Feb 18, 2000

AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS ANNOUNCES SEMIFINALISTS IN NATIONAL YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION IN ORGAN PERFORMANCE NEW YORK CITY The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS (AGO) is pleased to announce seven semifinalists in the 1999-2000 NATIONAL YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION IN ORGAN PERFORMANCE (NYACOP): Joby Bell (Houston, Tex.) Ji-yoen Choi (Rochester, N.Y.) Yun Kyong Kim (Trenton, Ohio) Andrew J. Kotylo (Binghamton, N. Y.) Jonathan Oldengram (Montreal, Québec, Canada) Erik Wm. Suter (Washington, D. C.) Bradley H. Welch (Knoxville, Tenn.) The NATIONAL YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION IN ORGAN PERFORMANCE was established in 1950. It is open to organists between the ages of 22 and 32 who are members of the AGO and the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO). Twenty-five competitors were selected based upon application and a cassette recording of a live recital. All twenty-five competed in a Tape Round, judged under conditions of strict anonymity. Seven competitors were chosen to participate in the Semifinal Performance Round; three will be chosen to participate in the Final Round. The semifinal and final rounds of the 1999-2000 NYACOP will take place beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 30, 2000 at the First United Methodist Church in Bellevue, Wash., and on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 5, at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. The semifinal round is open to the general public; admission to the final round is with convention registration only. The judges for the Tape Round were Janette Fishell, David Heller, and Charles Boyd Tompkins. The judges for the semifinal and final rounds will be David Dahl, Delbert Disselhorst, and Joan Lippincott. An audience prize will be awarded. The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, the AGO seeks to set and maintain high musical standards and to promote understanding and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. The mission of the AGO is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members. The Guild currently serves more than 20,000 members in 340 local chapters throughout the United States and abroad. This information is submitted by F. Anthony Thurman, Director of Development and Communications at the National Headquarters of the American Guild of Organists and the American Organist Magazine. For further information, please contact Dr. Thurman by TEL (212) 870-2310, FAX (212) 870-2163 or E-MAIL <fathurman@agohq.org.>