News

The Windsor Essex Centre of the RCCO is inviting anyone, especially young people. interested in the organ to see one up close, learn about it, hear it, and play it.

On April 23, 2022, designated venues across Windsor and Essex County will open their doors between 1 and 3 PM.

Bring a piece of music or play your favourite piece from memory, even if it is 'chopsticks'. Learn how to make different sounds using a variety of 'organ stops', take a picture of yourself on the organ bench, or record your organ playing debut.

Goal - to establish a first-time ever record of the greatest number of people possible playing an organ on International Organ Day. Setting this record, Windsor Essex will be the very first Organ Capital of Canada!

Check out CBC Windsor's coverage of the upcoming event here.

The RCCO honours and celebrates individuals and organizations who, through their work locally or nationally, have made a significant contribution to the organ and its music in Canada. A complete description of each award and criteria is available at https://www.rcco.ca/honorary-awards . Please consider nominating members of your Centre who may be worthy of an award.

Nominations are due no later than May 31, 2022.

The RCCO is excited to be a part of The Organ Show 2022, celebrating International Organ Day with The Royal College of Organists, The American Guild of Organists, and more. Tune in on YouTube at 3:00 PM EST on April 23, 2022 and be inspired!

We are pleased to announce the list of nominees standing for election to the 2022-2023 RCCO Board of Directors.

Please click here to read the biography of each nominee.

Additional nominations for these positions may be made by the membership on or before May 1, 2022. Nomination submissions must be received by the National Office on or before May 1, 2022 and consist of 1) the consent in writing of the nominee, and 2) the signatures of five other members in support of the nomination.

Where only one person is nominated for a position, those nominated will be elected by acclamation. Where more than one person is nominated for the available position(s) an election will be conducted. If required, the election will be conducted online and managed by a third-party voting service provider to maintain confidentiality. A notice with candidate information and full voting instructions will be sent in mid-May. Members without an email address will receive an election package in the mail. Voting will close June 15, 2022. (Members who have email but would prefer to vote by mail-in ballot must notify the national office prior to May 1, 2022.)

Elizabeth Shannon
Executive Director

Online organ festival sets new standards

Digital organ festival gathers worldwide organ scene for the first time

The 1st International Online Organ Festival (18.4.-1.5.2022) takes place under the patronage of the German UNESCO Commission and offers a comprehensive and exciting program around the organ. At the heart of the festival are more than 30 concert films, which will be available as video on demand throughout the festival period.

Every day, three of these film contributions will take center stage as highlights, each of which will be accompanied by matching live Q & As sessions as free special events. In addition, there is an impressive interactive program consisting of prominent Zoom panels, webinars, Q&As and online MasterClasses by top-class organists.

The lineup of participating churches and venues reads like a Who's Who of exciting places of culture like the cathedrals of Milan, Cologne or Vienna or modern concert venues like the brand new Zaryadye Concert Hall in Moscow and the National Grand Theater in the heart of Beijing.

First program highlights are for example an organ concert with Wayne Marshall in Europe's oldest theater building the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenca/Venetia (1580), Jean Guillou's masterpiece 'La Révolte des Orgues' from the Milan Cathedral or performance films by top organists like Olivier Latry, Martin Baker or Dong-ill Shen from Seoul/Korea. There are also several specials presenting the most beautiful organs of Dresden or Bavaria. Hansjörg Albrecht will present works from St. Florian, Linz, London, Munich and Bari in a concert film focusing on Anton Bruckner.

At the free online Q & A Zoom-events, there is a unique opportunity to get in touch with participating organists.

Another opportunity to learn more about the organ are the panels of the 1st IOOF. The discussion rounds will be held via Zoom in German or English with prominent specialists from music, politics and society. Here, viewers can either actively participate in the discussion or just listen. In addition, interesting webinars are offered for in-depth discussion of various topics in the context of the organ. As soon as the list of topics for the webinars is published, registration for the limited places will be opened.

The online masterclasses are a special offering designed for people to further their education about organ practice. The limited seats are reserved for students as well as active organists and will be sold out quickly.

Other patrons of the IOOF are star conductor Kent Nagano and former Bundestag President Norbert Lammert. The festival is kindly supported by the Goethe Institute, and cooperation partners are international organ associations such as the VEM - Association of Protestant Church Musicians, IAO - the umbrella organization of English organ associations and the RCO - Royal College of Organists.

