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I began playing the organ when I was a composition major in college, hoping to improve my orchestration skills. However, I soon fell in love with the instrument and its beauty and versatility. I admire the organ for its rich and diverse sounds. Each organ has its own acoustics and character, and I can create different voices by choosing different sounds, even on the same organ. I also like to explore early music and the organ offers me more opportunities than the piano. Playing Bach on the organ is a completely different experience than playing it on the piano. It feels like I have finally found the right instrument for me. I was fortunate to learn from and work with inspiring teachers. I am grateful for the opportunity to study with Dr. Larry Palmer at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) and to work with Dr. Gregg Redner at Metropolitan United Church (London, ON).  

Besides being an organist, I also enjoy composing and orchestrating music. I have had the pleasure of working with various groups, such as Metropolitan Choir School, NISE (Neo Impressive Soloists Ensembles), Seoul Arts Center, Hwaum Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Metropolitan Opera and Gangnam Symphony Orchestra. Some of my works were featured at the June in Buffalo Festival (Buffalo, NY) and Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival of Young Musician’s Society. I also had the honour of having my solo organ piece "Reflections on Arirang" published by ECS Publishing. From 2019 to 2022, I served as a Shipman organ scholar at Metropolitan United Church in London, ON. Although my official term has ended, I am still involved with Metropolitan United as a choir member and organist. I am currently studying choral conducting and looking forward to future opportunities, including playing the postlude at the RCCO Carol Service in London and a recital next spring at Metropolitan United Church.

Check out my YouTube channel here: @ayoungkimorgan

Internationally renowned performers the Scott Brothers Duo present a five-part series on building your online and offline career in today's episode of Organist Launchpad! Improve your branding, video recording, marketing, publicity, social media and more with this deep dive into finding your audience.

Organist Launchpad is funded thanks to a grant from Heritage Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in association with the Canadian International Organ Competition.

Watch at RCCO.CA

And if you want to help boost the signal, click through to your social media platform of choice, give us a like and share, and then access the video from there!

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This week, organist Isabelle Demers offers an in-depth workshop on creating and performing orchestral transcriptions at the organ.

Organist Launchpad is funded thanks to a grant from Heritage Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in association with the Canadian International Organ Competition.

Watch at RCCO.CA

And if you want to help boost the signal, click through to your social media platform of choice, give us a like and share, and then access the video from there!

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Join performance psychologist Noa Kageyama as he discusses strategies for managing performance anxiety, including having a more positive experience on the stage (Part 1), managing somatic anxiety (Part 2), managing cognitive anxiety (Part 3), practising for performance pressure (Part 4), and managing attention control (Part 5).

Organist Launchpad is funded thanks to a grant from Heritage Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in association with the Canadian International Organ Competition.

Watch at RCCO.CA

And if you want to help boost the signal, click through to your social media platform of choice, give us a like and share, and then access the video from there!

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This week join organist David Simon for an in-depth look at the world of organ competitions in this four-part guide to preparing, performing, networking, and job-seeking. As always, Organist Launchpad is made available as a free resource for organists worldwide, thanks to a grant from Heritage Canada.

Watch at RCCO.CA

And if you want to help boost the signal, click through to your social media platform of choice, give us a like and share, and then access the video from there!

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We are very pleased to welcome both Ian M. Clark as our new Chair of Historic Organs, as well as Alison Clark as Chair of Scholarships and Bursaries. We look forward to working with them as we plan for an exciting year ahead!

At a service of Evensong at St Thomas’s Church, Toronto, on October 1, John Tuttle was named Organist and Choirmaster Emeritus in recognition of his outstanding musical contribution to the parish for over a quarter of a century from 1989 to 2016.  At the same service Elizabeth Anderson as Organist and Choirmaster and Manuel Piazza as Assistant Organist and Choirmaster were commissioned to their respective positions. 

Our three-part miniseries on organ accompaniment in the Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant traditions concludes today with Jonathan Oldengarm’s presentation on Hymn Playing in the Protestant Tradition. Learn approaches to registration, reharmonization, and clear accompaniment as he addresses the history of the form, Reformation hymnody, 19th century hymn tunes, gospel revival, and contemporary music on the organ. The 13th episode of Organist Launchpad, this marks the halfway point in our production. Season Two continues next week!

Organist Launchpad is funded thanks to a grant from Heritage Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in association with the Canadian International Organ Competition.

Watch at RCCO.CA

And if you want to help boost the signal, click through to your social media platform of choice, give us a like and share, and then access the video from there!

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Join Mark McDonald for a five-part workshop on the fundamentals of Anglican service playing in this week's new episode of Organist Launchpad, now streaming worldwide!

Mark covers an overview of Anglican musical traditions (part 1), organ registration for Anglican service accompaniment (part 2), hymn accompaniment (part 3), anthem accompaniment (part 4), and Anglican chant accompaniment (part 5).

Organist Launchpad is funded thanks to a grant from Heritage Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in association with the Canadian International Organ Competition.

Watch at RCCO.CA

And if you want to help boost the signal, click through to your social media platform of choice, give us a like and share, and then access the video from there!

Watch via Facebook

Watch via YouTube

Save the Date! - October 1, 2023 @ 3pm

A musical celebration in honour of RCCO Honorary Vice-President and Dublin St, United Church (Guelph) Organist Emeritus Barrie Cabena's 90th birthday, featuring the Dublin Chancel Choir, Dublin Handbell Choir, Irene Gregorio, Daniel Cabena, Sheri Cabena, Neil McLaren, and guest organists from the Royal Canadian College of Organists-Waterloo-Wellington Centre: David Hall, Angus Sinclair, James Brown, Bradley Moggach and Jeff Enns. Freewill offering in support of Dublin St. United Church; reception to follow.