Adam Chlebek is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Jonathan Moyer. A Polish-American from Chicago, IL, he earned second prize at the 2022 Taylor Organ Competition and has performed throughout the United States and Poland. Chlebek has participated in masterclasses with organists Janette Fishell, William Porter, and Arvid Gast. In 2022, he served as the Sacred Music Intern at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
At Oberlin, he also focused on choral singing and conducting. He sang in the Oberlin Musical Union, under the direction of Gregory Ristow, and Collegium Musicum, under the direction of Steven Plank and has studied choral conducting with Jodi Kerchner and Ben Johns.
Adam is an avid jazz pianist; he has participated in Oberlin’s Performance and Improvisation Ensemble, where he has performed with Jamey Haddad, Jay Ashby, and Becca Stevens. He is also the keyboardist for The Surrealists, a psych-rock band based in Evanston, IL.
Adam is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music, where he studies with Nathan Laube.
Robert Young Ellis was Professor of Organ at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia for 35 years from 1952 to 1987. It is hoped that this series will inspire musicians young and old, as Ellis, through his teaching and playing, influenced innumerable students and colleagues who remember him as a musician of genius and as one who brought both wit and sophistication to the lesson and to the classroom. Mr. Ellis, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, was trained at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, at the University of North Texas and at the University of Michigan. He was guest artist for numerous conventions of the American Guild of Organists and for dedications of many new pipe organ installations throughout the United States. Mr. Ellis was a visiting lecturer at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. In Arkansas, he served as organist for the First United Methodist Church of Hot Springs and the First United Methodist Church of Arkadelphia. At Henderson, he coached four Fulbright scholars and winners of regional and national competitions. He was a man of warm presence and kindness to all who knew him. Those whom he influenced are professionals now serving throughout the country as church musicians, university professors, organ builders, and as principals and supporters for arts organizations.
The Central Arkansas Chapter meets once a month, September through May, for dinner, business meeting and a concert. These meetings are a time for fellowship, to visit with old friends, to make new friends, and to enjoy the performances of world-class artists. Our recitals are free, open to the public, and made possible by the support of our members, chapter friends, and program sponsors.
Now is the time to join, or renew your membership of, the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. If you are an organist, church musician, or love the organ and its music, support our mission by joining us today. Memberships run from July 1 to June 30.
Please join us today by filling out a membership form and mailing it, along with your dues, to the address printed on the form, or visit the AGO ONCARD website to pay your dues online.
CACAGO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible.