BYU Organ Department

You might recognize a few new instructors for our 2026 BYU Organ Workshop. Stay tuned to our page over the next two months for highlights of some of the classes they are teaching.

This past weekend we held a Traveling Organ Workshop in Spokane, Washington. This was our 107th traveling workshop. We had 163 attend from 22 stakes and 6 other churches. This brings our grand total to 12,417 attendees since our first workshop in 2013. Many thanks to Joyce Hawkins and her committee for organizing the workshop! Pictured are Joyce Hawkins (Local Coordinator), Neil Harmon, Daniel Kerr, Lisa Glade, Sheri Peterson, and Jennifer Hicks (Coordinating Council Communications Director). Thanks to all who attended!

The BYU Organ Workshop is less than two months away! Watch this page where we will highlight our instructors and some of the classes that they will be teaching. If you want to start getting to know them now, you can read their bios at

2026 Instructors

The schedule of classes in now available for the BYU Organ Workshop this summer.
Schedule
https://organworkshop.byu.edu/2026-daily-schedule
Instructors
https://organworkshop.byu.edu/2026-instructors
Registration

This Thursday, May 21st will be our last Beyond the Basics class of the season, "Choir Accompaniment on the Organ" taught by Jason Gunnell A great choral accompanist does more than just play the notes—they inspire, support, and enhance the choir’s sound. This class will explore essential techniques for organists accompanying choirs, including registration choices, balancing with singers, adapting to conductors, shaping musical phrasing, and adapting piano scores to the organ. Whether you’re accompanying a small church choir or a large ensemble, you’ll gain practical skills to become a more confident and responsive collaborator. The class is free. Please register at https://organ.byu.edu/online-training.../beyond-the-basics. The class will be available to view until June 21, 2026.

It's that time again! Our next online training music theory course of the season will be this Thursday May 14th with Jacob Hofeling. The class will cover different levels of experience- Levels 1-2 for the first 20 minutes Levels 3-4 for the next 20 minutes, and Levels 5-6 for the last 20 minutes. The class is free. Please register at https://organ.byu.edu/online-training-sessions/theory/. The class will be available to view for one month afterwards.

Our last Entry-Level Online Training Session is tonight at 7 pm MT!

If you miss the live class, the link to the recording will be available on our website for the next month.

Another organ training is happening this week! Our next online organ class, Hymn Playing taught by Jacob Hofeling is this Thursday, May 7th at 7:00pm. Jacob will introduce hymn playing in the sustained legato style, and how to achieve independence of line. Concepts discussed will include: evaluating the text, dealing with the repeated notes, common tone rule, when to play legato and when to play detached.
The class is free. Please register at https://organ.byu.edu/online-training-sessions/. The class will be available to view for one month afterwards.

The American Guild of Organists is reaching out to Latter-day Saint organists with several exciting events—featuring some of our own—at the AGO National Convention 2026 in St. Louis, July 6–10.

On July 7, Valerie Harris, Connor Larsen, and Ronnie Bishop will present a workshop titled “Come, Come, Ye Saints: Music and Worship in the Latter-day Saint Tradition.” They will explore topics such as the volunteer nature of serving as an LDS organist (and in most church callings), the role of music in Latter-day Saint worship and how it differs from other traditions, the philosophy and process behind hymn selection for the new hymnal, and both existing and potential training opportunities for LDS organists—including ways local AGO chapters can help.

Also on the evening of July 7, a hymn festival will be held at Manchester United Methodist Church. It will be conducted by Tabernacle Choir director Mack Wilberg, with organist Richard Elliott. The festival will feature the Manchester United Methodist Church Choir, the In Unison Chorus, and the Columbia Handbell Ensemble. A new hymn festival anthem by Mack Wilberg—scored for SATB choir and congregation with organ, brass quintet, and handbells—has been commissioned for this occasion. The program will also include a composition by Joshua Fishbein, recipient of the AGO/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition.

On July 8, Mack Wilberg will receive the AGO’s Distinguished Composer Award at the Annual Meeting. He will also be featured in the “Distinguished Composer Spotlight” on July 9—a rare opportunity to hear him reflect on his life and career. Many of us feel a sense of pride hearing choirs around the world perform his beloved arrangements.

If you’re traveling from outside the St. Louis area, consider combining the convention with a visit to Nauvoo and nearby historic church sites. The convention includes a wide range of concerts and workshops, and daily registration options are available for those who wish to attend only part of the event.
For more information—including costs, schedules, and venues—visit the convention website.

2026 AGO National Convention in St. Louis. Online registration by Cvent