our talented competitors

David Baskeyfield Balthasar Baumgartner Nicholas Bideler Sheung Chi Chan (Simon) Ryan Enright Andreas Jud Jens Korndörfer Jean-Willy Kunz
Christian Lane Brian Mathias Maria Mokhova Jared Ostermann Anna Pintér Leydi-Katheryne Ramirez-Lopez João Segurado Yulia Yufereva

David Baskeyfield David Baskeyfield (Eliminated in the first round)

Born in England, David Baskeyfield is a doctoral student at the Eastman School of Music. Before coming to the United States, he was organ scholar at St. Johns College, Oxford, where he studied Law. Following a year as organ scholar at both of the Anglican cathedrals in Dublin, he began a Master’s degree at Eastman, and now continues in the studio of David Higgs, studying improvisation with William Porter.

 

David Baskeyfield has won numerous prizes. In summer 2011, he won First Prize and Audience Prize at the St-Albans international organ Competition in England and Second Prize at the Dublin International Organ Competition. In 2010, he won First Prize and Audience Prize at the Miami International Organ Competition; First Prize at the Mader organ competition in Los Angeles; and First Prize and Audience Prize at the AGO National Competition in Organ Improvisation. Active as an accompanist, continuo player and occasional cocktail pianist, he also enjoys access to the large Wurlitzer organ in Rochester’s Auditorium Theatre and has gone some way to legitimising his private indulgence in being elected to the Board of the Rochester Theatre Organ Society.

 

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Balthasar Baumgartner Balthasar Baumgartner (3rd Place Winner (Tied with Jean-Willy Kunz))

Balthasar Baumgartner was born in 1983 in Bad Tölz and received his first organ and piano lessons at the age of 11. In high school, he was taught by Elisabeth Ullmann at the “Mozarteum” Music University in Salzburg. In 2004, he took up his studies in Catholic Church Music and Organ Performance at the University for Music in Munich. His teachers were Harald Feller (organ), Wolfgang Hörlin (improvisation) and Michael Gläser (choral conducting). In June 2010, he completed his Masters degree in organ performance. Balthasar holds a number of scholarships and has been a prize-winner at the August-Everding-Music Competition in Munich. And in October 2010, he won First Prize at the International Organ Competition in Mainz. . Since August 2009, Balthasar has been the musical assistant to the choir at Cologne Cathedral.

 


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Nicholas Bideler Nicholas Bideler (Eliminated in the first round)

Nicholas Bideler, born in June 1986, is a native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and has been in the music field since he was eight years old. In 2004, Nicholas was appointed Principle Organist at Visitation Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri where he also started a Royal School of Church Music program.  He received his BMus in organ performance from the University of Kansas in 2008 and Master’s degree at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2010. His teachers have been James Higdon, Michael Bauer and Roberta Gary. 

He is currently working on his doctorate of musical arts degree at the University of Kansas.   Nicholas won First Prize in the Strader International Organ Competition in March 2008. In 2008, he was appointed as the Associate Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati. He has played for and participated in master classes with many well-known organists and pedagogues including James David Christie, Marie-Claire Alain, Susan Landale, Olivier Latry, Jean-Baptiste Robin and John Grew. Nicholas has performed throughout the United States and Europe. In the fall of 2010, Nicholas became organist at Saint Mary's Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

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Sheung Chi Chan (Simon) Sheung Chi Chan (Simon) (Eliminated in the first round)

Born in Hong Kong, Sheung Chi CHAN (Simon) started his first organ lesson with Siu Ling Chiu at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2000. He received a Diploma in Organ Performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in 2003. In 2005, he completed a BA in organ performance and pedagogy from the Hong Kong Baptist University, graduating with first class honours.

He went on to study for a Master’s degree in organ performance at Texas Christian University, where he studied with Joseph Butler. Currently, Simon is pursuing his doctoral studies in Organ Performance at the University of Kansas, under the supervision of James Higdon. Simon obtained an honourable mention in the William C. Hall Pipe Organ Competition in 2006. He is also a semi-finalist in the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in 2011. Since November 2010, he has served as organist at the First Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas.


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  • DIETRICH BUXTEHUDE (1637-1707) 
    Nun freut euch lieben Christen g’mein (BuxWV 210)
  • JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
    Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (BWV 654)
    Trio super Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend(BWV 655)
    Praeludium et Fuga in A (BWV 543)

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  • OLIVIER MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
    Livre du Saint-Sacrement (extraits/excerpts)
    (x. Les deux murailles d'eau – xiv. Prière avant la communion)
  • JEHAN ALAIN (1911-1940)
    «Scherzo» de Suite pour orgue (JA 70)
    Deuxième Fantaisie (JA 117)
  • CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR (1844-1937) 
    «Andante sostenuto» de Symphonie Gothique, op. 70
  • MAX REGER (1873-1916)
    Fantasie über Halleluja! Gott zu loben bleibe meine Seelenfreud!, op. 52 no 3  

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  • FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
    Variations sur Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
  • FRANÇOIS COUPERIN (1668-1733)
    «Offertoire sur les grands jeux» de Messe des Paroisses
  • OLIVIER MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
    «Prière après la communion» du Livre du Saint-Sacrement
  • MAURICE DURUFLÉ (1902-1986)
    Suite, op.5
    (i. Prélude – ii. Sicilienne – iii. Toccata)
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Ryan Enright Ryan Enright (Eliminated in the first round)

Ryan Enright is a native of Montreal, Quebec and has concertized throughout Canada as well as in the United States. His early formation was with Marc-André Doran, and also included two years with Gaston Arel and Jean LeBuis at the Conservatoire de Musique et d'Art Dramatique in Montreal. From McGill University he received Bachelor and Master’s degrees in organ performance under John Grew and an Artist Diploma under William Porter.

