Desmond Gaspar

Desmond Gaspar is a Canadian organist, pianist, conductor, composer and songwriter who works as a freelance concert artist and ballet pianist who won the Associateship and Fellowship diplomas of the Royal Canadian College of Organists in consecutive years while under 30 years of age, thus being one of a very small number of Canadians under that age to achieve that distinction at the time. Gaspar studied under Earle Moss (piano), Molly Sclater (theory), Roman Toi (composition) and Heather Spry (organ and church music) from the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, during which time he received numerous performance and competition awards. His eclectic career in liturgical music, dance accompaniment, choir-directing and other disciplines has taken him to various venues in Canada, the United States and Europe. A Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists (winning the Associateship and Fellowship Diplomas in consecutive years as well as the Charles Peaker and the Healey Willan Prizes respectively with those attempts, scoring the highest mark in Canada for the latter), Gaspar was one of a very small number of Canadians who won that professional designation under the age of thirty at the time of his receiving it.