When was the last time that you had the opportunity to sit in a master class with an artist teacher helping you to approach music with fresh thinking? With new approaches, we are able to learn music thoughtfully and with an uplifted spirit.

Join us at the Cafe RCCO. We have an opportunity to be guided by the Master Teacher Thomas Annand. He will be demonstrating his approach to learning by using “Wenn wir in höchstein Nöten sein”, BWV 641 from the Orgelbüchlein. Tom says that BWV 641 is an augmented chorale prelude in the French style with a simple accompaniment. This is the perfect point of entry for learning about making beautiful ornamentation not only in Bach but also in Couperin and Clerambault.

Have you thought about your early organ instructors recently? How did they lead you into the study of the organ? What were the words that helped you have confidence in practicing with both hands and feet? Do you remember the first time that you could enjoy the coordination of your hands and feet - or, one hand and two feet?

In your music schooling did you study with a special teacher who was encouraging even when you were discouraged? How did the teacher gain your trust so you would keep returning for lessons? Were their favorite phrases that you remember to this day that support you as you are learning new music or re-learning beloved music?

Have you taken the opportunity to attend master classes with teachers/artists who enjoy opening the door to the mysteries of interpretation or registration? What was their method of encouraging students? Is it the panache of the teacher or the quiet security of their approach that they can be helpful in finding different approaches to a difficult passage. Did the most simple passage open doors for articulation improvement?

We had hoped that we could meet in person in January, but Covid had other ideas. Our January meeting will again be hosted on ZOOM. Zoom is our friend. We will continue to use this forum until it is safe to gather.

Let us gather to share thoughts, photos and music of our musical lives. How are you participating? Do you have a photo or a poem or a short piece of music that would support your colleagues during this time? This Café RCCO is a time of sharing and support for all of us. Please submit your contribution to events@rcco-ottawa.ca this week to participate in the first Café RCCO of 2022.

Please register for this session. Register at events (@) rcco-ottawa (dot) ca. You will receive a link for the session within 24 hours of the event.

We are please welcome Peter Nikiforuk, the RCCO national president and an experienced examiner, who will lead our discussion on the RCCO examinations. How recently have you looked at the requirements for the exams? Do you know the repertoire for each level?

Spend time going through all the material on the RCCO website regarding examinations. The repertoire is stunning and appropriate for each level. The ear training is so valuable for all of us to review.

What are your musical goals for 2022? What have you decided to 'polish' in your musical skills?

We learn from the first day of life until our last day. Have you set goals for this year, and, perhaps 2023? We have the opportunity of engaging our brains and bodies for all of our life. How will you participate?

To participate in Café RCCO on Sunday, February 13 at 2:00 pm with Peter Nikiforuk, please register at events (@) rcco-ottawa (dot) ca. You will receive a link for the session within 24 hours of the event. This event will be a virtual presentation.

We are invited to a special service at First Baptist Church led by Rev. John Perkin with Aella providing the choral music in anthems by Susan Labarr, Joan Szymko and Kim Andre Arnessan. Shawn Potter, our host, will provide the organ service music. During the season of Lent and the changing of seasons at that time of the spring equinox, the theme will focus on darkness to light, struggle to hope.

We thank Shawn, Aella and the minister, Rev John Perkin for preparing this service for us. This is a great opportunity to meet in person for a service from Darkness to Light which is so appropriate these days.

Invite your friends to join you for this special service.

Although the province has loosened covid restrictions, this event will require proof of 3 vaccinations for the safety of all. Masking and social distancing are also required.

Free parking is available under city hall for the month of March.

Improve your playing with Improvisation Techniques

In the last year or two, several impressive and significant online resources have become available that focus on developing improvisation skills. Experience demonstrates that improving improvisation skills has a positive benefit on all aspects of organ performance. This Café RCCO will present three of these (from Seitze de Vries, Christiane Michel-Ostertun, and John Mortensen). They are free (or almost free) and cover the development of improvisation skills from beginner to very advanced levels. There will be time for discussion.

