Rachel Laurin

Rachel Laurin (August 11, 1961 – August 13, 2023) was a Canadian organist, composer and music educator in Quebec.

Rachel Laurin was born in Saint-Benoît on August 11, 1961.

Laurin studied organ with Lucienne L'Heureux-Arel.

She went on to study at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal with Gaston Arel, Raymond Daveluy and Raoul Sosa.

In 1985, she received the McAbbie Foundation scholarship and, in the following year, the Bourse d'excellence Wilfrid-Pelletier.

She performed in Canada, the United States and France.

She received the Conrad-Letendre scholarship five times.

From 1986 to 2002, she was assistant organist at Saint Joseph's Oratory.

The piece was premiered at an AGO regional convention in Pittsburgh in 1987.

In 1988, she started teaching at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal.

From 2002 to 2006, she was titular organist at Notre Dame Cathedral in Ottawa.

Laurin started composition lessons at age 19 with Raymond Daveluy.

She was the "house composer" at Wayne Leupold Editions from 2006.

In her latter years, Laurin only composed commissioned pieces.

Her very first commissioned piece was requested by Donald Sutherland and his wife Phyllis Bryn-Julson.

In 2008, she received the Holtkamp-AGO Composition Award.

In 2009, she was awarded first place in the Marilyn Mason New Organ Music Competition.

Laurin won the 2022 Pogorzelski-Yankee Composition Competition.

The American Guild of Organists granted her their Distinguished Composer Award in 2020.

Laurin died on August 13, 2023, at the age of 62.

Solo Organ Works