About
The Southern Ohio Chapter of the American Guild of Organists — later renamed the Cincinnati Chapter —was founded on September 27, 1913 thanks to the efforts of Alois Bartschmid, who arrived in Cincinnati from Boston, and Sidney C. Durst, a member of the first Ohio Chapter, headquartered in Cleveland.
The Chapter today is governed by the Executive Committee under the leadership of the Dean and the three additional officers elected by our members.
Executive Committee Officers
Stella O’Neill, Dean
Stella O’Neill earned her Bachelor of Music in piano performance at the University of Minnesota. Stella continued on to pursue a Master of Music at the University of Florida in organ performance, where she also began work in harpsichord accompanying and continuo playing. She earned her doctoral degree in organ performance at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where she also was organ scholar at Christ Church Cathedral and gained experience in directing choirs. She is now director of music at St. Rose of Lima, Cincinnati. Other than making music, Stella enjoys spending time with her family: her husband and daughter, where gardening and jewelry making are some of her preferred pastimes.
Christopher Holman, Sub-Dean
Christopher Holman is Director of Music at St. Gertrude Church (Roman Catholic, Dominican Order) in Madeira, Cincinnati. Prior to moving to Ohio, he completed the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Music at the University of Oxford in England, where he directed the Choir of Exeter College, was Lecturer in Organ History at the University’s Betts Centre for Organ Studies, and taught counterpoint and fugue. From 2017–2019 he was a Frank Huntington Beebe Fellow at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland. During his time in Europe, he performed extensively in over a dozen countries on many of the most important historic organs and classical music festivals in the world, was a continuo player and sang professionally with many of London's leading choirs and European period instrument ensembles, and presented artistic projects in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Shakespearian actors from London’s West End. He holds undergraduate degrees in organ and voice from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in organ from the University of Houston. He is the Founder and Editor of the AGO-affiliated online journal Vox Humana, and currently serves as the Chair of the AGO national Editorial Resources Committee and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Music Commission.
Jimmy Leach, Treasurer
Raised by church musicians in Oklahoma, Jimmy grew up singing and playing piano, organ, guitar, and trumpet. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in music education, an MM in trumpet, and a DMA in trumpet from Boston University, where he studied with Tom Rolfs, principal trumpet of the BSO. Jimmy’s varied career has included performances with Johnny Mathis, Emmanuel Ax, Thelonious Monk Jr., Shirley Jones, Bernadette Peters, Holland American Line, Trinity Church (Boston), the Handel & Haydn Society, the Boston Lyric Opera, and the Boston Symphony Brass and Percussion under John Willimas in Fenway Park. While in Boston, Jimmy received three teaching awards as a teaching assistant at Harvard University. Jimmy serves as the organist/soloist at Church of the Ascension in Middletown and leads The Jimmy Leach Jazztet. Jimmy's latest album, “Jimmy Leach Sings Chet Baker,” can be found at your favorite streaming service.
Sean Connolly, Secretary
Sean Connolly is the Director of Sacred Music and Organist at Old St. Mary’s Church (Roman Catholic, Cincinnati Oratory) in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, having returned to the area in 2022 after six years in the Diocese of New Ulm as Director of Music at St Mary’s Church in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. He has seventeen years of professional experience as an organist and church musician, and holds a Master’s Degree in Church Music with a concentration in Organ from Concordia University Wisconsin.
Additional Executive Committee Members
Jason Gunnell, Scholarships Chair
Jason Gunnell is Associate Director of Music and Organist at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Cincinnati, and is a member of the Bach Ensemble at St. Thomas. He holds degrees from Brigham Young University–Idaho, the University of Kansas, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and has studied with renowned teachers including James Higdon, Roberta Gary, and Michael Unger. An experienced church musician and recitalist, Dr. Gunnell has performed widely across the U.S. and in Hungary, including as a Guest Organist at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Kate, and their eight children.
Daniel Grotz
Daniel Grotz grew up in Culpeper, Virginia and started piano lessons at age eight. He came to the University of Virginia as an undergraduate English major, intending to make a career teaching English literature. But in his Junior year, after hearing the organ concerts on the amazing Taylor and Boody Opus 3 organ at Westminster Presbyterian, he decided to pick up organ. Two years later, he got a job as an Episcopal organist in Charlottesville, where he stayed four years. He has since completed his master's degree in Organ Performance at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and begun his doctorate (at the same). He is the organ scholar at St. Francis in the Fields (Episcopal), Kentucky. He likes cooking, swimming, Pysanky, and of course, English literature!
Andrew Hackett
Andrew Hackett currently serves as organist at Covenant-First Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. Former appointments include Hennepin Avenue United Methodist in Minneapolis, MN, and the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his BA in organ performance from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, and his MM in organ performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Also a prize-winning composer, his pieces have been premiered by members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the faculties of the universities of St. Thomas and St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. The weekly syndicated radio program Pipedreams, hosted by Michael Barone, has featured his compositions for organ.
Brenda Hayden, Membership Coordinator
Brenda Hayden received her early music training in her native Nova Scotia, and then obtained her B. Mus in organ performance in New Brunswick. Since then she has held various positions in New Brunswick and Ontario as Music Director and Organist in churches of several denominations. Since coming to the US, she has held positions in Cincinnati (Indian Hill Church), and spent five years in Midland, Michigan at Trinity Lutheran Church before returning to Cincinnati to teach music at two Catholic schools in Fort Thomas and Newport, covering K to 12 and also serving as Director of Music at St. Catherine of Siena in Fort Thomas. She earned the CAGO certification in 2016, and a Master of Arts in Church Music in 2019 from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus. Brenda is Director of Music at Our Lady of the Visitation Church (Roman Catholic) in Cincinnati. She has two wonderful grown sons and two beautiful kitties, and enjoys exploring Cincinnati in her spare time.
Cheryl Raine
Cheryl Raine is a lifelong musician and educator with over 40 years of experience in church music and teaching. A proud graduate of both the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Miami University, she holds a Master of Music Education in Supervision with a major in Organ. Cheryl currently serves as Organist at Fleming Road United Church of Christ and previously spent a decade as an adjunct instructor at Mount St. Joseph University, where she taught organ, class piano, and church music skills. These days, she focuses on piano instruction at the Wyoming Fine Arts Center and through her private studio. When she’s not at the keyboard, Cheryl enjoys long walks and playful company with her rescued Shih Tzu, Doodle.
Tyler Robertson
Tyler Robertson is the Director of Music Ministries and Organist at Christ Church (Episcopal) in Glendale. He holds degrees in organ performance from Baylor University (BM, MM) and a DMA in choral conducting from the Ohio State University. He holds the Associate AGO (AAGO) certification. Tyler has been a long-time member of the AGO, and has previously served on the executive board of the Columbus, Ohio chapter. He is married with two young children and two loving but stressful dogs.