Hands across the pond with RCO / AGO reciprocal agreement

The Royal College of Organists (RCO) and the American Guild of Organists (AGO) have entered into a new reciprocal agreement designed to benefit organists on both sides of the Atlantic.

The agreement creates a new structure allowing members of either organisation to join the other as affiliate members.

AGO members becoming affiliate members of the RCO will receive a bespoke package of digital benefits including access to iRCO, the College’s outstanding digital content hub which contains hundreds of videos, webinars, audio files, papers, articles and other educational material for the organist and choral director.

iRCO has proved globally popular during the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than a thousand organists and choral directors taking up the RCO’s offer of free access to all during the period of the UK lockdown – a time when many organists, not just in the UK, have been unable to work or even access their instruments for practice. Many more educational resources are currently being developed and added to iRCO as part of the College’s ongoing response to the pandemic.

In return, RCO members becoming Affiliate Members of the AGO will secure access to the online edition of “The American Organist” (TAO).

TAO is a world-leading magazine for organists everywhere. It contains much that will interest UK practitioners, in particular the many scholarly articles which will be of great interest to UK examination candidates.

The Executive Director of the AGO, James Thomashower, speaking on behalf of his National Council, said: “We warmly welcome this collaboration, which we are sure will greatly enrich and benefit the membership of both organisations.”

The RCO’s Chief Executive, Sir Andrew Parmley added: “Music is a universal language, so it is vital for organisations such as ours to adopt an international approach as we develop member resources. We look forward to developing the relationship still further as we look towards interNational Organ Day on 24th April 2021.”

From 1st July 2020, AGO members wishing to join the RCO as an AGO Affiliate Member should visit www.rco.org.uk/for-every-organist

RCO members wishing to join the AGO as an RCO Affiliate Member should visit www.agohq.org/ago-affiliate-membership-for-rco-members/