and Pennsylvania. Recent collaborations with performing groups have included the First Church Festival Chorus, Chora Nova, the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, the Folsom Lake Symphony and the Stockton Symphony. Elizabeth teaches both piano and organ at her home in Orinda, CA, where she takes special delight in introducing her teenage piano students to the organ. She is the proud mother of four sons, and has nine grandchildren.
Alena Hall loves playing the organ!! Accompanying and collaborative work are part of that continuing passion, as is teaching. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Combined Piano and Organ Performance from BYU and then a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance, also from BYU. One of the personal highlights of her career was working as an organist at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Currently she has a small studio of piano and organ students and enjoys teaching at a variety of workshops.
Acclaimed as “one of the finest products of the American organist school,” (La Nuova Venezia) Neil Harmon was recently appointed to the organ faculty at Brigham Young University, where he begins teaching this fall. For 19 years Dr. Harmon served as Director of Music and Organist at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware. A graduate of The Eastman School of Music (DMA, MM) and Brigham Young University (BM), Dr. Harmon has performed in South America, Europe, and the United States. Since 1991 Dr. Harmon has served as Guest Organist at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Dr. Harmon’s compositions include a seven-movement requiem for choir, orchestra, and soprano, as well as music for solo organ, handbell choir, mixed chorus, solo voice, woodwind quintet, and brass quintet. Active in the American Guild of Organists, Dr. Harmon served two terms as Dean of the Delaware Chapter and twice as Co-Director of the Delaware Pipe Organ Encounter. Neil and his wife, Anese, are the parents of five children.
Valerie Harris has been privileged to play and perform on many notable, historic pipe organs in Europe. An active recitalist, she most recently performed in Belgium and the Netherlands and is a Tabernacle Guest Recitalist. She has served in a variety of Christian denominations, most recently as the Organist and Director of Traditional Music at Central United Methodist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, conducting the Central Community Choir and Handbell Choir. She has served as Organist for 35 years at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also serving as Stake Music Chairman for many years. She has extensive choral and solo accompanying experience. She is currently pursuing a Doctoral of Musical Arts Degree in Organ Performance at Arizona State University, studying with Kimberly Marshall. She holds a Master of Music in Organ Performance and Graduate Certificate of Church Music from Shenandoah University in Virginia, studying with J. Thomas Mitts and Dudley Oakes. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano pedagogy from BYU. She has served as an adjudicator and director for the National Federation of Music Clubs’ student festivals and competitions. She is certified as a Colleague with the American Guild of Organists, of which she is an active member. She has taught piano, organ and conducting to hundreds of students, motivating many young musicians to study music in college and achieve successful experiences competitively and through community and church service. She has a strong desire to serve in helping to lift up the attitude and vision towards music in our Church and further develop the skill level of our musicians.
Nora Hess, CAGO, MM, MS, is an adjunct faculty member in organ at Brigham Young University. Her research specialty is developing curriculum for elementary-aged children to learn the organ as their first instrument. Nora also enjoys composing, performing, accompanying, and conducting church music. She has conducted numerous church choirs, and served for 10 years as a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Nora holds a Master of Music degree from Brigham Young University in Organ Performance, where she studied with Don Cook and Brian Mathias. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Education from the University of Utah. Nora and her husband, Bret, are the parents of 10 children and 13 grandchildren.
