Pipe Dreams

Who will master the king of instruments

Pipe Dreams follows five young organists as they compete in Canada’s prestigious International Organ Competition (CIOC). Who will master the ‘king of instruments’ and come out victorious in Montreal?

For Yuan Shen, the daughter of China’s most famous organist, coming in second place is not an option. She is determined to win the CIOC to prove to her father that she is also a great musician.

New Zealand’s Thomas Gaynor is hoping to be the first organist to win three organ competitions in one summer. Will he be super prepared by the time he gets to the CIOC or will his grueling travel schedule get the better of him?

Thomas’s main fear is Alcee Chriss III, an African American organist from Texas who has beaten him the two previous times they competed. Alcee plans to draw on his gospel and jazz roots to come out triumphant in Montreal.

Alcee’s classmate Nick Cappozoli, an organist from Pittsburgh renowned for his reliability and perfect technique, is also willing to take big risks to get noticed at the CIOC. He’s playing a risky selection of music from modern composers which he hopes will wow the judges.

New on the competition scene is 19 year old Sebastian Heindl. He’s the youngest person to ever compete in the CIOC. Sebastian is a child prodigy who hails from the same town as his idol and namesake Johann Sebastian Bach. Will he surprise everybody by taking the win?

Pipe Dreams gives you an inside look into the weird and wonderful world of competitive organ playing. From the quietest tinkling of a bell to the rumble of a locomotive… this is organ playing like you have never heard it before!