Dr. Neil Harmon
Neil Harmon teaches organ at Brigham Young University, Utah State University, and Utah Valley University. Prior to his university teaching in Utah, he worked as full-time Director of Music and Organist at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware for 19 years. Dr. Harmon earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts from The Eastman School of Music. He enjoys a career as teacher, performer, accompanist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is known throughout the country for his creative organ arrangements and for his choral and handbell compositions.
Dr. David Pickering
Active recitalist, recording artist, scholar and author David Pickering is Professor of Music and Chair of the Keyboard Division at Kansas State University where he teaches organ and music theory. His career as a performer has carried him across the United States as well as to Canada and Europe.
Pickering’s multifaceted research has focused on the composers, music, organs, and pedagogues of the American organ scene in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His four solo recordings have focused on the organ music of American composers from the twentieth century to the present day. His scholarly works are published by the Organ Historical Society Press and Wayne Leupold Editions.
Pickering completed his degrees from the University of Kansas and Brigham Young University in organ performance and musicology; he has also pursued technical studies with pianist Sheila Paige. His organ teachers include Parley Belnap, James Higdon, J.J. Keeler, and Arlene Small.
Pickering and his wife, Melinda, are the parents of seven children.
Alena Hall
Alena Hall loves playing the organ!! Accompanying and collaborative work are part of that continuing passion, as is teaching. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Combined Piano and Organ Performance from BYU and then a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance, also from BYU. One of the personal highlights of her career was working as an organist at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Currently she has a small studio of piano and organ students and enjoys teaching at a variety of workshops.
Valerie McDougal
Valerie W. McDougal is a graduate in Organ Performance at Brigham Young University, where she received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Organ Performance studying under Dr. Douglas E. Bush. Also received her Master’s Degree in Organ Performance studying under Dr. Brian Mathias and Dr. Andrew Unsworth.
She holds both Colleague and Service Playing Certificates from the American Guild of Organists. She is a member of Salt Lake and Utah County Chapters of the AGO.
Mrs. McDougal currently serves as Stake and Ward organist, and has conducted and taught LDS training for organists of all levels. Sister McDougal is currently serving as a service missionary in the Jordan River Utah Temple where she serves as the organist coordinator of over 70 temple service missionary organists in addition to her temple organist assignment.
She is an organ teacher of private students.
Valerie and her husband Mark, reside in South Jordan, Utah. They are the proud parents of five children and grandparents of 10 grandchildren.