News

Citations of the 2020 Honorary Awards recipients are now available for viewing on the Honorary Awards page, or by clicking here. Congratulations to all of our recipients!

The troubling events of the last several weeks have highlighted the issues of inequality for Indigenous, Black and other minority groups in Canada.  We, at the Royal Canadian College of Organists, stand against systemic racism and all forms of discrimination and are immediately looking at our own organization and its operations to determine what concrete steps we can take to support a just and equal Canadian society.

Rick Morgan and Peter Nikiforuk

The RCCO has partnered with Sarah Svendsen to assist her in her Doctoral research project to study the impact of organ playing on musculoskeletal health as well as the workplace characteristics experienced by organists through an occupational health lens. Please see below from a message from Sarah. 

To the members of the Royal Canadian College of Organists

My name is Sarah Svendsen and I am a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Toronto. My dissertation will involve ground-breaking research examining musculoskeletal injuries experienced by organists of all levels.

In partnership with the RCCO, a survey is being made available to you at this time. ALL organists are encouraged to complete this survey (including those who may not have experienced injury). In accordance with privacy laws, all information is confidential. The online survey program ensures that anonymity is provided at all steps and that I, as researcher, will never see from whom or where the information originates.

The results of this survey have potentially wide-reaching implications, including informing occupational injury prevention practice for student organists, teachers, and places of employment. Along these lines, my immediate intentions for the use of the survey results are to inform organist training programs and to inform churches about organist workplace health and safety in context. Upon completion of my dissertation, the RCCO will provide me with an opportunity for to present my findings to the membership.

Final date to take survey: July 1, 2020

Thank you in advance for your participation! 

Sarah Svendsen

To take the survey, please check your inbox for an email from the RCCO sent on June 6 (subject: Pipe Organist Playing Injuries Survey), which contains a link. If you cannot find this email, please let us know by emailing info@rcco.ca and we will resend it.

To enable RCCO members who work with choirs to remain informed of current research on the impact of COVID-19, the Professional Development committee offers the following online resources which draw upon current scientific research and best practices.

Please note that these external resources are offered for the information of members and are not endorsed by the RCCO.

• Singing as a Risk for Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Virus

A Rapid Evidence Report prepared by the Alberta Health Services, COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Group.

• Singing, the Church and COVID-19

Prepared by Dr Heather Nelson, an American church musician and expert in vocal health. The site provides regular updates and links to many additional studies and resources.

• Covid-19 information for choral organisations, choirs and conductors

Extensive resources prepared by the European Choral Association.

This is a challenging time for many professional organists and church musicians. Current restrictions on public gatherings due to the Covid-19 crisis have resulted in cancelled concerts and suspended church services, in turn causing significant financial hardship for many College members.  

In response to this unprecedented situation the federal government is providing financial relief in the form of the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) program. To find out if you are eligible and to apply please visit the CERB website at www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html .

A number of provinces currently provide additional financial assistance.  To find out more, please visit the websites below, or contact your provincial or territorial ministry of labour. 

• British Columbia: BC Emergency Benefit for Workers https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/covid-19-financial-supports/emergency-benefit-workers

• Alberta: Emergency Financial Assistance https://www.alberta.ca/emergency-financial-assistance.aspx

• Saskatchewan: Support for Workers https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-for-businesses-and-workers/support-for-workers#saskatchewan-support

• Manitoba: Support for Individuals https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/infomanitobans/index.html#individuals

• Ontario: COVID-19 Emergency Assistance https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-emergency-assistance

• Quebec: Government Assistance Programs COVID-19 https://www.quebec.ca/en/government-assistance-programs-covid19/

• Nova Scotia: Worker Emergency Bridge Fund https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/worker-emergency-bridge-fund/

Wash hands. Stay safe, stay well. Keep fingers nimble! 

Dear Colleagues:

I hope you are staying home and remaining healthy and finding many things to do at home which would never get done otherwise! We continue in unprecedented and unsettling times and we realize some members are facing very real professional and financial challenges. Even our ability to do some extra practising has, in many cases, come to an end, as churches lock down completely. I have unfortunately recently heard of the death of one member in Victoria as a result of COVID-19. It brings this crisis very close to home.

The RCCO office is still operating with Elizabeth Shannon and Hayley Raymond working from home and enabling the organization to carry on as much as possible. Peter Nikiforuk is going to offer some resources that support on-line teaching, as many of you are now doing that. We are looking for other resources which we may be able to provide. Our RCCO examinations have been postponed until later in the year. 

It is important for the organization to find ways to be supportive of the membership. In response to member’s concerns, and in consultation with our Vice-presidents, Secretary and Executive Director, we are temporarily suspending the membership renewal deadline. If you are able to renew your membership by May 31, that is great and appreciated, but be assured that no current member will be removed from RCCO membership for non-payment of annual dues, until further notice. The one caveat is that if you are renewing a subscription to a publication, that subscription renewal must be received by May 31. Renewing a “subscription only” cannot be done on-line. To renew a subscription please call or email the national office by May 31 for uninterrupted delivery.

We will proceed with our election process as planned. We are obligated to comply with our bylaws and it is important for the organization to fill vacant board positions in order to carry on its operations.

We are all looking forward to our lives returning to normal as soon as possible. In the meantime, make the most of your changed reality and know that the RCCO is concerned for your safety and well-being. Why not call another member this week to check on how they are doing and have a chat? This kind of contact means a lot.

Take care.

National President
Royal Canadian College of Organists

Due to the present COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Examiners has decided to suspend the current session of RCCO examinations. They will be rescheduled after the pandemic's resolution, hopefully in the fall.

The application form for the 2020 John Goss Scholarship is now available.  Please note that the deadline for receiving applications has been extended to April 30, 2020.  New this year is the provision for study under the scholarship may take place either within or outside of Canada.  For full details and the application form, click here.

We regret that due to the ongoing global health crisis Organ Festival Canada - Victoria 2020, as well as the 2020 Summer Organ Academy, have been cancelled. Every day we learn more about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and there is much uncertainty about what the next weeks and months will bring. Recent developments suggest that it will be several months before we are out the other side of this. We were very excited about the Festival and Academy and are deeply disappointed to have to take this action, but after much thoughtful discussion and consultation, we have concluded that it is not viable to proceed.

For those who have already registered for the Festival, or purchased concert tickets, please visit the Organ Festival Canada website at rccovictoria2020.ca for more details and information about obtaining a refund.

Our next Festival and Academy will be held in Hamilton, July, 2021. We hope you will join us then. 

These are challenging times but we will get through it together. Stay well, be kind, and take care of each other.

To safeguard the well-being of our office staff the National Office at 15 Case Goods Lane is closed. The Executive Director and Office Administrator are working remotely, and will respond to email and voice messages. We urge all Centres to follow the recommendations of governments and public health agencies to suspend all meetings and events.  The closure will remain in effect until further notice.