About Us

The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. The Guild serves approximately 20,000 members in 330 chapters throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

The purpose of the American Guild of Organists is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members.

  • Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, the Guild seeks to set and maintain high musical standards and to promote understanding and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. Under the leadership of the National Council, a network of volunteer committees and officials at the regional, district, and local levels directs the activities of the Guild. The AGO National Headquarters is in New York City where a full time staff supports and coordinates publication, administration, and development activities of the organization. For purposes of administration and representation, the Guild is divided into nine geographical regions, and each chapter is assigned to one of them.

    The purposes of the American Guild of Organists are:

    1. To advance the cause of organ and choral music, to increase their contributions to aesthetic and religious experiences, and to promote their understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment.

    2. To improve the proficiency of organists and choral conductors.

    3. To evaluate, by examination, attainments in organ playing, choral techniques, conducting, and the theory and general knowledge of music, and to grant certificates to those who pass such examinations at specified levels of attainment.

    4. To provide members with opportunities to meet for discussion of professional topics, and to pursue such other activities as contribute to the fulfillment of the purposes of the Guild.

    Guild sponsored activities include a series of examinations for professional certification as well as programs and an extensive list of publications, audiocassettes and learning resources for all levels of interest. The Guild sponsors competitions in organ performance and improvisation and in organ and choral composition.

    National and Regional conventions are held in alternate years, and present the finest performers, workshops for personal improvement and opportunities for professional networking.  Members are encouraged to attend these gatherings whenever possible. 

    THE AMERICAN ORGANIST magazine, published monthly by the AGO, is the most widely read journal devoted to organ and choral music in the world.  All members receive a copy either in print or on-line. 

    The Detroit Chapter conducts examinations for the various professional degrees offered by the AGO.  The Detroit Chapter also conducts an annual Scholarship Competition.  If you are a student and wish to apply for the Scholarship, please refer to the Examinations/Scholarship page of this website.

Meet the Board

  • A smiling man with glasses, beard, and mustache, wearing a light blue checkered button-up shirt, standing outdoors in front of a window with a wooden structure behind it.

    Nathan Costa

    DEAN

  • A young man in a suit and yellow tie taking a selfie inside a grand, ornate church with intricate gold and blue architectural details and stained glass windows.

    David Stultz

    SUBDEAN

  • A man taking a selfie inside a church or cathedral, with a large pipe organ and a wooden display of candles in the background. The man is wearing glasses, a red shirt, and a red, white, and orange striped tie.

    David Enos

    SECRETARY

  • Man with glasses and a name badge standing near a railing

    Richard Abdoo

    TREASURER

  • An elderly man with white hair and glasses standing outdoors with cars and trees in the background.

    Pete Townsend

    REGISTRAR

  • A woman with short dark hair smiling, wearing a sparkly teal top and gray turtleneck, standing in front of a pipe organ.

    Seung Hee Cho

    BOARD MEMBER | CLASS OF 2027

  • A young man with brown hair, wearing glasses with black frames, smiling, dressed in a blue patterned shirt.

    Michael Katopodes

    BOARD MEMBER | CLASS OF 2028

  • A young man in a suit and tie sitting on an organ bench in front of a large pipe organ with many pipes of varying lengths and a wooden console with numerous stops and knobs.

    Nicholas Welch

    BOARD MEMBER | CLASS OF 2028

  • Young woman with brown hair sitting outdoors on a stone ledge, smiling, surrounded by greenery and orange flowers.

    Duane Soubirous

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Silhouette of a person with short hair seen from the back against a light background.

    Edward Maki-Schramm

    BOARD MEMBER

Officers

  • Dean

    Nathan Costa has served churches and schools for over 25 years, currently as Director of Music and Organist at Angelica Lutheran Church in Allen Park. He came to Michigan in 2018 as assistant director of music and liturgist at Christ Church Cranbrook. Previously, he had worked in liturgy and music in Roman Catholic and Episcopal parishes in San Diego, Delaware, and Maryland, and at St. Andrew’s School, an Episcopal boarding school in Middletown, Delaware, where for 17 years he served in teaching and administrative capacities, including as organist / choirmaster, teacher of Latin and Greek, and academic dean. During that time, Nathan has served the AGO, in San Diego on the board and planning committee for the 2017 Pipe Organ Encounter, and on the program committee in Delaware. Nathan received a B.A. in Classics from Yale University and M.A. in Liturgical Music (Organ) and in Theology (Liturgy) from St. John’s University School of Theology in Collegeville, Minnesota.  He is currently teaching at Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School for Boys.

  • Subdean

    Dr. David Stultz, originally from Chattanooga, TN, graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in organ performance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, under Dr. Edie Johnson and in 2023, a master’s in sacred music with Dr. Kola Owolabi at the University of Notre Dame. Additionally, he studied advanced organ improvisation with Dr. Bálint Karosi. Currently, David is serving as the Director of Music and Organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, and recently, he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor under Prof. Nicole Keller. One of David’s most notable achievements includes winning first prize and the hymn-playing award in the 2021 Southeast Regional AGO Competition for Young Organists. Out of over thirty applicants worldwide and as the only American, he was also selected along with seven other finalists to compete in the 2024 Haarlem, Netherlands International Competition in Organ Improvisation.

  • Secretary

    David Enos is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and the Eastman School of Music. He is currently Interim Associate Organist and Carillonist at Kirk in the Hills and Carillonist at St. Hugo of the Hills, where he was previously Music Associate. He has served several terms on the boards of the Detroit and Syracuse chapters of the AGO, and has performed in regional conventions.