A native of Arizona, Hofeling has a bachelor of music degree from Arizona State University in Organ Performance, where he studied under Kimberly Marshall. Hofeling holds a master of music degree in organ from the University of Kansas where he studied under James Higdon. He is currently pursuing his doctoral of musical arts degree in organ along with a master of music degree in music theory at The University of Kansas, studying organ with Michael Bauer. Recently, Hofeling has returned from a study abroad in Bremen, Germany. While there, he studied at the Hochschule für Künste under Professor Edoardo Bellotti. Hofeling holds a position as Director of Music at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri, and was recently the interim professor of organ at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. As a solo recitalist, he has recently performed concerts in Tampa FL, Wichita, Lawrence and Topeka KS, Kansas City, MO, and Worpswede, Germany. In addition, he performs frequently at the Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri, where he holds the title of staff organist. The KC Metropolis wrote that Hofeling’s playing, “had a wonderful variety of registers and colors and displayed a secure sense of control.” As a continuo player he has most recently had the honor of performing with the Kansas City Symphony in December 2018. Hofeling was a semi-finalist in the Mikhael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad Russia, and he was awarded second prize in the Fort Wayne, IN National Organ Playing Competition. His performances have been heard on the radio at KBAQ in Phoenix, Arizona and KPR in Kansas. Recently Hofeling has also participated as an instructor in the travelling BYU Organ Workshop in Kansas City, KS.
Director of Organ Studies at BYU-Idaho where he also teaches musicianship and orchestration; DMA degree from the University of Southern California. Prior to his life in Idaho, he was organist at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in southern California and also taught at USC and at California State University, Los Angeles. He has performed at the 2004 National Convention of the AGO in Los Angeles and is a guest recitalist on Temple Square.
As a Temple Square Organist since 1981and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music at the University of Utah (U of U) since 2000, Dr. Linda Margetts has extensive performing and teaching experience. Dr. Margetts performs with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and its affiliated Chorale and Bells at Temple Square. She joins with her fellow organists in presenting daily 30–minute organ recitals at Temple Square in both the Tabernacle and Conference Center. In addition, Dr. Margetts is Associate Director of the Choir School which trains new Tabernacle Choir members. At the U of U, Dr. Margetts teaches matriculated organ students and runs the School of Music’s outreach community organ training program. She has concertized on organs in the USA, Canada, Armenia, Israel, England and Austria. She is a published composer. Dr. Margetts is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists and has presented recitals and workshops at their conventions. As Chapter Dean and Western Region Coordinator, she works to help organists and promote the organ.
Jacob Meyers is a student at Brigham Young University currently completing his Bachelor's degree in Organ Performance. A longtime lover of the organ, he has been playing since he was 13, and has studied under fantastic teachers such as Linda Margetts, Doug Bush, and Don Cook. He is very passionate about extending organ education to younger students, and loves to be involved in helping people learn more about the wonderful world of the organ!
Kymberly (Stone) Payne is a young organist who is passionate about sharing her love of the organ, and the power we have as organists to bless others and change lives. Kymberly completed both her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees with an emphasis in Organ Performance at BYU, where she studied with Dr. Don Cook. While at BYU, Kymberly taught and performed extensively, both on the organ and carillon. As a graduate student, she taught group organ classes, sightsinging and dictation classes, as well as private carillon and organ lessons for the BYU School of Music. In 2016, she became involved with the Traveling BYU Organ Workshops, and since then, she has had the opportunity to plan, perform, and teach at many organ workshops around the country. Kymberly and her husband now live in Katy, TX where she continues to teach and perform. Her busy schedule includes recitals as Guest Organist at the Tabernacle of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, accompanying, running her large private organ and piano studio, and serving as a Ward Organist and Primary Pianist. She recently completed two certifications from the MTNA and is now a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano and Organ.
Sheri Peterson, adjunct organ faculty at Brigham Young University, received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in organ performance from Brigham Young University where she studied with Don Cook, Douglas Bush, and Brian Mathias. In addition, she has studied with Carol Miles, and Gabriele Terrone, from Italy. Sheri is an experienced organ performer and teacher. She has taught university classes in music theory, sight singing, dictation, group organ, and private organ lessons and has taught extensively at workshops and conferences, including the annual BYU Organ Workshop. In addition, she has a large private organ and piano studio. Sheri has been involved in church music for over forty years, worked as a professional organist for St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Provo, Utah, for many years, as well as ward organist, and temple organist. She has performed with symphonies, the Utah Baroque Ensemble and other choirs, as a soloist for BYU Devotional, performed numerous recitals and concerts throughout the United States, including at a convention for the West Region American Guild of Organists. Actively involved in the American Guild of Organists (AGO), she has served in a variety of capacities, including two terms as dean of the Utah Valley Chapter, sub-dean and as a member of the Regional Nominating Committee. Sheri has earned her Colleague Certification (CAGO) and has organized many organ workshops, including a Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) for youth, and annual workshops attended by hundreds of people. Sheri delights to teach, serve, and help others through music.
