Keyed up for organ group’s centenary

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This article was published 01/11/2023 (1017 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Charmaine Bacon admits “organ music” and “cool” are often not used in the same sentence.

But the president of the Winnipeg chapter of the Royal Canadian College of Organists hopes a service celebrating its 100th anniversary will introduce the instrument to a new generation.

“Many people have never heard an organ being played,” she says, adding that when they do, “they think it’s the coolest thing ever.”

That’s the way she felt the first time she played the organ.

“I had an epiphany,” Bacon says. “I could not stop playing it. Every time I sit down to play, it’s amazing.”

The service, which takes place Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church, will include various organ works, a choir and congregational singing.

It will also feature the Canadian première of an organ fanfare composed by Leonard Enns, who grew up in Arnaud, Man., and is now professor emeritus at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo.

Organs also can move listeners, Bacon says, impacting them at spiritual, emotional and physical levels.

“The organ is a whole other world,” said Bacon, who is the organist at McClure United Church and plays for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and other groups. “When I play, I want to pull people into that.”

In addition to being played in churches, the organ can be found in other places.

“There is new music being played on the organ,” she said, noting it is sometimes used by rock bands to enhance their sound.

Lottie Enns-Braun is the organist at Young United Church and a member of the Winnipeg chapter of the RCCO. That church has a Quebec-built Létourneau pipe organ, the only one of its kind in the in the city.

“It’s a fabulous instrument, one of the finest organs in Winnipeg,” said Enns-Braun, who has played for 40 years.

For her, the service on Sunday is a way to hear great organ playing, as well as to remember the past and look forward.

In addition to concerts, the Winnipeg chapter of the RCCO offers scholarships for students who want to study the organ at the University of Manitoba or Canadian Mennonite University. It also offers programs for children and youth.

The Royal Canadian College of Organists was founded in 1909 in Brantford, Ont., making it the oldest musicians’ association in Canada. In addition to Winnipeg, there are 27 other chapters across the country.

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