Cathedral partners with McGill and Royal Canadian College to introduce young musicians to the pipe organ

For more than five years, our Cathedral has benefitted from a close relationship with the organ and church music department at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. Our collaboration with faculty members, first Hans Ola Ericsson, now Isabelle Demers, has given students and recent graduates the chance to work here alongside me and Andrew McAnerney as Assistant Organist (Owen Spicer is the current incumbent). They learn the craft and art of sacred music-making in the Anglican tradition as they support our choirs of boys, girls, lay clerks and parishioners. Their time here does much to equip them for future leadership in the field.

Traditionally, the training and formation of new organists from a young age—essential for the long-term viability of our musical tradition—was something we could take for granted. That’s no longer the case. And so, before we can contemplate recruiting and training university organ majors, there is urgent work to do introducing young people to the instrument in the first place.

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Earlier this past summer, Professor Demers approached me with the idea of offering a course of introductory organ lessons, free of charge, to one or two young piano students. This barrier-free approach has in the past paved the way for new players to encounter and embrace the pipe organ. It’s something the Royal Canadian College of Organists has been working on for many years, but what’s new is the close collaboration between our Cathedral, the College’s national office and McGill University to enrich the experience, share resources and broaden the reach of each institution.

With the support of Dean Beth Bretzlaff, funding was secured from both an anonymous local donor and the College for a pilot class of two students: Shireen Kwok and Eva Liu. They are now receiving weekly lessons with me at the Cathedral and attended McGill’s Organ Discovery Day last month, exploring the cultural riches and religious heritage of Montreal. We can look forward to hearing Shireen and Eva play at services in the coming months.

A central pillar of the music ministry of our Cathedral and key to its reputation is our outreach to youth—our girls and boys choirs are the largest youth group in the diocese.  In recent years, we have increasingly shared their music, by visiting and supporting local worship throughout the diocese with our choristers, at massed-choir evensongs and hymn sings. The launch of this new initiative alongside national partners not only broadens the scope and profile of our Cathedral youth ministry, it also lays the groundwork for future leaders in the sacred arts to emerge and for excellence in sacred music to be a continuing feature of our diocesan life and worship.