Tickets available from February - 14 festival days.
30+ concert films | 4/18 -5/1/2022
Daily updates at www.io-of.org
Subscribe to the IOOF newsletter
Contact: IOOF -International Online Organ Festival UG,
Leopoldstr. 206 | 80804 Munich, Email: info@io-of.org

The RCCO Vancouver Centre has arranged a masterclass with Pacific Baroque Orchestra's Orchestra's Alexander Weimann on Saturday, May 7, at 11:00 am, and they are looking for participants! The masterclass will be on West Vancouver United Church's unique, Baroque-style organ built by Martin Pasi. There will be a brief opportunity for participants to try registrations on the organ an hour before the masterclass, from 10-11 am.

If you are interested in playing, please send an email with the name of your piece no later than Friday, April 22 to Angelique at angelique_po@hotmail.com. A maximum of 4 participants are sought, on a first-come-first-serve basis, though preference will be given to current RCCO Vancouver members. Baroque pieces are preferred for this masterclass, though organists of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. The masterclass will be open to anyone who would like to observe.

Alexander Weimann is an accomplished organist and harpsichordist living and working in Vancouver, who has a highly-regarded international career as both a soloist and conductor. Here in Vancouver, he is well-known as being the Music Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Sessional Lecturer of Conducting and Harpsichord at the University of British Columbia, and Director of the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme. You can read more about him on his website: https://alexanderweimann.com/.

The Organizing Committee of the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition has announced the dates of the 13th competition.

2023
The first round:
Hamburg, Germany — April, 17–21
New Haven, Connecticut, USA — May, 9–12
Beijing, China — May, 22–25
Moscow, Russia — August, 28–31

The second and the third rounds:
Kaliningrad, Russia — September, 3–9

President of the Jury — Martin Jean, USA

The programme, rules and the list of Jury are on the website www.organcimpetition.ru.

Congratulations to Honorary Patron Angela Hewitt, CC, OBE on receiving the Ontario Arts Council's Oskar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance!

This award is presented biennially to an outstanding Canadian performer in the field of classical music, recognizing talent and commitment to Canadian music.

Hewitt will receive the award on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at the opening night of Hewitt Plays Bach & Mozart – her series with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Photo credit: Bernd Eberle

The RCCO is creating a virtual network to connect and support young organists. If you are a young organist, you can help us determine what features and resources would be helpful to you by completing this short survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXpi-_wNjew6QZ6DbpAbEjThXzDw3di9wsDzqdJ2_WVFfXxw/viewform?usp=sf_link

The deadline to respond is March 1.

Thank you!

The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is offering a reduced fee to RCCO members wishing to join the RCO Winter Conference! The Conference will run online from Thursday, February 17 to Saturday, February 19, 2022, and the content will be available for viewing for several weeks after the Conference closes, making it easier to access for those living in different time zones to the UK.

Full details of the Conference programme can be found at https://conference.rco.org.uk/winter22/. RCCO Members should book at the 'Members of RCO Partner Organisations' rate.

In brief, the conference will include:

• Six recitals, each followed by live chat with the players...
• • Katelyn Emerson playing the Walcker organ in the Methuen Memorial Hall, Boston, sponsored by Andover Organ Company
  • Jean-Baptiste Monnot playing the Cavaillé-Coll organ at Saint-Ouen, Rouen, sponsored by Church Organ World
  • Daniel Moult playing the Richards, Fowkes & Co. organ at St George's Hanover Square, London and the Lewis organ at St John the Divine, Upper Norwood, London, sponsored jointly by Richards, Fowkes & Co. and Harrison & Harrison Ltd.
  • Freddie James playing on the 1734 organ of the Franziskanerkirche, Lucerne, Switzerland, sponsored by Viscount Organs
  • Ivan-Bogdan Reincke (winner of the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition 2019), playing on the 1741 Trost organ of the Schlosskirche, Alternberg, Germany, sponsored by the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition
  • Wenying Wu (winner of the IAO-RCO Organ Playing Competition 2021) playing on the Schuke organ of Erfurt Cathedral, Germany, sponsored by Viscount Organs
• Presentations by...
• • The British Institute of Organ Studies
  • The Incorporated Association of Organists
  • The Institute of British Organ Building
  • The Royal School of Church Music
  • The Society of Women Organists
  • Eastman School of Music (with David Higgs)
  • The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (with Daniel Moult)
  • The Royal College of Music (with David Graham)
    

• plus
• • Organ Shorts - interviews with distinguished players
  • Pipe Organ profiles - organists introduce famous organs with which they are associated