This will be a Zoom event. Please register at events (@) rcco-ottawa (dot) ca. You will receive a link for the session within 24 hours of the event.

THE GREAT BACH MARATHON

Save the date and stay tuned for the next installment of the Great Bach Marathon.

The PROGRAM of the Bach Marathon may be downloaded here.

The Great Bach Marathon returns on Saturday, May 7, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Woodroffe United Church. The program begins with the OrgelkidsCan Orgelkit in pieces at the front of the church. Students will be led by Joshua Zentner-Barrett to construct the organ so that Rachel Laurin may play the compositions she wrote especially for the Létourneau instrument. It will be a joyful beginning of gathering together for the first time in two years.

We will have the pleasure of hearing young students playing their early pieces by Bach. The RCCO prizewinners from the Ottawa Piano Festival will perform. Members of the RCCO will perform music that speaks to them and to all of us.

Hearing live music prepared by energetic performers - both inexperienced and experienced - will fill our hearts with joy. The event will help us look forward to what will be as we reopen music making to the world.

This event is a Benefit for the RCCO Scholarships for Beginning Organ Students. We are helping to preserve the joy of learning and performing for all students - all of us as we continue to learn each day.

Come when you can; leave when you must.

• Masks are required
• All people age 12 and up are required to have at least 2 doses of an approved vaccine
• Ages 5-13 are required to have at least one dose of an approved vaccine
• Physical distancing is encouraged

This is your centre. The executive values the feedback received from members. Come out and voice your opinions on what you would like to have your Centre do.

The Annual General Meeting of the Ottawa Centre is our opportunity to conduct the necessary business of the College but also to celebrate the year past and look forward to the coming year. All members are encouraged to attend and participate in decision making and to hear reports of the various convenors and national council representatives. We will also present the Member of the Year award.

The RCCO Ottawa Centre is delighted to announce that this year’s Member of the Year is Thomas Annand. Thomas has served on the Executive of the Centre and was president from 2009 to 2011. He has given numerous workshops for the Ottawa Centre over the years on the music of Bach as well as baroque performance styles. We seldom hear the NAC Flentrop organ, however, at the National Convention in Ottawa in 2003, there was a wonderful programme with the Capital BrassWorks which he founded. Thomas will receive this honour at this AGM. We appreciate the dedication and support that Tom has given to this Centre.

Tom Annand studied with Graham Steed, John Grew and Marie-Claire Alain. He was music director at St Andrew’s Church, Ottawa for 29 years and gave about 200 noon-hour recitals there. He has been a soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Les Violons du Roy, touring extensively with both. He founded and conducted Capital BrassWorks with which he recorded two albums, and has been the keyboard player in Gruppetto Baroque and Triptych Piano Trio. He was the harpsichordist, organist and guest conductor of Thirteen Strings for twenty seasons. He has performed as a soloist at the Carmel Bach Festival, Vancouver Baroque Festival and Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. He presented all the major harpsichord works of Bach in a series of seven concerts in 2004. His Christmas anthems are published by the RCCO and he has composed hundreds of descants as well as choral music and organ works. He is a Fellow of the RCCO.

All members are encouraged to attend and participate in decision-making of your Centre and to hear reports of the various convenors and National Council representatives. There is plenty of parking and the room is air-conditioned.

Student Recital

The Ottawa Centre of the RCCO is delighted to post their annual student recital which will be held virtually again this year. We appreciate the co-operation of various churches who allowed the students in to practise and record their pieces. Some of the pieces were recorded for classes in the recent Kiwanis Music Festival. Thanks to Shawn Potter for assembling the various video files into a comprehensive video playlist for your enjoyment.

The Students playing in this recital in order of appearance are: Rebecca Lee, Yi Zhou, Patrick Yang, Aurora Xu, Aleesha Katary, Samuel Lee.

Here is the program and student biographies for the recital. The video link will remain until Aug 31, 2022.