Dana Robinson

Dana Robinson (organ) was co-director for a Pipe Organ Encounter, sponsored by the East Central Illinois and Peoria Chapters of the American Guild of Organists, held June 23-29 at the UI School of Music. Pipe Organ Encounter is a program of the American Guild of Organists designed to introduce high school students to organ study. The encounter brought together 16 young students with ten faculty members, drawn from colleges, universities, and church music programs throughout the country. Members of the University of Illinois Student Chapter of the Guild served as counselors for the event. Robinson also presented a recital on June 29, 2002, for the national convention of the Organ Historical Society, held in Chicago. The recital featured the historic 4-manual 1902 Lyon and Healy organ at the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows. Dana and three students took a study trip to Germany and the Netherlands for two weeks in May and June, 2001. Through arrangements with the Westminster Historic Organ Program, the group was in residence for ten days at Cappel, Germany, home of the famous 1698 Arp Schnitger organ, one of the world’s most important monuments of organ building. Here, students had the opportunity for daily practice and instruction on the Schnitger organ, as well as access to the Schnitger organ in nearby Dedesdorf. The trip included excursions to numerous other monuments of organ building in Northern Europe, including Norden, Weener, and Ludingworth in Germany, and Beverwijk and Haarlem in the Netherlands.