Three prize winners have been named for the very first Rachel Laurin Composition Competition. Audiences will be able to hear the winning new works at the upcoming Organ Festival Canada, which takes place from July 7 to 19 in Kitchener and Guelph, Ontario.
The Rachel Laurin Composition Competition was established by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in order to help promote and encourage new organ music by young creators. It was open to both Canadian and international composers age 35 and under, who could submit up to three works for solo organ between 3.5 and 5 minutes long for consideration.
Noted Canadian composer Denis Bédard is among the pool of jurors.
The prizes include:
- 1st Prize: $1,500 (donated by Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, Montréal, QC)
- 2nd Prize: $1,000
- 3rd Prize: $500
In addition, the three prize winners will be offered a publishing contract with the Royal Canadian College of Organists which will include their work in RCCO’s online catalogue.
The Winners
Twenty-three composers from Australia, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and the USA submitted a total of 29 works for the competition. The winners are:
- 1st place: Variations on Tetris Theme (Korobeiniki), Zoltán Májer (Hungary)
- 2nd place: Æther, Double Fugue in F# Minor, Dr. Sandon Lowe (Australia)
- 3rd place: Toccata-Gigue, Tyler Versluis (Canada)
In Concert
The three winning entries will be featured in special performances at Organ Festival Canada 2025.
Variations on Tetris Theme (Korobeiniki) by Zoltán Májer (Hungary) — 1st Prize Winner
Concert details:
- Thursday, July 10 at 4:00 pm
- Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate (Guelph)
- Performed by Alexander Straus-Fausto
Hungarian composer and organist Zoltán Májer’s musical career began at the age of four, when he taught himself to play Bach themes by ear. He soon began composing, and went on to study the piano, and the organ. As a composer, he’s written work for organ, piano, chamber music, and full orchestra. They’ve bene performed across Europe and in Canada. His “Variations on Tetris Theme” was chosen as one of the TOP 20 organ works at the international Organ Taurida 2021 festival, a competition that drew on works from more than 500 composers internationally.
Æther, Double Fugue in F# Minor by Dr. Sandon Lowe (Australia) — 2nd Prize Winner
Concert details:
- Wednesday, July 9 at 11:30 am.
- St Matthews Lutheran Church (Kitchener)
- Performed by Martin Jones; composer in attendance
Dr Sandon Lowe is a medical doctor and consultant, and an amateur organist based in Tasmania, Australia. During the pandemic, Sandon taught himself to compose for the organ on a second hand instrument he’d purchased. This is his debut organ composition, and Sandon says he’s thrilled to be hearing it performed by a professional musician.
Toccata-Gigue by Tyler Versluis (Canada) — 3rd Prize Winner
Concert details:
- Tuesday, July 8 at 2:30 p.m.
- St John the Evangelist Anglican Church (Kitchener)
- Performed by Joshua Ehlebracht; composer in attendance
Ontario-based composer, conductor, and arts educator/producer Tyler Versluis writes contemporary classical music for organ, piano, chamber and vocal ensembles, and full orchestra. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Penderecki String Quartet, Soundstreams, ARRAYmusic, Freesound, Caution Tape Sound Collective, the Toy Piano Composers, and VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto, among others, and have been performed across North America and Europe. After studies at Brock University, Tyler completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto. Previous prizes include the Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Composition in 2017, and the Cecilia String Quartet Composition prize. Originally from St. Catharines, Ontario, Tyler now lives in Toronto, where he is music director at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Islington.
- Find tickets to all performances and other events at Organ Festival Canada [HERE].
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