Central Hudson Valley Chapter, AGO
Organ Teachers
The following chapter members have indicated that they are accepting new organ students. We are in the process of soliciting brief biographies from each of them, which will be posted on our web site as they are received. Please contact them directly if you would like more information.
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| Gregory Citarella | 845-297-7693 | - Gregory Citarella is a 1994 Marist College Graduate with a Baccalaureate in Business and minor in music. He studied organ with Richard Ehlenberg, Jimrae K. Lenser. He continues his education by attending master classes and workshops geared specifically for organists and church musicians; he studied Piano with Helen K. Baldwin and voice with Dorothy Ann Davis. Gregory has held various church positions over the years including: Organist/Choirmaster at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Kingston, NY (1980-1994); St. James Episcopal, Hyde Park, NY (1995-2001); and most recently St. Nicholas On-The-Hudson Episcopal, New Hamburg, NY, where he continues his ministry of music as Organist and Director of Music since August of 2003.
Gregory is presently serving as Sub-Dean and Program Committe Chair of the Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM). Both organizations foster musical excellence in various liturgical traditions for which church musicians serve God and his Church.
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| | Donald Filkins | 845-831-6315 | - Donald Filkins is a 1964 graduate of Hartwick College. His teachers have included Pauline Mehrtens, Claire Coci, Gordon Turk, and Kevin Walters. Since 1980 he has served as Minister of Music at Webb Horton Memorial Presbyterian Church in Middletown, NY. Under his leadership the choir program at Webb Horton has expanded to encompass six choirs, including the recently founded Middletown Community Bell Choir. Mr. Filkins has served five terms as Dean of the Central Hudson Valley Chapter, AGO, and has represented the Presbyterian Association of Musicians to the Presbytery of Hudson River since 1976. He has taught classes in improvisation for the Central Hudson Valley chapter and has given workshops on choral conducting, hymn playing, and service music for the Presbytery of Hudson River. He prefers to teach students at the intermediate level.
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| | Peter Hall | 845-343-4995 | - Peter Hall holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada) with a major in Organ Performance and Music Education. He studied singing and organ at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has been an organist and choir director for 63 years and has taught piano and organ for 50 years. He will accept organ students at any level.
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| | Larry Hazard | 845-452-0119
Cell phone: 914-456-5254 | - Larry Hazard has taught organ, piano, digital keyboard, accordion, and acoustic and electric guitar since 1972. He is a member of several professional musical organizations, including the American Guild of Organists and the American Theatre Organ Society. He will coach for the ATOS Theatre Organ Competition. He will accept beginning and intermediate students of any age.
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| | Janet Nelson Nickerson | 845-561-0763 | - Janet Nelson Nickerson's piano studies were pursued with the late Margaret Sears Fletcher and William Johnson of Newburgh. Janet has studied organ privately with Dr. John A. Davis, Jr. and the late Dr. Thurston Dox and William Johnson. She attended the Guilmant Organ School in New York City where she was a student of the late Dr. George Markey. Theatre organ techniques and theory were studied under the tutelage of Rosa Rio of New York City. Janet has operated her organ-piano studio in New Windsor for more than forty years. She will accept children or adults - elementary through late intermediate - as students. Janet is a graduate of Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh. She resides in New Windsor with her husband Donald. She serves as organist for King of Kings Lutheran Church in New Windsor and St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Beacon, as well as serving as organist for services, funerals and weddings in various churches throughout the Hudson Valley.
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| | Beverly Simmons | 845-463-1249 | - Beverly Simmons has a BA in music education and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Union Theological Seminary in NYC. She has been active in the field of church music for almost 40 years. Currently she serves as Minister of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church in Fishkill, NY. She is willing to teach children or adults who have had a minimum of 3-4 years of piano lessons and who have access to an instrument for practice. She prefers beginners through early intermediate students. She also teaches piano.
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| | Charles Surber | 845-544-2782 | - Charles Surber is a nationally recognized leader in business, education, philanthropy and the arts, and an accomplished pianist and organist. He has sung under the direction of world class conductors (including Robert Shaw) and accompanied choirs in performances in the US and overseas, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Thomas Church, Washington National Cathedral, Notre Dame/Paris, St. Peter’s Basilica/Rome and St. Stephen’s Kirche/Vienna. He teaches beginner and intermediate students, Monday through Thursday, and incorporates music listening, theory and history into his instruction.
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