Osborne Organ Competition - History

The Summer Institute of Church Music held its first Organ Competition in 1972: from 12 entrants six finalists were chosen, and Terence Ford and Gertrude Olford were chosen as winners by a jury chaired by that year’s organ instructor, George Faxon. The prizes were announced by their donor, Dr. J. N. Lowes. The competition was held again in 1973 and 1974, took on its current biennial shape in 1976, and in 2005 was formally renamed the Osborne Organ Competition in honour of its founders, who originally endowed the tradition of the Institute giving a scholarship for advanced study in Church Music, to be awarded by organ competition. The 20th competition will be held in 2008.

The Florence and Stanley Osborne Scholarship in Church Music is named for Mrs. & Dr. Stanley Llewellen Osborne. With proceeds from If Such Holy Song (Whitby, 1976), his commentary on the 1971 joint Hymn Book of the United Church of Canada and Anglican Church of Canada, Dr. Osborne, the founding Director of the Summer Institute of Church Music endowed, via the Osborne Organ Competition Fund, a scholarship in Church Music to be awarded biennially by organ competition. 

Honouring that gift, in 2007 SICM launched the “Holy Song” touring program as a profile-raising initiative for the Institute and a fund-raiser for the Osborne Organ Competition Fund. To the start of SICM 2008 some $2000 will have been raised in support of the Fund.

From is inception until 2004 Thomas Cromwell served the Institute as co-ordinator of the Competition; beginning in 2006 the role was assumed by Dr. Mark Toews, and in 2008, by John Leek, organist of St. Mark’s Church in Whitby.

Osborne Organ Competition - past winners

 1) 1972: 1st - Terence Ford; 2nd - Gertrude Olford
         Chair of Jury: George Faxon

 2) 1973: 1st - Pamela Gil
         Chair of Jury: Alec Wyton

 3) 1974: 1st - Mary Johnston
        Chair of Jury:  James Litton

 4) 1976: 1st - Roderick McAvoy
        Chair of Jury: Gerald Bales

 5) 1978: 1st - Patricia Snyder
        Chair of Jury: Wilbur Held

 6) 1980: 1st - Leonard Campbell
        Chair of Jury: Marilyn Mason

 7) 1982: 1st - Michael Bloss, Derek Smith (other finalists Heather Rice, Marie Bouchard)
        Chair of Jury: Frederick Swann

 8) 1984: 1st - Heather Rice (other finalists Danielle Dube, Marie Bouchard)
        Chair of Jury: Gerre Hancock

9) 1986: 1st - John Charron
        Chair of Jury: Clyde Holloway

10) 1988: 1st - Joel Hastings
        Chair of Jury: 

11) 1990: 1st - Elizabeth Sander
        Chair of Jury: David Higgs

12) 1992: 1st - Kenneth Cowan; 2nd - James Andrew Calkin
        Chair of Jury: Judith Hancock

13) 1994: %
        Chair of Jury: John Weaver

14) 1996: %
        Chair of Jury: Donald Sutherland

15) 1998: %
        Chair of Jury: Joan Lippincott

16) 2000: %
        Co-chairs of Jury: William and Patricia Wright

17) 2002: 1st - Geoffrey Ward
        Co-chairs of Jury: William O’Meara and William Maddox

18) 2004: 1st - Ryan Jackson; 2nd - Ryan Enright
        Chair of Jury: Paul Jacobs

19) 2006: 1st - Aaron Tan; 2nd - Isabelle Demers
        Chair of Jury: Paul Halley

20) 2008: 1st - ?; 2nd - ?
        Chair of Jury: Michael Bloss