  • Treasurer

    Rick Abdoo has been a member of the Detroit Chapter AGO for 26 years. He has served as a board member, and as Treasurer for a total of eight terms. Rick is a retired engineering supervisor from Ford Motor. He holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and has three patents. Rick has been in business as Abdoo Organ Services, repairing, expanding and rebuilding pipe organs for sixteen years. Rick presently is the Treasurer for the Detroit Chapter AGO, Citizens for Peace, and the Citizens for Peace Education Fund. He was previously the Treasurer for the SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club. He is experienced in accounting and reporting for his own business as well as non-profit organizations, using Quickbooks Premier for non-profits.

  • Registrar

    Pete studied piano from an early age. While in high school he spent $50 to purchase a tracker organ from small church about to be demolished. He reworked the chest installing electric valves to become unit organ and built a 2 manual console from manuals and pedalboard salvaged from other instruments. He taught himself how to play. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University, and while there decided to formalize his knowledge and took 2 years of organ lessons. During college also worked midnight to 6 a.m. on the first restoration of the Fox organ which was in total non-working order, to get it ready for the 1960 AGO Convention. He plays at least once a month at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, and remains a true amateur organist.

    In addition to his duties as registrar, Pete is also responsible for maintaining the membership & substitutes lists.

BOARD Members at-Large

  • Board Member

    Dr. Seung Hee Cho is an avid concert organist, chamber musician, and veteran choral and orchestral music conductor. Currently Director of Music at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Rochester, she holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and additional post-doctorate studies in choral and orchestral conducting. A true native of liturgical music, Dr. Cho has spent over 30 years as the Director of Music and Organist at several churches in Seoul, Korea, New York, Philadelphia, Michigan, and Washington D.C.

  • Board Member

    David Stultz, originally from Chattanooga, TN, began his musical journey studying piano with his grandmother, Dr. Sigrid Luther, throughout high school. David graduated in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in organ performance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, under Dr. Edie Johnson. He then received a full scholarship at the University of Notre Dame where he pursued a masters in sacred music with Dr. Kola Owolabi and served as a graduate assistant organist at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Currently, David is pursuing a three-year doctoral program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, mentored by Professor Nicole Keller. He also studies organ improvisation with Bálint Karosi. Additionally, he serves as the Associate Director of Sacred Music at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Some of David's notable achievements include winning first prize and the hymn-playing award in the 2015 Greater Columbia AGO Young Organist Competition and first prize in the 2021 Southeast Regional AGO Competition for Young Organists. Out of many applicants worldwide, he was recently selected along with six other candidates to compete in the 2024 Haarlem, Netherlands International Competition in Organ Improvisation.

  • Board Member

  • Board Member

  • Board Member

    Duane Soubirous moved to the Detroit area in November 2024 to begin his role as Assistant Musician at St. Hugo Catholic Parish in Bloomfield Hills. Duane is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He studied organ performance at Oberlin Conservatory and graduated from the liberal arts college with a history major. He later received a Master’s degree in music from the University of Oregon in Eugene. In his musical studies, Duane enjoyed being a member of choral ensembles. A personal highlight was singing in the chorus for the St. Matthew Passion at the 2022 Oregon Bach Festival. Duane has been an active member of the AGO in all the places he’s lived, most recently as a member-at-large in the Eugene Chapter, and he previously served as newsletter editor for the Palo Alto/Peninsula Chapter. Duane enjoys being a part of the AGO because of the camaraderie, programming, and educational opportunities it provides to members.

  • Board Member

    Edward Maki-Schramm, DMA, is the Music Director and Organist of Christ Church Detroit, and the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Community Chorus of Detroit. Ed also serves as the artistic leader on the chorus’ biennial international performance tours, which have included such venues as the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, Chartres Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Ed is a seasoned fundraiser in addition to his musical work and is the Planned Giving Officer at the Detroit Institute of Arts.  He earned his MMus and DMA from the University of Michigan and his BMus from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. He has performed organ recitals on world-renowned, historic organs overseas and is recognized as an authority on European organs, currently leading sought-after, curated organ tours of his design. Ed has won competitions in organ improvisation and was the organist selected  to perform on the Grammy Award-winning recording of William Bolcom’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience.”

Committee Chairs & Support

  • Emily Solomon

  • Rev. Randall Engle

  • Dalos Grobe

  • Jackson Merrill

  • David Stultz

  • Rev. Michael Bradley

Detroit AGO Membership

Why join the AGO? American Guild of Organists (AGO) is the professional organization for organists and choral directors. Meet other musicians, hear concert artists, attend workshops, hear and play historic organs and new instruments. Enhance musical skills by sharing knowledge and ideas with others who have similar interests and/or responsibilities, gain valuable knowledge of the pipe organ and its place in music.

Beginning in 2014, all requests to join any AGO chapter or renew existing memberships are being handled through the National AGO Headquarters.

To JOIN as a NEW MEMBER: CLICK HERE
To RENEW your EXISTING MEMBERSHIP: CLICK HERE


CHAPTER ROSTER

A MEMBER ROSTER is provided to chapter members each year.  For personal security reasons a list of chapter members is not published online.  

We welcome businesses and individuals to place advertisements in the Roster. Please contact rostereditor@detroitago.org or registrar@detroitago.org for further information and prices.

FIND A MEMBER
Members of any chapter of the AGO may search for any other member by going to AGOHQ.org and selecting “Find a Member (Login required)” at the bottom of the page.