DAVID SIMON The Godfrey Hewitt Scholarship

David Simon has been an organist since the age of twelve, when he was organist for Daily Mass, recorded and broadcast nationally from St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica in his hometown of Toronto, Canada. He has since held church music positions in Canada and the United States and has played recitals and accompanied choir tours in North America and Europe. Simon is currently a DMA student at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, studying with Thomas Murray, and is an Associate of the Royal Canadian College of Organists and the Royal Conservatory of Music. In addition, he maintains an active Youtube channel of his recordings, compositions, improvisations, and transcriptions.

NICHOLAS WALTERS - The Godfrey Hewitt Scholarship

Nicholas Walters is a Master’s student in Organ Performance at McGill University in Montréal, QC where he studies with Hans-Ola Ericsson. First-prize winner of the 2017 Lynnwood Farnam Organ Competition, Nicholas enjoys an active schedule of recitals in Québec and Ontario. He was recently appointed as Assistant Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa, having been Organ Scholar at the Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul in Montréal from 2015-2017; he also maintains an internship at the Church of St. Irénée in Montreal, where he explores performance practice considerations of Gregorian Chant. Nicholas has been the recipient of many awards and achievements at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He also holds an Honours degree in Chemistry from Queen’s University, Kingston, which allows him to enjoy occasional contract work in the Canadian nuclear industry.

The $3,000 Bursary has been awarded to:

Samuel Lee - The Godfrey Hewitt Bursary

Samuel Lee, an Ottawa organ student, has studied the organ with Karen Holmes since 2010, and has also completed his B.Mus. in Piano Performance with David Jalbert at the University of Ottawa. During his studies with Karen Holmes, Samuel gained the diploma of CRCCO in 2014 and the ARCCO in 2016. Having achieved the highest marks in Canada in both the practical and written sections of the ARCCO examination, Samuel was awarded the Willan Scholarship, the Wayne C. Vance Scholarship, the Rollinson Prize, and the Ruth & Ralph Barker Prize. In 2018, Samuel will begin a Masters Programme in Organ Performance and Church Music at McGill University with Christian Lane and Hans-Ola Ericsson. Samuel hopes to become a concert organist, as well as a professor in a university some day.

These events are free of charge, and are presented as an opportunity for organ students in the city to learn more about the wonderful organs that we have in Ottawa. It is also a chance for students to meet each other and form a network of organ enthusiasts!

Information on the next event will be posted shortly.

If you are interested in participating in this event, please e-mail Shawn Potter so that we will know to expect you. Students should bring their organ shoes and some music that they would like to play. We are looking forward very much to meeting many of you in the coming weeks!