Reception Following
Donation

Our Annual Showcase displays the talents of SAAGO members and this year the program features Laura Silva, Pamela Decker and Ken Yukl. This is always a special program which displays their artistry as well as some of the organ repertoire’s most beautiful music. This year’s performers will play the beautiful Æolian-Skinner pipe organ dedicated to the memory of Alan Schultz. Originally built in 1959 for the Hyde Park Methodist Church in Cincinnati, it was moved, restored, and enlarged to 64 ranks and was rededicated in 2005 with a recital by Todd Wilson.

Laura Silva, CAGO, has served various churches as organist and/or choir director in Richmond, CA, Richland, WA, and Columbus, OH, and has served as Dean of the Mid-Columbia (Washington) and Columbus (Ohio) AGO chapters. She is past Sub Dean of SAAGO and currently serves as the organist for her residence organ, Fritts-Richards Opus 2B.

Laura studied the organ privately with Sandra Soderlund and David Dahl; piano teachers included Bela Nagy, Helen Madsen, and Judith Schoepflin. She holds the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Washington State University and enjoyed various engineering, management, business, and executive roles at Chevron, Battelle, Velocys (which she cofounded), and Tech Launch Arizona at the University of Arizona, from which she recently retired.

Laura is playing the Bach, St. Anne Fugue and Mendelssohn, Sonata 6.

Dr. Pamela Decker, UA long-time professor of organ, theory and composition is well known to Tucson audiences. Dr. Decker holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) from Stanford University; studied organ and composition in Lubeck, Germany, on a Fulbright Scholarship; has won national and international competitions; is an outstanding and accomplished composer; and, concertizes extensively. Likewise, she has multiple CDs in distribution; has performed at national American Guild of Organists (AGO) conventions; as well as performing at many other conferences and festivals on the national and international levels. Her compositions, published by Wayne Leupold Editions, C. F. Peters, Augsburg, Hinshaw Music, Inc., and World Library Publications have been performed by musicians worldwide.

Dr. Decker’s Showcase program includes works by Tunder, J. S. Bach, Buxtehude and Decker – movements III and IV of the The Colorado Suite (2025).

Ken Yukl, organist, composer, and conductor, has enjoyed a long career as a master organ pipe craftsman, working with the Holtkamp Organ Company (over ten years) and as an independent business owner. He served as Organist/Choirmaster for many years at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Akron, Ohio, where he managed an organ recital series wich was national, and international, in scope. It was there that he met Pamela Decker after engaging her as an artist for the series. His work titled Meditation is dedicated to Pamela Decker. His works for organ have been performed and recorded by many artists, including Douglas Cleveland and Jonathan Ryan.

Ken’s program includes his own compositions, including the popular Meditation.