News

Congratulations to Aaron Tan (Canada / Philippines) for winning first prize at this year's Canadian International Organ Competition! Aaron was also awarded the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award, the Marcel Dupré Award and RCCO's Raymond Daveluy Prize.

Aaron is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and is Organist and Director of Music at St. Alban’s Catholic Church (Ordinariate in Rochester, NY). He holds MM and MMA degrees from Yale University and also holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Michigan.

The meeting materials for the 2021 Annual General Meeting (to be held on Saturday, November 6, 2021) are now available on the Members Discussion Forum on rcco.ca.

To access the forum and the meeting materials, you must first log in to your account on rcco.ca, then click on 'Members Discussion Forum' under the 'Members' drop down menu at the top of the page.

Please note that the Zoom link for the meeting will also be shared on the discussion forum on Friday, November 5, 2021.

The RCCO's 2022 Table of Recommended Salaries is now available. It can be found on the Table of Recommended Salaries webpage, or directly by clicking here.

Read here to learn about how we will strengthen our organization, increase existing resources and implement new initiatives for Canada's organ music community.

Our new Examination Masterclass Series is now available on the RCCO YouTube channel! This series is comprised of 11 videos, in which esteemed Canadian organists help examination candidates prepare and succeed in the skills needed for the practical section of the College and Associate examinations, and for the Service Playing and Worship Accompanist Certificates.

Subscribe to the RCCO's YouTube channel to keep up to date on our latest video releases!

For more information on this year's National Organ Playing Competition and its winners, Click Here

From her studio (photo) Lead Instructor Valerie L. Hall has been instructing students who are seeking professional development that aims at the playing level of the Service Playing Examination.

Engaging topics include:

1. Session on body mechanics at the organ and why practicing at the piano might be better for your general health.

2. Universally hated exercises for playing legato involving two moving parts in one hand.

3. Learning to avoid the crescendo pedal and what happens to organists who accidentally use it!

4. What happens in the audience while the organist searches for the next registration.

5. Upcoming session on The Digital Church with Steve Millar and Chellan Hoffman.

More information at https://www.rcco.ca/Summer-Organ-Academy

The 2021 ARCCO Examination Preparation program (Summer Organ Academy) is off to a wonderful start!

So far this year’s 13 students, studying under lead instructor Aaron James, have discussed general organ technique and improvisation skills, the study of pipe organ anatomy, and baroque repertoire and improvisation techniques.

The ARCCO program runs until August 5th, check out this year's curriculum! https://rcco.ca/resources/PDFs/Summer...

Thank you to Aaron who has kindly provided us with a brilliant performance of one of the possible List C pieces for the 2022 ARCCO examination. Please enjoy Duruflé's Fugue sur le carillon des heures dans le cathédrale de Soissons, op. 12!

Congratulations to all the young organists who participated in this year’s Summer Organ Academy for Youth Organists!

Creativity was front and center at this year’s Academy as students ages 12-17 were involved in a week-long series of virtual collaborative projects and masterclasses. Thank you to lead instructor Sarah Svendsen and to this year’s star-studded group of guest artists/instructors Katelyn Emerson, Kim Farris-Manning, Wesley Hall, Mark McDonald, Jeff McLeod, Jonathan Oldengarm, and Patricia Wright.

We hope that you will join us or recommend a young organist that you know to next year’s 2022 Summer Organ Academy. For more Information on the Academy and other educational resources, please visit ‘Education’ at www.rcco.ca.

Lastly, thank you to academy participant Cadence Brassard for sharing with us her performance and arrangement of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga!

Congratulations to the successful exam candidates of 2021:

    Elizabeth Booker, Service Playing
    Charlie Eaton, Service Playing
    Maximilian Wilczynski, Service Playing

These candidates will be recognized at Convocation, to be held over Zoom on August 12 during Organ Festival Canada 2021 (not August 1, as was originally stated in the July edition of Continuo).

We are also pleased to present the successful exam candidates of 2020 at this year's Convocation, as there was no Convocation last year due to COVID. They are:

    Ryan Baxter, ARCCO
    George Langley, CRCCO
    Krisitana Renée Nikkel, CRCCO

Prizes and Awards:

Maximilian Wilczynski will be awarded the Kathleen William's Prize for the highest mark in the Service Playing examination, and Ryan Baxter will be awarded the Willan Prize, the Wayne C. Vance Prize, the Rollinson Prize and the Ruth and Ralph Barker Prize for his outstanding results in the ARCCO examination.

Thank you to all of the candidates and their teachers for their hard work and dedication in 2020 and 2021!

We hope you will join us at Convocation on August 12, 2021 to help us recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of all of our exam candidates and prize winners.