Six performers from four states will compete in the final round of the Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition, to be held at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania on May 10.
The six were selected during semifinal competitions in Los Angeles and Baltimore last week. Each competitor played two mandatory pieces and one selection of his or her own choosing. A panel of three judges scored the performances based on technique, registration, accuracy and the difficulty of each performer's optional composition.
The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 and will present a public concert on the evening of May 10 at the university. The concert, as well as the individual performances during the morning competition, is open to the public without charge.
The finalists are:
Patrick Scott, 25, of Austin, Texas. Mr. Scott is pursuing a Doctor of Music degree in Organ Performance at the University of Texas at Austin, and studying with Dr. Gerre Hancock. He earned a Masters of Music degree in Organ Performance and Sacred Music from the university in 2010, also as a student of Dr. Hancock. He graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance in 2008, studying with Dr. James Cook. In high school, his organ teachers were Kathy Vail and Betty Polk.
Doreen Smeck, 21, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A music education student at Kutztown University, Ms. Smeck studied organ privately with Anthony Baronio for six years and now studies under Dr. Ina Slater Grapenthin.
Thomas Schuster, 32, of Miami, Florida. Mr. Schuster is a church organist and music director. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from Wayne State University, where he studied with Ray Ferguson, and an M.M. from the University of Houston, where he was a student of Robert Bates.
Ryan Murphy, 27, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a candidate for an M.M. in Organ Performance at Cleveland State University, Mr. Murphy studies with Dr. Horst Buchholz of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. His undergraduate music degree is from Duquesne University. In high school, he studied privately with Richard Pinkerton.
Andrew Peters, 35, of St. Louis, Missouri. A student of both John Ferguson and Todd Wilson, Mr. Peters holds a bachelor's degree in Church Music from St. Olaf College and an M.M. in Organ Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has done additional studies with Carla Edwards and Wilma Jensen.
Geert Ruelens, 20, of Kutztown, Pennsylvania has been a student of organ at the Royal Academy for Music in Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium with Marc Van Driessen. He began organ instruction with Dr. Grapenthin at Kutztown University last fall.
In addition to these competitors, the semifinalists included John Cannon of Fort Collins, Colorado; Andrea Printy Thomas of Tyler, Texas; and YangSun Yu of Fort Worth, Texas.
Rodgers instituted the competition this year in order to showcase emerging young performers, give broader exposure to the modern classical organ and encourage the study of organ music.
The final competition will begin at 9:00 AM on May 10 in the Georgian Room at the university, located at 15200 Kutztown Road, Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The winners' concert begins at 7:00 PM, and will be followed by a public reception.
More information is available at www.rodgersinstruments.com.
