GODFREY HEWITT ANNUAL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION, 2026

In 2026, the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Fund is delighted to offer two Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarships of $6,000 each, (a total of $12,000,) to each of

Collin Philip Miller

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Collin Miller is a student in the Doctoral program in organ performance at McGill University, studying with Isabelle Demers. He received his MMA degree at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music studying with Martin Jean, and his MM and BM degrees studying with Janette Fishell at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He currently holds the position of Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, having previously served as the Knock Intern in Sacred Music at Rye Presbyterian Church and as Organ Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis. A frequent AGO competitor, he won first prizes at the 2017 Southwest AGO RCYO competition and the 2021 Poister Competition, and was a finalist in the 2021 St. Alban’s International Organ Competition. An avid performer of neglected and challenging repertoire, he was the first American organist to perform any of the organ solo music of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, and his doctoral research, focussing on Sorabji’s Organ Symphony No. 3, received a grant from Quebec’s Fonds de Recherche en Societé et Culture.

Áron Sipos

Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Áron Sipos is an organist based in Montréal, QC. He is entering the final year of his undergraduate degree in organ performance at McGill University, where he studies with Dr. Isabelle Demers. Áron is the first-prize winner of the 2026 Evanston International Organ Scholar Competition. He was also a finalist at the 2025 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, and a semi-finalist at the 2025 RCCO National Organ Competition. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Godfrey Hewitt Scholarship and the Donald and Helen Mackey Memorial Award. A frequent recitalist, Áron finds immense creative fulfillment in creating and premiering transcriptions of previously unarranged repertoire for the organ. As a collaborator, he has accompanied the McGill choirs under Jean-Sébastien Vallée ,and has performed as a soloist with the McGill Baroque Orchestra. He currently serves as the organ scholar at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, Montreal. Beyond the bench, he maintains a deep interest in history, mathematics, and philosophy.

The Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship was established to honour the late Godfrey Hewitt, CD, DMus (Cantuar), FRCO, HonARSCM, and is administered by the RCCO Ottawa Centre. Awarded annually, the scholarship is open to an advanced organ student holding Canadian citizenship, or having permanent residency status in Canada, or a non-Canadian student who has been accepted to study full-time at a Canadian university in the following academic year, and it awards $6,000 towards further courses of study either at a university or with a particular organ teacher, within Canada or outside it. In some years, if there are sufficient funds and sufficient outstanding candidates, two $6,000 Scholarships may be awarded, as is the case in 2026. It is hoped that candidates will plan to use their skills in the future as organ teachers—not necessarily in an institution, and not necessarily as a primary source of income. Complete requirements and application details may be found at rcco-ottawa.ca/require.

Godfrey Hewitt, CD, DMus. (Cantuar), FRCO, HonARSCM, died in 2002 at the age of ninety-three. For over seventy years a prominent figure in sacred music in Canada, Dr. Hewitt left a very significant legacy to Canadian music. Born in England in 1909, he came to Canada in 1931 after serving as Organist for the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, London, in 1930. He became Organist and Master of the Choristers at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa, in 1931, and remained there for half a century, until his retirement in 1980. In 1973, Dr. Hewitt was awarded the Lambeth Doctorate of Music by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1976. He was famed as performer, teacher, composer, and organ designer. This scholarship was established after his death both to honour his memory and to increase the number of highly-trained professional Canadian organists, not only to serve as organists in universities, concert halls, and churches, but also to teach future generations of performers and church musicians.

Previous winners of this scholarship were Craig Humber (2005), Isabelle Demers (2006), Michael Unger (2007), Ryan Jackson (2008), Matthieu Latreille (2009), Shawn Potter (2010), Wendy Nieuwenhuis (2011), Stephen Boda (2012), Sarah Svendsen (2013), Julie Pinsonneault (2014), Rachel Mahon (2015), Shane Murphy (2016), David Simon and Nicholas Walters (both in 2018), Stefani Bedin (2019), Samuel Lee and Manuel Piazza (both in 2020), Martin Jones (2021), Maria Gajraj (2022), Alexander Straus-Fausto (2023), Owen Spicer (2024), and Isaac Howie (2025).

The next annual competition for the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship in organ will close on May 31, 2027. Details may be found on the website of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, rcco-ottawa.ca/scholinfo

The Fund also offers the Godfrey Hewitt Prize of $6,000, awarded bi-annually as the Grand Prize at the National Organ-Playing Competition at the RCCO National Organ Festival; the next Prize will be awarded in July 2027 in Vancouver.

Further details may be obtained from:

Frances Macdonnell
613-726-7984

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