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!

Watch via Facebook

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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.

The Royal Canadian College of Organists is excited to announce the premiere of Season Two of Organist Launchpad!

In a new three-part episode, composer and organist Rashaan Allwood explores jazz improvisation and contemporary classical improvisation, followed by a masterclass in pop music arranging with Cadence Brassard.

Then, join organist John Paul Farahat for a four-part class on organ accompaniment in the Catholic tradition, including the role of an organist in a Catholic setting, Gregorian chant and hymn playing, cantor accompaniment, and prelude and postlude planning.

Produced in partnership with the Canadian International Organ Competition and funded by Canadian Heritage, Organist Launchpad presents instructional videos and masterclasses for organists of every skill level and is now streaming worldwide!

We hope you’ll check out this exciting new resource on our webpage or on YouTube, then help us spread the word. This second season features nine incredible presenters from Canada and abroad. As always, Organist Launchpad is free to watch, worldwide.

Watch at RCCO.CA
Watch via Facebook
Watch via YouTube

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!

A service honouring the life of Catherine Palmer will be held tomorrow, Thursday, September 28th at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of the Ascension (33 Overland Drive, Toronto, ON). The service will also be livestreamed at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/@ascensiondonmills/streams


Her obituary as it appeared in the Toronto Star can be accessed here:

https://obituaries.thestar.com/obituary/catherine-palmer-1088824314

We are saddened to announce the passing of Catherine Palmer, longtime Director of Music at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto. After moving from the United States, she became the first woman in Canada to obtain the Fellowship Diploma of the Royal College of Organists, eventually going on to serve as Chair of the Examination Committee for RCCO. Her many other accomplishments included appointment to the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music, regular performances on the CBC, and the founding of both the Holy Trinity Singers and Palmer Singers. A funeral service will be held at Church of the Ascension in Toronto.

Dear Friends,

We are deeply saddened to inform you of the passing of beloved Canadian composer, organist and educator, Rachel Laurin on August 13, 2023.

Rachel’s passing is deeply felt by her many devoted friends and colleagues across the country and is a great loss to the Canadian musical community

Rachel’s obituary and details about how she will be remembered will be shared as they become available.

In the meantime, we invite you to watch Rachel performing the beautiful and moving Méditation from her Suite Brève, Op. 6. No. 1:

National Organ Competition Results

We are excited to announce the following results of the 2023 National Organ Competition:

1^st place (Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Fund $5,000)

Martin Jones

Martin Jones is in his second year of study with Professor Martin Schmeding for a Master’s degree in organ performance at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig, Germany. In 2021 he was the winner of the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Prize and the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship. Martin also won the 2018 AGO Southwest Regional Competition for Young Organists, and he won third prize and the audience and hymn prizes in the High School Division of the 2016 Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition. He has played in masterclasses with many notable performers including Alan Morrison, Nathan Laube, Paul Jacobs,Daniel Roth, David Higgs, Pieter Dirksen, and Jürgen Essl. Martin holds a Bachelor of Organ from Rice University in Houston, Texas where he studied with Ken Cowan. He is graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied with Thomas Bara, and a former American Boychoir chorister.

2^nd place (Helen Murray and Family Prize $2,500)

Joshua Ehlebracht

Joshua Ehlebracht is 23 years old and pursuing a master’s degree in organ from the Yale School of Music in the studio of Prof. Martin Jean. Joshua has always had a passion for music and his previous studies include a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of music studying with Professors Nathan Laube and Anne Laver, as well as a Colleague diploma from the Royal Canadian College of Organists. Joshua is currently serving as interim organist at St. Paul’s on the Green in Norwalk, Connecticut, and has previously worked in Lutheran and Presbyterian churches with his first church position at the age of 15. Joshua is from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and began his musical journey at the age of six with piano lessons, followed by organ lessons with Dr. Peter Nikiforuk at the age of 10. Joshua holds second place prizes from the Albert Schweitzer organ festival in 2017 and the RCCO run Fairclough competition in 2016. He also spent time performing solo recitals around Ontario in London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, and Toronto at St. Paul’s Bloor Street and Metropolitan United Church, as well as several performances around Rochester, NY, and New Haven, CT, including performances at Woolsey Hall, Dwight Chapel, and the United Church on the Green.

3^rd place (Muriel Gidley Stafford Prize $1,000)

Alexander Straus-Fausto

Working on his master’s degree in organ performance at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Alexander Straus-Fausto from Kitchener, Ontario is thrilled to be studying under the direction of Dr. Martin Jean and playing on Yale’s Newberry Memorial Organ. He completed his Bachelor of Music at McGill University Schulich School of Music and his secondary school studies at Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy. While still a teenager, Straus-Fausto undertook a Canada Council-funded summer 2019 concert tour of the UK, playing in historic churches and cathedrals. In fall 2019, he was appointed Titular Organist at Église du Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus in Montréal, whose four-manual, 120-rank Casavant organ is acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest. Straus-Fausto was named a member of The Diapason’s “20 under 30” class of 2023,” which recognizes young artists under the age of 30 who have made significant contributions to the field of organ performance. Straus-Fausto was also named a competitor in the Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition 2023.

Left to right: Joshua Ehlebrecht, Alexander Straus-Fausto, Martin Jones; Elaine Graham (Godfrey Hewitt Foundation); judges Chelsea Chen, Christa Rakich, Kola Owolabi, Aaron James, Aaron Tan. Back row: Joachim Segger, Marnie Giesbrecht, Competition Chairs. (National Organ Competition Committee members Adrian Foster and David Simon absent from photo)

Congratulations to all of the National Organ Competition Semi-Finalists! The performances on Saturday were truly inspiring.

A special congratulations to the three finalists:

Alexander Straus-Fausto

Martin Jones

Joshua Ehlebracht

Hear all three compete in the Finals at Lawrence Park Community Church on Wednesday July 5 beginning at 2:00pm.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of BMRBPIPEORG INC., The Berriman Bailey Foundation, and our many loyal donors, who have made this competition possible.