Active recitalist, recording artist, scholar and author David Pickering is Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Keyboard Division at Kansas State University where he teaches organ and music theory. His career as a performer has carried him across the United States as well as to Canada and Europe. Pickering’s multifaceted research has focused on the composers, music, organs, and pedagogues of the American organ scene in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His four solo recordings have focused on the organ music of American composers from the twentieth century to the present day. His scholarly works are published by the Organ Historical Society Press and Wayne Leupold Editions. Pickering completed his degrees from the University of Kansas and Brigham Young University in organ performance and musicology; he has also pursued technical studies with pianist Sheila Paige. His organ teachers include Parley Belnap, James Higdon, J.J. Keeler, and Arlene Small. Pickering and his wife, Melinda, are the parents of six children, with a seventh child joining the family in November.
Ruth Eldredge Thomas is an organist, historian, and teacher. Ruth is currently assistant organist at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. She is general editor of the Complete Works of Hubert Parry, which will be published by Wayne Leupold Press in 2020-21. Her work on organ playing techniques and music history has been published by BYU, Cambridge University Press, and Rowman and Littlefield. Ruth has taught over 300 organ and piano students in the past 20 years, ranging in age from six to eighty. She holds bachelors' and masters' degrees in organ and musicology from BYU and the University of Oxford, where she accompanied the Grammy-winning New College Choir. She has studied in the US and abroad with Douglas Bush, Nicolas Kynaston, Daniel Hyde, and Gabriele Terrone. She lives in Provo with her husband and two sons.
Dr. Matthew Thompson is an accomplished organist, conductor, composer, pianist, and music technologist. He was recently appointed Music Director and Principal Organist of Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri and is excited to make a return to a full-time career in music after having spent a decade employed as a software engineer. In the past few years, he founded and directed a non-profit semi-professional organization, Vox Humana Choral Ensemble, a women’s choir comprised of members from Northern Utah County whose performances featured mainly sacred choral literature accompanied by organ. Matthew completed a Bachelor’s degree in organ performance studying with Dr. James Drake. He continued his organ studies at the University of Kansas, studying with Dr. James Higdon and earning a Master of Music degree in church music, organ emphasis followed by a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting studying with Dr. Paul Tucker.
Sharee Thompson holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Music degree from Utah State University, both in organ performance, where she studied with James Higdon and James Drake, respectively. While living in Kansas, she served as organist at First Presbyterian Church, Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church, and Baldwin First United Methodist Church. Sharee performs with various choirs and ensembles along the Wasatch Front including Vox Humana Choral Ensemble, The Utah Symphony, Sterling Singers, Utah Valley Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, and Maple Mountain High School Choirs. She is a guest organist on Temple Square, playing frequently for the daily organ recitals. Sharee runs a large private studio of organ and piano students and is the organ area executive assistant at BYU. She and her husband, Matthew, are the parents of three children.
Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, and Brian Mathias team up to present a live two-hour seminar. Subtopics will include rehearsal skills, registration, and adapting scores for the organ.
Monday–Friday (except holidays)
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. mountain time
Harman Continuing Education Building
770 E University Pkwy
Provo UT 84602
801-422-0877
dcesupport@byu.edu
BYU Organ Workshop
253 HCEB
Provo UT 84602
BYU Organ Workshop Registration
116 HCEB
770 E University Pkwy
Provo UT 84602
Local: 801-422-8925
Toll-free: 1-877-221-6716
