Andy Vernie, The Organist (PEOPLE 2025)

Following the event of her redundancy from St. Mary’s Cathedral Perth, Jacinta Jakovcevic, the outgoing Director of Music and Principal Organist at the Cathedral, is seen here at practice, side stage on the JW Walker pipe organ at Winthrop Hall, University of Western Australia. The photo is a stirring contrast of the interplay of light and shadow, and focusses on the emotional attachment Jacinta has with the organ, and it is felt by her facial expression, with her eyes closed and in her hands, in relation to what she is putting into her performance on the organ. There is something about the focus of this image that relates to the perspective of patience, perseverance and pre-emptive hope for the future. The emotional weight that Jacinta has on her shoulders in this image speaks a thousand words. And there is something about her reverence and care for what she is doing and what is important here are her hands, her face and the keys of the organ. The narrative would be one of contemplative action, and also of personal inner strength, and of Jacinta’s fighting spirit through the difficulties and challenges she has recently faced and most importantly, it shows her fervour for her Vocation and Faith in God, and of the sacred music she loves so dearly.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.