Bill is well known to everyone as our Centre’s Archivist but also as curator of the Vineer Organ Library. Bill has kindly offered his home and library as the venue for our first event of the 2009-10 programme season. Everyone is invited but we hope to especially welcome new members and friends. Those attending are asked to bring either a salad or dessert; the Centre will spring for the barbeque meats and vino. Everyone is encouraged to browse through the library’s extensive collections. Bill will also give us an overview of his ongoing project to document the organs of Eastern Ontario and beyond.

For directions to Bill's Library, please see our newsletter.

Although the organ and carillon are different instruments, there are nevertheless similarities including the fact that both instruments demand the use of hands and feet.

Dr. McCrady was appointed Dominion Carillonneur in 2008 following the retirement of Gordon Slater, known to many of us, who served in the same position since 1977. She has kindly offered to host Centre members on two consecutive days: September 28th and 29th. Due to the limited size of her ‘studio’, she can only accommodate about 6 people at any one time. For security reasons, we need to submit names in advance, so, those wishing to attend, please send an e-mail to the Program Convenor, Ian MacKay who will collate and submit the lists for both days.

The schedule is as follows: meet at Visitor’s Entrance at the base of the Peace Tower at 11:30am. Dr. McCrady will greet us there and escort us up the special elevator to her studio in the Peace Tower. She will give an overview of her job and the carillon and then play the 15 minute recital at 12:00 noon. Afterwards, she will explain the development of the repertoire for the instrument, and how carillon music is arranged and played.

In 2009 music lovers all over the world are celebrating the 200th birthday of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who is now generally considered to be one of the most important artists of 19th century Europe.

Although widely known for his symphonies and chamber music, his compositions for the organ are enduring links between the music of Bach, which he so greatly admired, and Mendelssohn’s own successors in the late 19th century and beyond.

The first half of the recital will feature Bach works that Mendelssohn himself played at a special recital in 1840 to raise funds for a monument to Bach near the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. The second half of the programme will feature a variety of Mendelssohn’s works for organ. We will also have a special guest who will read excerpts from Mendelssohn’s copious writings and letters which are at once revealing, humorous and touching.

Founded in 1979, Orgues Letourneau is celebrating its 30th anniversary on October 3rd with a open house at company’s factory in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Many of us have followed the rise of the company over the last few years as it competes on the world stage with the best of the best. The company’s first instrument was a small two manual organ built right here in the National Capital Region for the Conservatoire de Musique in Hull. Since then the company has built instruments in Canada, the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, the UK, and recently signed a contract for opus 120.

The Montérégie region of Quebec is home to a variety of historically important instruments. Arrangements are currently being made to visit the Casavant 1996 organ in Boucherville, the Warren 1854/Juget 1995 organ is Chambly, the Casavant organ in Saint-Hyacinthe and the Broudeur 1898 in Les Cèdres.

If you are interested in joining us for the visit, please contact Ian MacKay as soon as possible so that the appropriate arrangements can be made. Tentative plans are to leave Ottawa at 8:30am to arrive in Saint-Hyacinthe about 11:00.

Have you ever considered taking an RCCO exam? The RCCO examinations are at the center of the College’s effort to promote high standards of organ playing and church music. For students, the exams are an excellent way to focus on honing basic and advanced technique and consolidating skill as an organist and church musician.

Karen Holmes, who has been a teacher for many years and who has shepherded many students through RCCO examinations, has offered to host a planning session for members who are considering preparing for the Service Playing Certificate in 2010.

Karen will explain the requirements, and have copies of old papers and the suggested hymns and anthems. She will have suggestions about how to work on sight-reading and transposing. This workshop should be useful to anyone considering trying a College exam this year or in the future, and possibly also to teachers.

There is no charge.

An evening of Halloween fun for the whole family. Expect all the clichés including the grand daddy of all spooky music: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in d minor. Great entertainment for the whole family.

Entrance is free but freewill donations supporting scholarship programmes for young organists will be welcome.

Choral Workshop with Stephanie Martin, in Kingston, in collaboration with the Kingston and Montreal Centres:

Stephanie Martin is the Director of Music at Healey Willan’s church of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto, and is the professor on the Faculty of Music, York University. She is a Travelling Clinician with the National RCCO for 2009-2010. Important Note: Advance registration for this event is required by October 2nd so that the appropriate number of music kits can be ordered. To register, contact John Uttley

1. working with small choirs;
2. finding and choosing practical and approachable repertoire; and
3. challenges working with clergy and church volunteers.

This event will feature three experienced centre members who collectively have worked in different denominational and liturgical traditions and with a range of other professional staff and volunteers. We’re hoping that members will promote this event personally to organists and church musicians not presently members of the College but who might benefit or welcome this opportunity to expand their skills. Pass the word on this please.

Meet at 6:00 pm for a pub dinner and then organ DVDs and You- Tube videos of organs, organists, preacher bloopers, etc. We will be in a private room, so all you need to do is show up and have fun.

Music for Organ and Brass and audience carol singing in both German and English. A celebration of Germany's rich and wonderful contribution to the music of Christmas.

Featuring members of the Ottawa Centre of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, The Cathedral Singers, and brass quartet: Michel Rondeau, Christa Lowry, Marc Larocque, Daniel Keels.

Praise bands are by no means a new phenomenon but their popularity has certainly increased over the last decade along with evolving liturgical practices and traditions. In some cases, praise bands have been welcomed and integrated into the worship life of a congregation without incident. In other cases, they have been the source of conflict. Much has been written about worship wars and other liturgical conflicts and in the world of contemporary vs traditional worship styles debates and discussions there is good news and bad news. And that's exactly where this workshop will begin. We have assembled a diverse panel of members and non-members involved with praise bands in a variety of denominations. They will offer their experiences working with diverse instruments and talents, arranging music, finding suitable music and arrangements, planning worship with multiple musicians, rehearsing, and performing. We will also discuss how congregations react to changes to worship and music styles and what might be considered best practices when it comes to starting and developing a praise band.

