The Grand Organ Festival
is back this autumn
An exclusive encounter with the finest organists from around the globe
11 septembre 2025
Since its founding, the Canadian International Organ Competition (CIOC) has been dedicated to promoting the majestic art of organ music and celebrating its richness within our cultural fabric. This year, the CIOC presents the Grand Organ Festival 2025, which will take place in Montreal and Quebec City from September 6 to October 26, 2025, featuring more than 15 events.
Music lovers are invited to explore the musical realm of the King of Instruments.
Through the annual Grand Organ Festival, the CIOC is committed to bringing together world-renowned virtuosos and passionate audiences to highlight the diversity, history, and modernity of this unique instrument.
The 2025 festival program offers a series of events showcasing the vitality of the international organ scene, giving both enthusiasts and newcomers the chance to experience the grandeur and depth of the King of Instruments.
Rashaan Allwood
Music lovers are warmly invited to immerse themselves in a sonic world that spans from jazz, with its unique art of mastered improvisation, to classical repertoire, embracing all the nuances and subtleties that enrich the musical genres bridging these two poles.
The Headliners
The flagship weekend, taking place October 3 to 5, promises a rich succession of daily concerts and events, inviting organ aficionados to experience music anew with every moment.
On October 3, Inspirationz Ensemble presents an explosive fusion of pipe organ and jazz. This group of five musicians offers a unique blend of improvisation, groove, and bold arrangements, showcasing the majestic pipe organ at St. James United Church, located in the heart of downtown Montreal.
Festival-goers are invited to two special events on October 4. First, at 1 pm, there will be a screening of the acclaimed feature documentary Pipe Dreams and the film-concert Whispers: Music that Connects us, both at the Cinémathèque québécoise.
Written and directed by Montreal filmmaker Stacey Tenenbaum, Pipe Dreams follows five competitors from the CIOC 2017 competition on their journey to the finals. Filmed across six provinces and the United Kingdom, the film Whispers: Music that Connects us, produced by the CIOC, brings together more than 20 artists and composers from across Canada (including Rashaan Allwood, Sarah Davachi, Elisabeth St-Gelais, and many others) for adaptations of well-known Mozart works for organ and voice.
Peter Richard Conte
An exceptional artist on an exceptional organ
The headline concert with Peter Richard Conte, on October 4, 7:30 pm, at St. Andrew and St. Paul Church, is one of the festival’s highlights. Conte has been the principal organist of the legendary Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Philadelphia for over 35 years, playing the largest fully functional instrument in the world, which features 29,000 pipes.
Conte will present a dazzling program blending beloved classics by Buxtehude, Bizet, Guilmant, Karg-Elert, Richard Strauss, and even Gilbert & Sullivan, all elevated by symphonic transcriptions for organ that enhance the orchestral richness of these works.
Special VIP tickets, which include access to an exclusive reception after the concert, are available for this event, offering the audience the opportunity to support the CIOC and meet the artist and fellow passionate organ enthusiasts.
Festival des couleurs de l’orgue français
The highlight weekend concludes on October 5 with Austrian organist Elisabeth Hubmann, who kicks off the Festival des couleurs de l’orgue français. Since 2013, the CIOC has co-presented this weekly series during the Grand Organ Festival, offering free concerts every Sunday in October at the Chapelle des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice (formerly the Grand Seminary of Montreal), a historic venue located in downtown Montreal.
Considered one of the most innovative emerging artists in the organ world, Hubmann will inaugurate a month of spectacular programs for the 31st edition of the Festival des couleurs de l’orgue français, featuring an eclectic program of French classical works, Bach, and contemporary music. Other featured artists include Maria Gajraj (October 12), Henry Webb (October 19), and Yves-G. Préfontaine (October 26).
A month of music
The Grand Organ Festival brings life to several cities in October, including Montreal, Lachine, Sherbrooke, Saint-Hyacinthe, and Quebec City, highlighting a rich musical heritage through artists from Italy, Austria, the United States, France, China, and Canada. This celebration offers a diverse program suitable for all ages and tastes.
The festival benefits from partnerships with numerous cultural organizations across Quebec, including Concerts Lachine, the Centre d’histoire de St-Hyacinthe, Les Amis de l’orgue de l’Estrie, the MRC des Maskoutains, the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse, Les Vespérales de l’orgue du Sacré-Cœur, and the Société des orgues de Maisonneuve.
About the Canadian International Organ Competition
The Canadian International Organ Competition (CIOC) is a world-renowned cultural organization dedicated to promoting the sublime art of organ music through competitions, festivals, concerts, educational activities, and professional and financial support for emerging artists.
Committed to actively contributing to cultural life, the CIOC presents a year-round program of activities in collaboration with various artistic organizations. These musical and educational events aim to highlight the cultural importance of pipe organs—treasures of our heritage—to a broad and diverse audience.
The complete program for the Grand Organ Festival is available online at ciocm.org.
Grand Organ Festival 2025
September 6 to October 26
Montreal, Lachine, Sherbrooke, Saint-Hyacinthe and Quebec City
Images: Tam Photography
