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 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 date several thousand dollars 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 since 2008, it has been borne by John Leek.
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: James Bigham
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 - Michael Oldaker; 2nd - Matthew Coons
Chair of Jury: Michael Bloss
21) 2010: 1st - C. Aaron James 2nd - Rachel A. Mahon
Chair of Jury: Roger Bergs