Take Hwy 5 to Old Celsea Road.
Go through Old Chelsea to the Fortune Parkway.
P10 is about 1/2 km on the right.

This annual event is a chance for our student members to play for us in recital and show off their progress over the last year. Do come and hear our students perform.

Please reserve tickets before March 19th by contacting Ian MacKay

This is a chance to invite your clergy out for dinner and an informal social conversation. You do not have to come to the dinner with clergy. If your clergy person cannot attend, come by yourself or with your “significant other”. All members and their guests are welcome.

This Georgian-styled estate just west of downtown Ottawa is a wonderful venue for us to gather to celebrate our professional and personal relationships with our clergy colleagues. The banquet menu includes Caesar or house salad, a choice of entrée (grilled top sirloin, salmon, teriyaki chicken, prime rib + vegetables and baked or mash potatoes, French fries or rice pilaf), dessert, coffee and tea. A cash bar will also be available.

Our guest speaker for the night is Dr. Andrew Donaldson. Andrew is a graduate of York University and holds an ARCT in guitar performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music Toronto. In 2007, he received an honorary degree form Knox College, University of Toronto for his contributions to church music. Andrew is currently Pastoral Musician and Worship Enlivener at Trafalgar Presbyterian Church (Oakville Ontario), working with Rev. Kristine O’Brien since 2005. Andrew is also Director of Hilariter, a vocal / instrumental ensemble specializing in global church music. Andrew is a member of the Toronto Continuo Collective, an early music ensemble led by lutenist Lucas Harris and harpsichordist Borys Medicky. From 2004-6, he was president of the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada and in the 1990’s was the co-editor of the revised editions of The Book of Praise and The Book of Psalms, for the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Andrew is a dynamic speaker, musician and clinician and is treasured for bringing an infectious joy and a deep sense of music as ministry to throughout his career. For those of you who know Andrew, you will want the chance to meet and hear him again; for those who don’t know him, this is your chance to hear one of Canada’s foremost champions of congregational song.

If you would like to join us on this trip, please register by April 15th to Ian MacKay

Many of us are very familiar with instruments down the road in Montreal but the 4-5 hour drive to Quebec City makes it and its instruments just beyond easy reach. Quebec City has a wealth of wonderful instruments in the context of a world-class city with a cultural heart unrivaled in North America.

A map of the venues we will visit is available here

The tentative itinerary is as follows: Leave Ottawa at 7:30-8:00am, travel to Québec through Montreal via highway 40. Just outside of Québec we will take exit 302 toward Cap Rouge (incidently the site of Jacques Cartier’s first attempt at a settlement in the New World in 1541) and visit the Guilbault- Thérien organ at Église Saint-Félix de Cap Rouge. This is a charming church with a wonderful 2 manual 18 stops (22 ranks) tracker instrument, the last to be built by the firm before Guy Thérien’s untimely death in June 2001.

After this first visit we will make our way into the city, check into the hotel, grab lunch and head off to three other venues (Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, Chalmers Wesley United Church and Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame) that afternoon before we settle for dinner at about 7:00pm at a charming restaurant just off rue Saint-Louis which runs towards the Chateau Frontenac inside the old city wall.

The following morning, we will visit two other venues (Église Saint-Roch, Église Notre-Dame de Jacques Cartier), grab lunch on the run and then make our way to the Chapelle du Musée de l’Amérique française and our featured visit to see, hear and play the Richard Organ built recently by the firm Juget- Sinclair and inaugurated in October 2009. This wonderful new instrument (one manual and a pull down pedal with 10 stops and 14 ranks) is a reconstruction of the original French classical instrument built by Robert Richard, a master organ builder in 18th century Paris, and transported to Québec and placed in the original Cathédrale in 1753. The organ along with the Cathédrale did not survive the Siege of Québec in 1759. We will also take a peek at the three manual Casavant organ dating from 1930 in the gallery of the Chapelle.

After this visit we will make our way to two or three other venues (Église Notre-Dame de la Victoire in Lévis etc.) before leaving the city about 6:00pm for travel back to Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston.

For reference, see the cover of the first edition of the newly reformatted Organ Canada: for a picture.
See also: http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues/quebec/quebecmaf.html

Although this isn't one of our programmes, we offer a $500 scholarship for the organ clasases and the Kiwanis also offers $600. This is a good opportunity to hear our students and to show them our support.

Many of us know Gilles as a colleague and long time member of the Ottawa Centre and as the incoming national President of the RCCO. We also know him as a talented choral and organ composer who has been composing for many years. Over the past number of years his works have been premiered in Ottawa and Montreal and have been featured at the Festival of New Organ Music in London. England.

Gilles has kindly offered to give us an overview of his published and unpublished works and describe his work as a composer. Many of his works were inspired by the organ and the acoustic at Saint-François d’Assise so we will have the opportunity to hear them in situ.

This event is geared for children 12 years and up with some piano experience or who might be interested in learning more about what is often seen as a mysterious instrument and is often designated as ‘hands off”.

At this meeting, Rick St-Germain will be honoured as the Member of the Year for 2010. Refreshments at 7:00 pm with the annual meeting to begin at 7:30 pm. All members are encouraged to attend to discuss important business, to get a sneak preview of the programme and educational year ahead and to offer your feedback on the past College year. Also details of next season's Pro Organo series will be available.