American Guild of Organists
Boston Chapter
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THE CHANGING WORKPLACE
NAVIGATING THE WATERS
Christine Hogan, Presenter
Tuesday, September 30 at 7 PM
All Saints Parish
1773 Beacon Street, Brookline
Free for chapter members, chapter
friends, and the general public.
Welcome!
The Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (BAGO) is a collegial community of individuals who share a deep passion for and admiration of the organ and its literature.
Our programs, events, and services will benefit, educate, and enthrall a variety of constituents. Various types of memberships are available. Explore our website to learn more.
Whether you are an organist, a pianist learning to play the instrument, a young organ student or an emerging artist, a devotee of the instrument, a staff member of a church or synagogue, a choral conductor, a singer, an instrumentalist, or an organ company owner/employee, we welcome you!
First Church of Christ, Scientist in Cambridge | W.W. Kimball Organ, Op. 7153, 1936 | September 09, 2025
BAGO Opens 2025-2026 Season with a SPLASH!
Photos by Terry Grissino.
David von Behren, organ and violin
Assistant University Organist and Choirmaster
Memorial Church, Harvard University
Assisted by Frederick A. MacArthur, organ
Organist, First Church of Christ, Scientist
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Fred MacArthur | David von Behren
Jonathan Ambrosino
An audience of 117 enjoyed a stellar concert . . .
Following a welcome from the church, chapter dean Cathy Meyer gave an eloquent speech about some of the activities of the chapter and the collegial relationships members enjoy, and then introduced the artist. The program consisted primarily of transcriptions for the organ of works by Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Schumann, J.S. Bach, Fauré, and Wagner. The transcriptions and a few other works for organ were perfectly suited to the instrument and the performance was stellar.
The program included singing the hymn THAXTED, beautifully accompanied by the rich sounds of the instrument. David von Behren spoke briefly several times about the pieces. He was assisted at the console by Fred MacArthur and Jonathan Ambrosino, who presented interesting information about the building and the instrument during the interval.
Following the concert many lingered to speak with colleagues and friends they hadn’t seen all summer.
How many organists are also proficient violinists?
David von Behren, a Boston chapter member, is a versatile artist, equally proficient at the organ and in playing the violin.
He played two familiar violin solos for an appreciative and rapt audience:
Le cygne (The Swan) from Le carnival des animaux (The Carnival of the Animals) by Saint-Saëns and Träumerei by Robert Schumann, both exquisite with equally exquisite accompaniment on the organ by Fred MacArthur, also a member of the Boston chapter..
Fascinatingly, von Behren also played two pieces by J.S. Bach that he had transcribed for simultaneous violin and organ performance: Air from Sonata No. 3 in D Major and Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe from Cantata BWV 156.
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