THE PORTAGEVILLE CHAPEL

I am so grateful to be back here after a busy school year!! I’m writing at the beginning of the week. Due to a snow day, the school year was extended by one day for students/teachers, so yesterday I went straight home from school, packed some last-minute items and departed via Amtrak.

Passed the AGO Service Playing Test in March. Being able to spend time focusing here was a big help! Looking forward to a great week.
 

P.S. This week I used the library extensively to do research for the Royal College of Organists (RCO) Accredited Membership (Stage 2). There is a wealth of knowledge in there. Thank you, Thom Robertson! I had volumes covering the large table and I spent hours writing on legal pads in the kitchen. (I went low-tech and left the laptop at home.) I also recorded a video of myself playing four pieces in the Chapel. The nice thing was I didn’t need to have the mic far from the camera (my phone, again, low-tech). Also hiked Lower to Upper Falls twice with an ankle blister to prove it! Great week. Thank you!

Jim J, Chicago
 

Glad to be here again – with my father this time. Good practicing – the chance to learn pieces that the regular season doesn’t always seem to allow. My dad practiced piano at the house, and then we played some organ-piano hymns.
 

Enjoyed the area as always: St. Michael's in Geneseo, Warsaw, strawberries, hiking and Glen Iris. Cottage is very peaceful and gives the chance to reflect on the past year and the year to come.

Michael S,

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Thank you to everyone who makes this place possible. I had a wonderful week of practicing, reading, exploring and praying. The cottage and chapel are so welcoming and well cared for. Letchworth is stunning and the Glen Iris is lovely. I took the opportunity to go to mass at a country parish in Canaseraga – such nice people – also with the monks up at Genesee. I hope to return sometime.
 

Meg M, Cleveland, Ohio

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Another wonderful visit to the Portageville Chapel. After three years, it’s beginning to feel like coming home! Thank you for this great gift. What can I say? It’s refreshing, productive, relaxing, invigorating. I’m always able to accomplish so much more here than I could ever do at home. Looking forward to my next visit here already!
 

Jeff J, Ashville, NC

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This has been a very nice time of practice, planning, self-improvement and prayer -- a very nice opportunity for any organist to have. All the instruments were a ton of fun to play, especially the lovely Schantz organ in the Portageville Chapel.

Thanks for this wonderful opportunity and for all that you do, Tim and the PVC Board of Directors. Keeping up a historic structure is no small or easy task. Blessings and best wishes.
 

Tyler H, Annaplis, Maryland

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Our 9th visit to Portageville Chapel has been rewarding, refreshing and exciting! It truly feels like coming home and we are always excited to experience what has changed. This year my children particularly enjoyed the children’s programming on the Roku – great addition! Highlights of the week included a day trip to Rochester to hear Nathan Laube on the Paul Fritts organ at Sacred Heart Cathedral, more hiking at Letchworth (always renewing!) and a trip to the Genesee River. And, of course, I leave with more music learned – all the Bach Schubler Chorales and I even managed to compose a bit. It’s amazing what one can accomplish when one has few interruptions. I worked at all of the phrasing and articulation for the Bach works quite rapidly. These works I have been wanting to play since I was a teenager – so this was quite enjoyable! I continue to enjoy the piano at the cottage and the wealth f piano music – all the way from Grand Opera to music composed for the harmonium. We are all looking forward to our next visit! Thank you again!
 

Robert and Miranda M, Fairfax, VA

Jim and Elaine M, Pittsburgh, PA

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We had a fantastic time! This is my third time in Portageville and I enjoy it more every time. I have enjoyed seeing the progress through the year – AC, wireless, Roku! All the comforts of home. More important, I got a lot of music for the upcoming season learned. Thanks for offering this musical respite.
 

Benjamin K, Dallas, TX & SMU Perkins Chapel

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Thank you for a lovely week of quiet, undisturbed practice, and walks in beautiful Letchworth. I have spent most of my educational career in Rochester, NY, but never made it down to Letchworth before now. I had the perfect day there on Thursday. The cottage and the chapel are charming and I had the most fun playing there this evening. I hope to come back to this lovely corner of the USA soon!
 

Amanda M, Rochester, NY

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Portageville Chapel provided an ideal space for us to celebrate our second wedding anniversary, plan our musical and liturgical program years, and visit a new and beautiful landscape.
 

After two years without combination action or desirable pipe articulation, my fingers greatly appreciated an instrument I could revisit old favorites and learn new masterpieces on.
 

We highly recommend visiting the following;

• Questa Lasagna in Mt. Morris (they make their own sauce and pasta)

• The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester

• The Charcoal Corral in Perry (Plan to make a night of it)

Thank you to our gracious hosts. We hope to return again in the near future! Peace.

 

Justan F. and Rev. Paige C, Schodack Landing, NY

 

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Thank you for the refreshing time away for rest and practice. We do appreciate the opportunity for uninterrupted practice, followed by the majestic views of Letchworth State Park.
 

Heidi and Rob F, Kennett Square, PA

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