Howard Fairclough Organ Competition at Centenary

Hamilton, Ontario – On Saturday, June 1, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., the finals of the Howard Fairclough Memorial Organ Competition will be held at Centenary United Church, at the corner of Main and MacNab Streets in Hamilton.

The two talented competitors are Stephen Boda and Rachel Mahon; each will play three major organ works on the large pipe organ at Centenary. The jury members will be Michael Bloss, Ian Sadler and Philip Sarabura, all professional organists of high standing in the musical community.

The winner of the First prize receives $1,500, and of the Second prize $750. The Competition is made possible by a generous gift from the Fairclough family, through the Hamilton Community Foundation. The event is organized by the Hamilton Centre of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, which is pleased to have this opportunity to encourage organ performance at a high level among fine young players.

To be eligible, contestants must be younger than 28, working towards a degree or diploma in organ studies, and resident in Ontario.

All those interested in music are cordially invited to attend. Admission will not be charged.

World Music Concert on Cable 14– plus photos!

Cable 14 TV will be airing our World Music Concert on the following dates:

  • Sunday March 17 at 5:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday March 20th at 1:00 p.m.
  • Friday March 22 at 1:00 p.m.

Here are some photos from the concert, taken by Sean Hurley (Bev’s husband). Click images to enlarge.

Sundar (on sax) and Adrean Farrugia (on piano)
Sundar (on sax) and Adrean Farrugia (on piano)

Neeraj Prem
Neeraj Prem

Sara Traficante, classical flute
Sara Traficante, classical flute

Prem Tewari on Tabla
Prem Tewari on Tabla

Neeraj Prem on Indian Sitar
Neeraj Prem on Indian Sitar

Adrean Farrugia, jazz piano
Adrean Farrugia, jazz piano


Fusion Finale with Neeraj, Sundar, and Sara
Sundar (on sax) and Adrean Farrugia (on piano)

World Music Concert Event

Neeraj Prem who, through Raga Music School, has been offering music lessons at Centenary on Friday evenings, has assembled an impressive lineup of talent for a World Music Concert on Saturday March 2, at 5:30 p.m., at Centenary.

Visit our concert page for details! Tickets are available at the Church office: $10 in advance. Tickets at the door are $15.

If you are able, please download, print and post a flyer in your neighbourhood, lobby, workplace or local hangout! Link here:

World Music Concert graphic

Along with all the great music there will be an art show, a world bazaar and food available. For details call Neeraj Prem at 905-529-7865

We aren’t asking: ‘Why gamble at all?’

Rev. Ian’s letter to the editor published in the Hamilton Spectator, Friday January 25, 2013

Casino public meetings

A crucial expert was missing from the panel discussions concerning a casino held in Flamborough and at City Hall. This is the ethics expert, providing expert perspective on the question, “Why gamble at all?” I believe every citizen of Hamilton would benefit from considering such expert knowledge.

My own view on the ethics of gambling (lotteries, casinos, bingos) is that it promotes the mistaken impression that humans can get something for nothing. When I put money into a slot machine, for no reason at all (since gambling is completely about randomness) I either get a return, or I don’t. If I do this habitually, I begin to believe it takes nothing on my part to get something. I don’t have to become addicted to gambling to develop this erroneous impression in my thinking. Such erroneous thinking infects my attitude toward work, toward play, toward family, friends and community.

Humans delight in playing games. I’m for games and the delight they bring into my life and the lives of others. I’m not for gambling, because gambling takes the human delight in games and exploits it to persuade people they can get something for nothing. There is a cost to everything that is valuable.

Thus gambling is not entertainment, but a vice. We regulate vice, just as we police against crime. If we are reasonable, we seek to increase neither vice nor crime. Both crime and vice impinge on the play of the human spirit that is essential to healthy human productivity.
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Rev. Ian Sloan, Centenary United Church, and co-chair of the Social Justice and World Outreach Committee of Hamilton Presbytery of the United Church of Canada