Jacob Benda, Aaron Tan and John Woolsey were the three finalists chosen to compete on Saturday, March 13, 2010. The competition was held at First Baptist Church, Huntsville, Alabama, on the church's 76 rank Casavant organ. Candidates for the competition were chosen through a semi-final recorded round, and are all under the age of 25.
Judges for the final round were Dr. Jeff McClelland, of Independent Presbyterian Church, Birmingham; Dr. Michael Velting, of Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville; and Andrew Risinger, Nashville Symphony Organist. Mr. Paul Jacobs, Professor and Chair of the Organ Department at Juilliard, served as moderator for the judges’ panel, and also played a recital the evening preceding the competition.
First place was awarded to Aaron Tan, and second place to Jacob Benda. Mr. Tan is a student of David Palmer, University of Windsor Ontario, and winner of the 2009 RCCO National Organ Playing competition. Mr. Benda is finishing his master's degree in Organ Performance at Louisiana State University where he studies with Herndon Spillman.
Special thanks goto First Baptist Church, specifically Dr. Elizabeth Hostetter, for hosting this event, to the Huntsville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for their leadership, to HCMG for sponsorship of Mr. Jacobs, and to the Milnar and Miller Organ companies for their contributions to the cash prize.
April 29, 2010
Summer Organ Workshop - July 19-23
This organ workshop is part of the North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Music Program. These music workshops are ideal for students wishing to immerse themselves in a rigorous, artistic atmosphere, and study under the guidance of world-class performers and dedicated teachers. The organ faculty for the week is Dr. Timothy Olsen. Please visit the website for more information.
Nashville Organs in the News
Members of the Nashville Chapter are featured in a newspaper article. Click here to link to the article.
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