Pulling Out All The Stops

Abraham Ross enjoys an active career as a concert organist, harpsichordist, and conductor, presenting imaginative programmes informed by the most recent research on performance practice, technology, and musicological research. A recent graduate of McGill University, he received a grant from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec for his doctoral thesis on contrapuntal organ improvisation and arrangement practices in early modern Italy. In addition to solo concerts throughout North America, Abraham enjoys collaborating regularly with ensembles and artists of diverse disciplines, and regularly appears in groups such as Les Goûts Réunis (Montreal) and Resonance Collective (Los Angeles).

Angelique Po is an organist, pianist and continuo player living and working in Vancouver, BC. Her versatility and interest in a broad range of music styles have led her to collaborate with a variety of ensembles and soloists, as well as perform world premieres of many new works. This includes the world premiere of organ works by Joël Tibbits in 2024 and 2025, the world premiere of Fernande Decruck’s 2nd Sonata for Organ (written in 1948), Scottish premieres of Claude Vivier’s Les Communiantes and Jocelyn Morlock’s Premonition in 2022 at the University of Glasgow. She is currently the Director of Music and Organist at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in Vancouver. She studied piano with Sara Buechner, harpsichord with Doreen Oke, and organ with Michael Murray, Edward Norman, and Kevin Bowyer.

Cindy Ma, grew up in mainland China, from a family passionate in classical music. She went to the States for graduate school in engineering before coming to Canada. In Vancouver, she's been taking organ lessons, playing in member recitals, and going to  concerts. She currently works in a financial institution as a senior software developer and she owns a cat with amazing energy, who constantly improvises on the piano.

David Poon is an organist, teacher, and music engraver based on BC's Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland. A Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, he has led worship in churches for his entire adult life and is committed to increasing the airtime of sacred music in both church and secular spaces. In addition to being Director of Music at St John's, Shaughnessy Anglican Church, he also directs the Coast Messiah Choir, MOTET chamber choir, and Vespersong. He performs regularly with Choralations Children's Choir, the Gallery Singers, United Voices Choir, and the VSO Brass Quintet, and is an ubiquitous coach and collaborator for music students on the Lower Coast. When not sneaking viol consorts into choral evensong, he is usually found with too many board games and not enough cheese, trying to convince his wife Sarah and their four children to finish the video games they start.

Having completed a BMus at UBC, Isaac Howie is an organist and lifelong Vancouverite.  Entering UBC at 15, he studied with Michael Dirk and Alexander Weimann, alongside a major in Classics. Since 2021, he has been organist at Holy Family Vancouver ( FSSP ), and holds an ARCT in piano. He has appeared in Waterloo for the RCCO National Organ Competition, and also performed at the Zweiter Internationaler Feith Orgelwettbewerb in Blieskastel, Germany.  Isaac has been president of the RCCO Vancouver Centre, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir has premiered his choral music. 

Jayden Liu, who is 12 years old, started studying piano at the age of five and organ at the age of nine, in Shanghai.  He moved to Vancouver when he was 10 years old and is a sixth grade student at Queen Elizabeth Elementary School, where he also studies cello.  He began organ studies with Michael Dirk this fall.  Jayden is pursuing Royal Conservatory of Music level 10 piano, following his level 8 for which he received first class honours.  

Neil Robertson started his musical journey with piano at the age of eight, expanding to the flute at ten, voice at twelve, and organ at fourteen. He earned BMus degrees in flute and organ performance and a BMus Honours in flute from the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town. In 2019 he completed a Master’s degree in flute performance at the University of Michigan with Amy Porter, studying organ with Kola Owolabi, and received a Graduate Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship & Leadership (EXCEL). He was Orchestra Librarian & IT Manager for the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (2021–2025), performed as an extra, and taught at Bishops Diocesan College. Now in Vancouver, he is Head Librarian of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and freelances as a flutist and organist.

PJ Janson studied organ performance with Frederick Geoghegan, Suzanne Gibson, and Erich Schwandt.  He received his education at the University of Victoria, and after completing his PhD in musicology he was on the music faculty at Augustana University College ( now part of the University of Alberta ).  PJ has served churches in Victoria, Vancouver, The Netherlands, and in the UK as organist and director of music. His compositions include hymn arrangements for choir, congregation, brass, and timpani, as well as choral music and organ works.  PJ is thankful to all who support him in his music endeavours — including his faithful feline friend, Magnificat, who wakes him up early every morning to start the day with a sense of purpose.

Rachel Alflatt has given concerts throughout the province of Quebec, as well as in Ontario, New Brunswick, and British Columbia. She has also performed with the West Coast Symphony Orchestra, the New Westminster Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Philharmonic, and the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and has recorded for the CBC’s French network, Radio-Canada FM. She was organist and music director at Queen’s Avenue United Church in New Westminster from November 2001 until January 2023 and is now minister of music at First Lutheran Church in Vancouver. She is active as an organ teacher and runs the music publishing company Éditions Cheldar, which she owns with her husband, Denis Bédard.

Richard Egolf completed his ARCT in piano performance in 1982. He then enjoyed studying pipe organ for two years at Pacific Union College in California while completing his Bachelor’s of Science Degree. He subsequently completed his MD at UBC and practised as a family physician until 2025. During these years he played both organ and piano regularly in church. Now in retirement, he is enjoying having the time to study the organ again, having started organ studies with Rachel Alflatt in September, 2025. 

In 1938 Casavant Frères of St Hyacinthe, Québec, was awarded the contract for a new 3-manual organ of 1760 pipes.  The organ itself was located in the north transept of the church, formerly the choir gallery, which was lowered to make room for the instrument, with a façade designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott — the same architect who designed St James’ Church building.  Over the years some minor changes were made to meet the musical demands of a living church, including a new Choir division with three ranks in the west gallery in 1948, and a new organ console in 2003.  With the addition of the Choir division, the organ now has 33 ranks, and just under 2000 pipes.  The main organ is located high on the north gallery of the church – an excellent location, as grand sound of this fine Casavant Frères organ is marvellously enhanced by the church's outstanding acoustics.