performance, and a full recording will soon be featured on the media page of his website.  

According to audience members, he played accurately and creatively, with distinct individual flair and attentiveness to musical shapes and affekt.  Jonathan was nervous, but not overly so, and was able to control those emotions for an effective live performance.

As First Place winner, Jonathan receives a generous package that is sponsored by Karen McFarlane, Inc.  This includes a monetary prize of $3,000, a professional album recorded on the Pro Organo label, and two years of professional concert management and career development by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc.  Jonathan will perform many recitals through the benefits of the package, culminating in an appearance at the 2016 AGO National Convention in Houston, TX.  The Audience Prize was an additional monetary award of $1,000, funded by Martin Ott Pipe Organ Company, Inc.

Jonathan is grateful to those people who helped guide him through the many stages of this competition, especially his organ instructor Dr. Janette Fishell, his parents, family and friends, and his fiancée Katie Alms.  It was an unforgettable experience, and Jonathan is humbled to be selected amongst his talented colleagues and peers.

Congratulations go also to his fellow IU competitors, Kirk Rich (3rd place) and Aaron Sunstein (Semi-Finalist).  Jonathan could not imagine working alongside more talented and gracious organists and counts himself lucky to call them friends and colleagues. He wishes them all the best in the upcoming years as they leave IU for future positions and studies.

For more information on the AGO and the NYACOP Competition, please visit the AGO Headquarters website.

On July 20, Jonathan will appear for the second year in a row in recital at Fremont Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, CA.  He will perform works by Bach, Bruhns, Widor, and Decker, amongst others.  He enjoyed the experience last year, and is looking forward immensely to the return trip.

The organ, recently installed by Reuter, is glorious.  See the specifics here.

Great news!  Jonathan Rudy was competitively selected to advance to Boston on June 23rd.  He will compete in the final round of the National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP) along with two of his colleagues.  His performance will be heard by a live audience, since the event is a part of the AGO 2014 National Convention in Boston, and will be adjudicated by a panel of judges.

Jonathan will be performing Bruhn's Praeludium in G Major, Bach's chorale prelude "Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele" (Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness) - BWV 654, Widor's Andante Moderato from Symphony No. 8, and Pamela Decker's newly commissioned work, "Faneuil Hall."

The organ was recently installed by C. B. Fisk, Inc. in 2012, and is a fine 3-manual, 55-rank instrument.  For more information on the organ, click here.

Here's a recent article on the final round.

After advancing to the semi-finals, Jonathan appeared in Columbus, GA, and performed for a panel of judges and a live audience.  He was competing against six other fine young organists from around the nation.  The repertoire: Frescobaldi's Toccata V from the 2nd Book; Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543; Saint-Seans' Fantasie in D-flat Major; and Eben's first Biblical Dance (the Dance of David before the Ark of the Covenant).

Above: Jonathan enjoyed performing on Letourneau op. 60 while in the competition.  The organ was a gift from the Jordan Foundation, and is located in Legacy Hall - The River Center for the Performing Arts, Columbus, GA.

On May 18, Jonathan played a recital on the 1950's Aeolian Skinner organ, Op. 1210, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Batavia, IL.  This was the congregation that Jonathan grew up in, and where he studied organ through high school (with Karl Bruhn).   The concert was extremely well attended by friends, family, and community members, and the hymn singing was especially glorious.  Many thanks to the church, staff, and especially Dean Christian and associates, for the recent renovations and improvements to the instrument.