The Organ Historical Society is pleased to announce that J. Gordon Christensen, David Hemsley, Anne Laver, and Nicola MacRae have been selected to receive Alan Laufman Research Grants for research projects related to the organ. These awards mark the third year of research grants established by the National Council of the Organ Historical Society to honor Alan Laufman, a former President of the Society.
J. Gordon Christensen is Director of Music/Organist at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Imperial, Nebraska, and has a Ph.D. degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research will document the history of the organ in Nebraska.
The research of David Hemsley focuses on the use of electricity in organs in North America and Europe for the period 1825-1890. In addition to a post graduate diploma in chemical engineering, Dr. Hemsley received his Ph.D. degree in organ history from Cardiff University of Wales.
Anne Laver is a candidate for the DMA degree at Eastman School of Music. Organ events at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago are the focus of her research.
Examining the largely unaltered instruments of the English organbuilder James Jepson Binns (1854-1929) is the goal of Nicola MacRae's research. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh.
According to the guidelines established for the Laufman grants, eligible projects may include research related to a broad range of topics, including instruments, builders, history, repertoire, performance practice, and composers. In the past three years, proposals have focused on three general areas of research: organs and organbuilders of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, regional studies, and little-researched areas of organ research. Only a few years ago, subjects such as the Edwardian organbuilder J.J. Binns, the early use of electricity in organbuilding, and the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago would have been considered unworthy of scholarly attention. Proposals seeking to describe organs in Nebraska and southwest Virginia reflect the necessity of regional studies to increase our understanding of local developments in the history of the organ. The organ in Jewish culture and studies on organists and organ music in Japan show that there are still many unexplored areas of organ history. The Organ Historical Society is grateful to be able to support such worthy projects.
Alan Laufman Grant Committee
James Wallmann, Chair
Andrew Unsworth
Vacant (to be filled in 2009)
Previous recipients:
2008
Anne Laver
Nicola MacRae
J. Gordon Christensen
David Hemsley
2007
Mariko Marita
Charlie W. Steele
2006
Randall Engle
Tina Frühauf
Scott Hyslop
Alan Laufman Research Grants
The Grants
The Organ Historical Society is pleased to accept applications for its Alan Laufman Research Grants for 2008. Research grants of up to $1,500 in memory of Alan Laufman, a former President of the Society, are authorized by the National Council of the Society and administered by a standing committee of the Publications Governing Board. These grants are awarded for research projects related to the organ in the broadest sense – the instrument’s builders, construction, history, styles, repertoire, performance practices, and composers from all style periods and nationalities. Grants may be used to cover travel, housing, and other expenses.
Application Requirements
The Society encourages all interested persons to apply, regardless of age, educational background, and nationality. There is no application form. Applicants should submit (a) a cover letter, (b) a curriculum vitae, and (c) a proposal. At a minimum, the cover letter should contain the applicant’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. The curriculum vitae will summarize the applicant’s educational background, training, and experience relevant to the proposed project, and it should include a list of any publications. The proposal, not to exceed 1,000 words, will contain at least the following information: (i) a description of the research project, including a statement of objectives, a plan for conducting the research, a description of phases of the research already completed or in progress, and an estimate of the time required to complete the project; (ii) a list of anticipated expenses to be funded by the grant (up to $1,500); (iii) whether the applicant would accept a grant if less than the requested amount is awarded; (iv) a list of other organizations to which the applicant has applied or expects to apply for grants to fund the research project and amounts awarded or requested; and (v) publication plans (see the following paragraph).
It is expected that an applicant’s research will result in a manuscript suitable for publication. Each recipient of an Alan Laufman Research Grant will be requested to submit a brief report after the research funded by the grant is complete, whether or not the manuscript is finished. Once the manuscript is completed, the recipient is expected to submit it to the Society’s Director of Publications to be reviewed following standard procedures for possible publication in The Tracker or by the OHS Press. Submitting an application constitutes an applicant’s agreement to this condition.
Applications may be sent by mail or e-mail. They must be postmarked or e-mailed by June 13, 2008, and awards will be announced in early July, 2008. Alan Laufman Research Grants will not exceed a total of $1,500 in any year. Within that limit the grant committee determines the specific amount of each award and the number of recipients. The grant committee may elect to withhold awards if satisfactory applications are not received. In its deliberations, the committee considers the completeness of the application, the merits of the proposed project and the qualifications of the applicant to undertake it. A grantee may receive successive awards for a single research project of large scope, provided that sufficient progress is demonstrated. Likewise, a grantee may apply for successive grants to fund new research projects. Grant recipients are expected to expend their awards within eighteen months of receipt.
The Society
The Organ Historical Society is an international organization for friends of the organ. The purpose of the Society is to encourage, promote, and further an active interest in the organ and its builders, particularly those in North America; to collect, preserve, evaluate, and publish detailed historical and technical information about organs and organbuilders, particularly those in North America; and to use its good office and influence to have significant organs, particularly those in North America, preserved in their original condition or carefully restored. The Society maintains the American Organ Archives in Princeton, New Jersey, the world’s largest collection of books and periodicals on the organ. More information on the Society is available at www.organsociety.org.
Send applications or inquiries to:
Dr. Christopher S. Anderson Associate Professor of Sacred Music
Perkins School of Theology
Southern Methodist University
PO Box 750133
Dallas, TX 75275-0133 USA
Tel. (+1) 214.768.3160 csander@smu.edu
