In October 2008, Frédéric Champion won 1st Prize and Audience Prize at the Canadian International Organ Competition in Montréal. Born in Lyon in 1976, French organist Frédéric Champion has won several prizes and awards for performing organ music from the 16th through the 21st century. This CD, the initiative of John Grew, artistic director of the Canadian International  Organ Competition (CIOC), contains celebrated works from the organ repertoire and more contemporary pieces, all by world-renowned French composers (Widor, Saint-Saëns, Duruflé among others). The first edition of the CIOC, held in 2008, attracted some 60 applications from 17 countries. Following a pre- selection round, 16 competitors from 11 countries were chosen for the Competition.