Celebrate the brilliance and musicianship of five outstanding Canadian organists who will pull out all the stops on Saturday, July 1st 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 5th 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.
