The results of the 2025 National Organ Competition, the finals of which took place earlier this month at Organ Festival Canada 2025 in Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph, have been announced.
While provisions were made for three top prizes only, the jury commented on the very high standard of all six of the candidates who advanced to the last stages of the competition.
The winners:
- 1st place — Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Prize ($6,000): Maria Gajraj & Douglas Haas Prize ($1,000) & Jan Overduin Audience Prize ($1,000): Maria Gajraj
- 2nd place — Paul Murray Memorial Prize ($3,000): Qing Xu
- 3rd place — Muriel Gidley Stafford Prize ($1,500): Isaac Howie
Peter Bayer, Samuel Lee and Aron Sipos also competed in the final round.
Prize Winners
Maria Gajraj
Montréal-based organist Maria Gajraj is a Doctoral Candidate at McGill University, where her research revolves around 20th-century Caribbean organ repertoire. She is a recipient of the Godfrey Hewitt Scholarship (2022), among other awards. Maria has performed on stages in both North America and in Europe, including Blackburn Cathedral (UK), Maison Symphonique (Montreal), and in the Cal Performances and Bergen Orgelsommer series. The co-founder of Sapphonix Collective, an ensemble that emphasizes women, queer, and racialized classical musicians, she works to draw attention to women and composers of colour in her concert programs. One of her musical goals is to make the organ more accessible, and showcase its potential in new ways.
Qing Xu
After completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Qing Xu is now a doctorate student at McGill University. Selection in the Haarlem International Organ Festival’s “Young Talent” program kickstarted her professional career in 2018, and she’d win second prize in Concours International d’orgue de Versailles Jeune Talent the same year. Qing has performed extensively in China, including premieres and recitals. She is also a specialist in late Romantic repertoire, and has written several articles on the subject published in Chinese academic journals.
Isaac Howie
Vancouver organist Isaac Howie entered UBC at 15 — but he first looked to study Forestry. After making the switch to music he completed a B.Mus. in May 2025 studying organ, harpsichord, and improvisation, together with a major in Classics. He also earned an ARCT in piano performance. Isaac has served as the organist of Holy Family Parish, Vancouver (FSSP), since 2021. He’s performed with the Vancouver Symphony, and West Coast Symphony, and improvised for Silent Movie Mondays at the Orpheum Theatre. He participated in the 2nd Internationaler Feith Orgelwettbewerb in Blieskastel, Germany, and was selected as winner of the 2025 Godfrey Hewitt Annual Memorial Scholarship. One of his compositions was premiered by the Vancouver Chamber Choir. In September 2025, he will begin studies towards an M.Mus. at the Prins Claus conservatoire in Groningen, Netherlands.
Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!
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