FINAL ROUND
Finalists:
Kirk Rich
Jonathan Rudy
HyeHyun Sung
The American Guild of Organists promotes the highest level of organ performance through its National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP). The competition is intended to serve as a springboard for emerging organists to develop their performance ability by participating in various demanding stages. Underwriting of expenses is provided in part by the Nita Akin Competition Fund.
Prizes – First Place: $3,000, the Lilian Murtagh Memorial Prize, funded by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc., plus career development assistance from Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. and a CD recording on the Pro Organo label; Second Place: $3,000, funded by John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders; Third Place: $2,000, funded by Kegg Pipe Organ Builders; Audience Prize: $1,000, funded by Martin Ott Pipe Organ Company Inc.
Three finalists perform in the culmination of the AGO’s biennial National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance.
NYACOP, long considered this country’s preeminent organ playing contest, encourages young artists in their pursuit of excellence through participation in its four demanding performance rounds.
The three finalists each perform the following works:
Nikolaus Bruhns: Praeludium in G Major
J. S. Bach: “Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele,” BWV 654
Charles-Marie Widor: II. Moderato cantabile, from Symphony No. 8
Pamela Decker: A new work commissioned for the 2014 Boston AGO Convention
The competition results, determined by a panel of three distinguished jurors, will be announced soon after the performance round concludes.
Those in the audience who hear the entirety of the competition round will be invited to vote for the “Audience Prize,” a $1,000 cash award presented to the competitor who earns the most votes from the assembly.