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  • 25 March 2024 11:32 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


  • 20 March 2024 12:23 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    We are pleased to announce the list of nominees standing for election to the 2024-2025 Board of Directors and Regional Council.





    Additional nominations for these positions may be made by the membership on or before May 1, 2024. Nomination submissions must be received by the National Office on or before May 1, 2024 and consist of 1) the consent in writing of the nominee, and 2) the signatures of five other members in support of the nomination.

    Where only one person is nominated for a position
    , those nominated will be elected by acclamation. Where more than one person is nominated for the available position(s) an election will be conducted. (In the event more than one person is nominated for a Regional Councillor position, only members of Centres in that region are eligible to vote.)  If required, the election will be conducted online and managed by a third-party voting service provider to maintain confidentiality. A notice with candidate information and full voting instructions will be sent in mid-May. Members without an email address will receive an election package in the mail. Voting will close June 15, 2024. (Members who have email but would prefer to vote by mail-in ballot must notify the national office prior to May 1, 2024.)

    Sincerely,



    Elizabeth Shannon
    Executive Director

  • 08 March 2024 9:14 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Woman Composer Sunday was launched by the Royal College of Organists (UK) and the Society of Women Organists as an annual celebration to coincide with International Women's Day. This year, it falls on Sunday, March 10. In preparation for this event, we are sharing some resources to help you get started exploring women composers in Canada, including episodes of Organist Launchpad from Janet Yieh and Maria Gajraj, organ and choral selections available for purchase at the RCCO online store, and other useful links.




    Other resources for Woman Composer Sunday: The American Guild of Organists - Task Force for Gender Equity The Society of Women Organists Amplify Female Composers A Great Host of Composers

  • 06 March 2024 1:31 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)



    Professor of Organ at the University of Toronto, Kevin Komisaruk, presents 'An Instrument of Change: Inhabiting our Future with the Virtual Organ.' During this enlightening presentation and workshop, Komisaruk provides an introduction to virtual-organ technology (Part 1) and discusses how to leverage technology for creative expression (Part 2) and the virtual-organ technology’s ability to help us become stronger artists (Part 3).

    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
    Watch via Facebook
    Watch via YouTube

  • 28 February 2024 12:32 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    In this week's episode of Organist Launchpad, organist and TikToker Wesley Hall offers advice for finding your identity as an organist in the digital realm, including an introduction to the organ in the digital realm (Part 1) building a brand (Part 2), an overview of platforms (Part 3), and some dos and don'ts (Part 4) for social-media content creation.

    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.

    We hope you’ll check out this exciting new resource on our webpage or on YouTube, then help us spread the word.

    Watch at RCCO.CA
    Watch via Facebook
    Watch via YouTube

  • 22 February 2024 12:08 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)



    Each month, we are featuring RCCO Centres from across the country, to celebrate the work they are doing and to glimpse what makes each one unique. In the latest installment, Halifax Centre Vice-President Dr. Kim Tan-MacNeill offers some recent highlights of concerts and other Centre activities.

    Click here to check out the video!

  • 20 February 2024 1:24 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)



    This week, organist Sarah Svendsen discusses integrating organist occupational health and safety into organ playing and study. Dr. Svendsen's presentation includes an introduction to the concept of playing pain in organ playing (Part 1), cultural influences in organ playing pain risks (Part 2), and physical factors in organ playing pain risks (Part 3).

    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.

    We hope you’ll check out this exciting new resource on our webpage or on YouTube, then help us spread the word.

    Watch at RCCO.CA
    Watch via Facebook
    Watch via YouTube

  • 14 February 2024 9:33 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)



    Join us this week as composer, organist, and multidisciplinary artist Kim Farris-Manning discusses ideas for incorporating visuals and storytelling with the organ, including Working in Versions (Part 1), Creating with a Media Feedback Loop (Part 2), How to Create Imagery with Organ Music and No Visuals (Part 3), and Creative Prompts and Guidelines (Part 4).

    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.


    We hope you’ll check out this exciting new resource on our webpage or on YouTube, then help us spread the word.

    Watch at RCCO.CA
    Watch via Facebook
    Watch via YouTube

  • 09 February 2024 9:45 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    I remember first becoming interested in the organ after having heard Stanford’s Morning, Communion, and Evening Service in C at St. George’s Cathedral in Kingston, ON,; I’d quite literally never heard anything like it and I was floored. I was doing my undergraduate at Queen’s University at the time in piano and composition, and I decided to apply for the introductory organ scholarship with the local RCCO Centre. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to continue studying after the scholarship had ended, but I soon found myself having to prioritize preparing piano recitals and composition commissions. So, unfortunately, organ fell by the wayside.

    A few years later, after having finished my master’s in composition at the University of Toronto, I found myself looking for work in the city. I’d been playing the piano in churches since starting music in my teens, and given my (albeit very limited) experience on the organ, it made sense to me that I apply to church music positions in the area. I ended up landing at Graceview Presbyterian Church, Etobicoke, where I still serve as music director today. Shortly after starting the job though, it hit me that I should really know how to play this instrument properly if I wanted to succeed as a church musician. Dr. Pat Wright (whose choir I had spent some time in a year or two earlier) recommended that I reach out to Aaron James about lessons. All I can say is he has been an outstanding friend and teacher, and I’m happy to have been working with him ever since. I continue to have amazing experiences with the organ, including my first concert as a guest organist this past fall, and certainly not least of which was the incredible festival I was able to attend last summer.

    More than anything, I think the organ (and church music, more generally) interests me because it offers a medium for music-making that’s very different from other activities I engage in as an artist. I value the fact that the music I make on Sunday morning is not commodified in the same sense as my other work, even if I do earn a wage from it in the end. At the same time, the reason why I make music in this setting is crystal-clear. Despite the fact that I don’t believe the same things as most church-goers, for me and for many other RCCO members, I know that purpose is to create an environment which makes it easier for these community members to worship, reflect, pray, and maybe occasionally doze off. As I was sitting in the basement during the pandemic, sketching, composing, wondering who was ever going to hear the music I was writing, the organ gave me a sense of personal and artistic grounding that I desperately needed. Without that experience, I don’t think I would be a musician today.  

  • 06 February 2024 12:56 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    In this week's episode, Mária Budáčová gives a 3-part masterclass with organist Maria Gajraj on selections from Charles Tournemire's suite for the Office of the Assumption from L'Orgue mystique. The class offers insight into liturgical improvisation by highlighting elements of Tournemire's music that serve as liturgical commentary.

    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.


    We hope you’ll check out this exciting new resource on our webpage or on YouTube, then help us spread the word.

    Watch at RCCO.CA
    Watch via Facebook
    Watch via YouTube
     

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Address

The Royal Canadian College of Organists

20 St Joseph St

Toronto, ON M4Y 1J9

Contact
Phone: 416.929.6400
Email: info[at]rcco.ca
Adresse

The Royal Canadian College of Organists

20 St Joseph St

Toronto, ON M4Y 1J9


Contact
Téléphone : 416.929.6400
Courriel : info[
à]rcco.ca

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