RCCO Ottawa Centre
CRCO Section d'Ottawa
Ottawa ON K1P 5W4
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Royal Canadian College of Organists Royal Canadian College of Organists - Ottawa
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NEWS BRIEFS
The Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship, 2025
PLEASE NOTE:
For the first time, the Requirements for applying for a Hewitt Scholarship of $6,000 have been broadened to include non-Canadian applicants.
This annual scholarship of $6,000 is offered by the Ottawa Centre, RCCO, and is intended for a Canadian graduate student in organ, studying either inside or outside Canada, and/or a non-Canadian graduate student who has been accepted to study full-time at a Canadian university in the following academic year. It is expected that all Hewitt Scholarship winners will plan to use their skills as organ teachers in the future.
Application forms for candidates for the 2024 Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship must be emailed or postmarked by April 30, 2025.
The past winners are found here.
Information and links to requirements and application form are available on our website, and further information may be obtained from Frances Macdonnell or at 613-726-7984.
SACRED CHORAL MUSIC OF GODFREY HEWITT
Frances Macdonnell and Ross Jewell are very happy to announce that after two years of work, they and an advisory group have published a book containing all of the Sacred Choral Music composed and performed by Dr. Godfrey Hewitt who was the Organist and Master of the Choristers at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa, from 1931 to 1980.
This publication includes all his choral music for the Eucharist (Missa Brevis) and for Matins and Evensong, his original Psalm chants, and an Introit, but also, and most notably, it publishes for the first time his wonderful reharmonizations of hymn-tunes! These hymn reharmonizations use chord movement and harmonic development to illustrate the mood and meaning of the words in an inimitable fashion: all organists will enjoy playing them.
The second half of the Book, following the reharmonizations, is made up of all the service music which Godfrey had written and which survived only in photocopies of his own handwriting. They include settings of a Missa Brevis, an Introit, an original setting of the Versicles and Responses and the Canticles for the Morning and Evening Offices, and three psalm chants.
The academic Preface to the Book was written by Dr. John Brough, who grew up as a member of the
Cathedral Choir and later wrote his DMA thesis at the University of Alberta on the history of
church music at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa.
...
The Book also contains a full-size photograph of Godfrey seated at the Cathedral's Casavant organ console,
taken by Malak Karsh in 1947.
The new Book is bound with wire-o binding so that it will lie open easily on the console, and the paper
is heavier than regular bond so that there is no danger of the pages blowing over.
Purchasers of this Book are granted permission to make copies of a choral piece out of
it for performance purposes.
The publication of this Book has been undertaken with the help of the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Fund,
established after Godfrey's death in 2002. The mandate of the Fund is to assist in preparing the
Organ Teachers of the future.
And now the Fund has guaranteed the publication of this book of all Godfrey's Sacred Choral Music.
Tax-receiptable donations to the Fund at the address below are always welcome, cheques to be made payable
to "RCCO - Ottawa Centre".
Copies of this new Book will be available for sale for $30 at Pro Organo concerts and other Ottawa RCCO
Centre events.
To order copies of the Book, please use the following contact information. If you are ordering Books
to be mailed to your address, please add $5.00 per Book for mailing costs.
Frances Macdonnell email
303 - 3099 Carling Avenue, Ottawa ON K2H 5A6
Tel: 613-726-7984
For mail orders, please add $5.00 for postage costs.
Please make cheques payable to: RCCO - Ottawa Centre
EFT payments are also available through: payment@rcco-ottawa.ca
If paying by EFT, please specify in the Comment Section that it is for the "Godfrey Hewitt book"
and add your address if it is to be mailed, along with the additional $5.00 mailing charge.
Shawn Potter is named the new incumbant of St Barnabas
Congratulations to Shawn Potter who was chosen as the next organist and choirmaster at St Barnabas A&M Anglican Church. He will take over from Wesley Warren who retires at the end of 2024 after 37 years. Shawn starts his new position on February 24. We wish Shawn well in this exciting new venture.
Organ Class- Kiwanis Music Festival
The Organ Classes of the Ottawa Kiwanis Music Festival will be held on Monday March 31, 2025, at 6:30 pm, in the First Church of Christ, Scientist (Metcalfe Street at Gilmour Street). Do come and support our students. Please note the change in time for this event. The Adjudicator is Dr John Brough.
CENTRE HISTORY
Please note that this timeline can be found by selecting Centre Info | Web Archive pages | Ottawa Cente History Timeline on the menu above.
The Centre History kiosk made its debut at Orgelfest 2013. This is an interractive display which places significant events on a timeline. Bill Vineer supplied muich of the content and Rick St Germain put it all together. Click on the graphic below to access this display.
The RCCO is a Registered Canadian Charity.
To donate to a scholarship fund or to Pro Organo, click the Donate button to find the ways you can make a donation.
For contact information, see our Executive List or press the button below.
RCCO-Ottawa Centre is a Registered Charity: 11912 6498 RR0001
