Organ Festival Canada 2025 will be hosted in Kitchener, Waterloo and Guelph, Ontario from July 7-10, 2025. During the Festival, we will be holding three masterclasses (two for organists and one for choral conductors) open to those with intermediate to advanced skill levels. Choral conductors should be regularly conducting a choir.

All masterclasses will provide approximately 25 minutes of individual instruction in a public setting. There are no age restrictions to apply. Applicants are welcome to apply for more than one masterclass. There will be three participants selected for each session.

Interested participants should submit a CV and a recording no more than 10 minutes in length using the online application portal by April 30, 2025. Organists should also indicate repertoire that they are interested in performing. Choral conductors selected to participate will consult with Patrick Murray about suitable repertoire. More details about each of the sessions is included below.

Organ Masterclasses

Isabelle Demers, Wednesday, July 9 with a focus on repertoire after 1850. (Other repertoire will be considered.) The masterclass will be held at St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Kitchener, which has two organs: 1943 Casavant and a 1977 Gabriel Kney. Both are two manuals.

Jonathan Oldengarm, Thursday, July 10 with a focus on repertoire prior to 1850. (Other repertoire will be considered.) The masterclass will be held at First United Church, Waterloo, which has a substantial three-manual mechanical instrument by Gabriel Kney.


Choral Conducting Masterclass

Patrick Murray, Tuesday, July 8. Location in Kitchener to be confirmed. Masterclasses will focus on technique and interpretation. A demonstration choir will be present.