I am organist and director of music at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, Huron Street (and in less disrupted times The WholeNote’s usual Early Music columnist).
When COVID-19 hit, I had a number of choral and solo concerts planned, as well as the responsibilities associated with Holy Week and Easter. St. Thomas’s has one of the most renowned church music programs in the country, and to miss this highlight of the year is a profound loss for all who participate in, and listen to, our choral programs.
While some of the concerts will not be rescheduled, I look forward to performing Louis Vierne’s Symphonie No. 2 as part of the RCCO Vierne birthday celebration, now in the fall (transferred from April), as well as a solo recital in Ottawa next season (transferred from May).
With all church and choral gatherings put on hold, I have had to adapt accordingly. Rather than performing live each week, I have instead been recording organ repertoire and posting it on the St. Thomas website (https://www.stthomas.on.ca/) on a weekly basis. To date, I’ve worked through Brahms’s complete chorale preludes, and will be recording Bach’s Neumeister Chorale Preludes over the next few weeks. This preparation of material also helps me maintain technique, so that when the rescheduled concerts arrive, I am ready to perform at a high level.
As for how best people reading this can stay in touch, there are two places: the first is St. Thomas’s website (https://www.stthomas.on.ca/), where recordings and updates are posted regularly; and my own personal website (https://www.orguenouveau.com/), where a listing of recitals and concerts, as well as recordings, provides an outline of what I’m up to on a regular basis.
