John Robb Organ Competition/Concours d'orgue John-Robb
John Robb Organ Competition/Concours d'orgue John-Robb.Sponsored by the Montreal Centre of the RCCO, it is the longest-running competition of its kind in Canada. Details of early competitions are not available, because the Montreal Centre records only date from 1954 and it is known that competitions were held before that year. Originally called the CCO (RCCO) Montreal Centre Organ Competition, it was named in 1968 after John Robb, former organist at St Andrew's-Dominion-Douglas United Church in Montreal. It is open to all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants under the age of 30 who have lived in Quebec for at least one year. Held annually at in November in a Montreal area church (eg, St John the Evangelist in 1985 and 1988, Immaculée-Conception in 1986, St Matthias in 1987 and 1990, Saint Joseph's Oratory in 1989), the competition has been funded over the years by donations from companies and by private contributions as well as by the foundation Les Amis de l'art. In 1990 it awarded a first prize of $600. It has also presented a winners' recital, often broadcast on CBC radio. The jury traditionally consists of three renowned organists; jury members have included Gaston Arel, Antoine Bouchard, Raymond Daveluy, John Grew, Bernard Lagacé, Antoine Reboulot, Wayne Riddell, Patrick Wedd, and Gerald Wheeler.
Winners 1954-69
First prize winners in the 'senior' category have been as follows:
1954 Thérèse Vanier
1955 No competition
1956 Jean (organist) Leduc
1957 No competition
1958 Jacques Larose
1959 Mireille Lagacé
1960 Jacques Larose
1961 Mariette Latreille
1962 Jacqueline Gagnier
1963 Monique Gendron
1964 Yvon Godbout
1965 Noëlla Genest
1966 Monique Legault
1967 Marcel Lachambre
1968 No first prize awarded
1969 Lucie Madden (electro-pneumatic), Hélène Dugal (tracker)
1970-90
1970 Réjean Poirier
1971 Yves-G. Préfontaine
1972 Larry Phillips
1973 Deirdre Morrell
1974 William Tiemersma
1975 Geneviève Lagacé, Keith Sadko (joint winners)
1976 Hélène Panneton
1977 Thérèse Laflamme
1978 Raymond Perrin
1979 Jean Le Buis
1980 Réal Gauthier
1981 Jacques Lacombe
1982 Nicole Lemieux
1983 Sarah Fraser
1984 Catherine Todorovski
1985 Danielle Dubé
1986 Sylvain Caron
1987 Michael Capon
1988 Myriam Chabot
1989 Pamela Hoswitschka
1990 Bruno Vezina