The Southern Illinois Chapter of the American Guild of Organists has announced the 2022 recipients of its Scholarship Award: Chet Hemstreet of Carbondale, Mary Curtis of Worden and Owen Cody of Paducah, Ky.
These three youth were chosen from applicants who live in the three-state area of western Kentucky, southern Illinois and southeastern Missouri. The award is $750 for each awardee, which includes the cost of organ instruction, organ literature, and membership in both the national AGO and Southern Illinois Chapter.
From Carbondale, Hemstreet has studied organ for five years with Jordan Doolittle. At 15 years of age, Hemstreet is active in the music program at Cornerstone Reformed Church. He is also interested in organ construction, maintenance and repair.
Gifts from the late Marianne Webb, SIU professor and distinguished university organist, have made these scholarships possible. The mission of the Southern Illinois Chapter of the AGO is to provide interest in future organists, to promote the hearing and playing of organ music, and to continually build a community of people interested in organ playing and choral conducting.
