The annual Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing took place June 9 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Syracuse, New York. This year’s competition was an in-person event in which three contestants were invited to perform 30-minute programs on the basis of their preliminary round recordings.
First prize of $3000, funded by the Arthur Poister Endowment Fund of Syracuse University, and a recital engagement on the historic Holtkamp organ at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music went to Daniel Colaner of Akron, Ohio, a member of The Diapason’s 20 Under 30 Class of 2021. He is a high school student who studies privately with David Higgs and participates in the Cleveland Institute of Music Organ Academy program. Colaner was also awarded the Will O. Headlee Audience Prize of $500, funded by Don Ingram in memory of Will Headlee, Syracuse University Professor Emeritus of organ and long-time Poister competition coordinator.
Second Prize of $1,000, also funded by the Poister Endowment, was awarded to Marshall Joos, a junior organ major of Ken Cowan at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
Third prize of $500, funded by the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, was awarded to Theodore Cheng, a doctoral student at the Juilliard School studying with Paul Jacobs and a member of The Diapason’s 20 Under 30 Class of 2023.
The judges for the final round were Amanda Mole, Alan Morrison, and Timothy Olsen.
For information: [email protected].
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