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Day 6 - Today was the last day of the Summer Organ Academy 2023. The Student Recital offered an opportunity to see the growth and development of the students after only a week at the Academy! A reception followed where the students had a chance to reminisce about the week and have their final goodbyes. Thank you to all the students, faculty and instructors for making this year's Academy such a success!

Day 5 - It's the final countdown!  Today's the last full day of activities at the Summer Organ Academy.  We have a lecture by John Paul Farahat and a masterclass with Aaron Tan.  Students also go about their last day of private and improvisation lessons.  Come to our Student Recital, tomorrow, July 1, at Rosedale United Church at 1:00 pm to watch some of our talented students perform!

The Semi-finals are TOMORROW - Saturday July 1st at Rosedale Presbyterian Church, Toronto from 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. Admission is free (donations to the RCCO accepted at the door). Don't miss this opportunity to hear five phenomenal young emerging performing artists!

Day 4 - Whew, it's been a full day at the Summer Organ Academy, beginning with a Lecture from Jonathan Oldengarm about the secret code of registering early 20th-century Casavants, and ending with a Masterclass with Isabelle!

Day 3 - That's a wrap of day 3!  Some participants got to play in masterclass with Chelsea Chen today. We got some diverse repertoire featuring many different styles.  It's not too late to register to audit for the remaining Lectures and Masterclasses at https://rcco.ca/event-5193392!  We hope to see you there!

Day 2 - After a full day of lessons and an amazing Lecture by Aaron James, participants got to enjoy themselves in a at the Jazz Bistro, having food, chatting, and watching our own Faculty's Jeff McLeod do a superb job in performance with his ensemble - The Donnybrook Trio!

Celebrate the brilliance and musicianship of five outstanding Canadian organists who will pull out all the stops on Saturday, July 1^st at Rosedale Presbyterian church.  Competing for three coveted positions in the finals of the Royal Canadian College of Organists National Organ Competition, the young emerging performing artists hail from Vancouver to Leipzig, and were selected by a panel of experts. Hear, see and experience organ music at its best performed on the Karl Wilhelm tracker-action pipe organ. Don’t miss this prequel to the Toronto Organ Festival as these five competitors dazzle five international judges in front of a live audience. Rosedale Presbyterian Church sponsors the semi-finals in honour of the late Mary Legge, their esteemed longstanding organist. Performances 10:00 am to noon; and 1:30 to 3:00 pm. The lucky three finalists compete in the finals on July 5^th at Lawrence Park Community Church from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, a luminous and poignant highlight of the Toronto Organ Festival. Generously sponsored by Lawrence Park Community Church in tribute to the late Mark Toews, their revered, well-loved organist and music director, all three performances comprise the premiere of a work by Toronto-based rising star Rashaan Allwood.  Allwood’s “Miniatures for Mark” was commissioned specially for the competition by David and June Weind. Mark Toews was a distinguished and cherished member of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, a former national president who took particular interest in the development of RCCO competitions. A reception following the final competition performances is sponsored by the RCCO Toronto Centre. 

Admission is free to both competition events, thanks to the generous sponsorship of both churches.

Day 1 - The Summer Organ Academy has just begun! Participants got a chance to have an orientation and group dinner with the Faculty.  Then, the students immersed themselves in beautiful music performed by our very own Faculty - a very exciting start indeed!

Today's the day of the Summer Organ Academy All-Star Concert! It's at Rosedale United Church (159 Roxborough Dr, Toronto) at 7:00 pm.  Freewill offering and donations gratefully accepted. Don't miss out on a wonderful and diverse program!  Come enjoy exceptional performances by Chelsea Chen, Isabelle Demers, Aaron Tan, Aaron James, Jonathan Oldengarm, John Paul Farahat, David Simon, and Sarah Svendsen.  There may even be a little surprise at the end!

Earl Clark has been the organist and musical director at Stratford's St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church for the last 63 years. On Sunday June 25, he will retire. Watch the CBC news report at here . Earl will be presented with the RCCO Distinguished Service Award at the College Convocation on July 5, 2023.