Three Winners Named For Inaugural Rachel Laurin Composition Competition
Three prize winners have been named for the very first Rachel Laurin Composition Competition. Audiences will be able to hear the winning new works at the upcoming Organ Festival Canada, which takes place from July 7 to 19 in Kitchener and Guelph, Ontario.
The Rachel Laurin Composition Competition was established by the Royal Canadian College of Organists in order to help promote and encourage new organ music by young creators. It was open to both Canadian and international composers age 35 and under, who could submit up to three works for solo organ between 3.5 and 5 minutes long for consideration.
Noted Canadian composer Denis Bédard is among the pool of jurors.
The prizes include:
- 1st Prize: $1,500 (donated by Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, Montréal, QC)
- 2nd Prize: $1,000
- 3rd Prize: $500
In addition, the three prize winners will be offered a publishing contract with the Royal Canadian College of Organists which will include their work in RCCO’s online catalogue.
The Winners
Twenty-three composers from Australia, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and the USA submitted a total of 29 works for the competition. The winners are:
- 1st place: Variations on Tetris Theme (Korobeiniki), Zoltán Májer (Hungary)
- 2nd place: Æther, Double Fugue in F# Minor, Dr. Sandon Lowe (Australia)
- 3rd place: Toccata-Gigue, Tyler Versluis (Canada)