Jonathan D. Rudy Wins First Place and Audience Prize at NYACOP!

Jonathan and his teacher, Janette Fishell, celebrate together after the results were announced.

Cambridge, MA

On Monday, June 23rd, accompanied by a large contingent of family and friends and an audience of almost 500 members, a blind panel of judges chose Jonathan D. Rudy as the First Place winner at the National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance.  The rest of the listening crowd awarded him the Audience Prize.

Jonathan was quite pleased with his 

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.