Ryan won First Prizes at the RCCO National Organ Playing Competition (Edmonton, 2007), the Quebec Organ Competition (2004), and the Canadian Music Competition (1997). Ryan has visited Holland, Italy, Ireland, and Finland, and in 2005, traveled to France to play on that country’s finest instruments, a result of his Quebec Organ Competition win.

Enright has held various church positions in Montreal, including Assistant Organist of Christ Church Cathedral and Organist and Director of Music at St. Philip's Church, Montreal West. Since 2007, Ryan has been in the United States pursuing a doctorate in Musical Arts at the Eastman School of Music in the studio of William Porter. A skilled improviser and continuo player, Enright can be heard improvising regularly in church and in recital. In Rochester, he serves as organist of Gates Presbyterian Church. In November 2011, Ryan will move to Sacramento, California, in the fall to serve as Organist at St. John's Lutheran Church, as well as Organist/Accompanist for the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra.

 

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Andreas Jud Andreas Jud (Winner of Alain Prize)

Born in 1986, Andreas Jud studied piano, violin and organ from an early age. In 2003, he studied at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland, under the direction of Jean-Claude Zehnder and Guy Bovet, and received a Bachelor in Music with distinction. In 2008, he studied with Martin Sander to earn a Master’s in Music Pedagogy. He is now pursuing his studies towards an MA in Specialized Performance in Basel. For his Master’s degree concert, Andreas was awarded the Hans Balmer Prize of the Organists’ Association of Basel.

 In 2010, Andreas was a finalist at the International Franz Schmidt Organ Competition in Kitzbühel, Austria. He has followed several master classes with Bernhard Haas, Ludger Lohmann, Thierry Escaich and Zsigmond Szathmáry. Andreas Jud has given concerts across Switzerland and Germany, and recently in Los Angeles, USA.

 

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Jens Korndörfer Jens Korndörfer (2nd Prize and Liszt Prize Winner)

Born in 1978, Jens Korndörfer graduated from the Conservatories in Bayreuth (church music), Paris (Organ Performance Diploma, class of M. Bouvard and O. Latry) and Oberlin (Artist Diploma, class of J.D. Christie) with the highest distinctions. In September 2005, he became the first German ever appointed organist in residence at the Concert Hall Kitara in Sapporo, Japan. Aside from his numerous performances throughout Japan, he gave master classes, recorded a CD (with music composed by Bach, Brahms, Liszt and Reger) and concertized with orchestras. Jens has performed extensively in prominent venues around the world, including Westminster Abbey in London, Notre Dame Cathedral and St. Sulpice in Paris, Chapel Royal in Versailles, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, the Münster in Ulm, St. James Cathedral in Toronto, Suntory Hall and Metropolitan Art Space in Tokyo and the Kyoto Concert Hall. He has published several articles in English, French, German and Russian music journals. In September 2009, Jens began his doctoral studies at McGill University in Montreal with John Grew and William Porter. In March 2011, his second solo CD “Variations on America” was released on the ifo-classics label.

 

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Jean-Willy Kunz Jean-Willy Kunz (Richard Bradshaw Audience Prize Winner and 3rd Place Winner (Tied with Balthazar Baumgartner))

Born in Grenoble, Jean-Willy Kunz studied piano and organ under the guidance of Joseph Coppey at the Conservatory there. Accepted in the class of Louis Robilliard at the Conservatoire de Lyon in 1992, he earned the gold medal six years later from a unanimous jury. He then pursued his studies in jazz piano with Mario Stantchev at the Conservatoire de Lyon and founded a duo of saxophone and organ with Frédéric Lagoutte.

A long-time resident of Québec, Jean-Willy studied the organ and harpsichord at Montreal’s Music Conservatory under the guidance of Mireille Lagacé, winning prizes in organ, harpsichord, harmony and counterpoint. In the spring of 2011, Jean-Willy graduated with a doctorate in organ performance from McGill University under the guidance of John Grew. Jean-Willy is winner of the 2004 Lynnwood Farnam Competition in Quebec and 2008 Second Prizewinner at the Grand Prix de Chartres.


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Christian Lane Christian Lane (First Prize Winnner)

Christian Lane is Assistant University Organist and Choirmaster at Harvard University. A laureate of several major competitions, he earned First Prize in four such American contests and was awarded both Second Prize and Audience Prize in the 2004 American Guild of Organists National Young Artist Competition. His primary teachers are David Higgs and Thomas Murray, and he holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Yale University.

Passionate about commissioning new music and using the organ in collaborative settings, he has performed extensively throughout the US and Europe. He has worked in some of the most prominent church music programs in the States, including as Assistant Organist to John Scott at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York.

Increasingly in demand as a teacher, Christian serves as primary instructor to Harvard organ students and has served on the faculty of the Oundle for Organists program in England.

 

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Brian Mathias Brian Mathias (Eliminated in the 2nd round)

Brian Mathias, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, where he holds a teaching assistantship and studies with Dr. James Higdon. In addition to his organ work, he also studies piano with Carol Ross. Prior to joining the University of Kansas, he studied with Don Cook and Douglas Bush at Brigham Young University, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Organ Performance.

Brian has participated in several master classes including those taught by Olivier Latry, Martin Jean, John Grew, Robert Parkins, Roman Cantieni, and Larry Smith. He appears frequently as a guest organist at the famed Salt Lake Tabernacle. Brian is a First-Prize winner in the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists’ competition for young organists. Most recently, he was a competitor at the Grand Prix de Chartres International Organ Competition in August 2010. Brian is currently Associate Organist at the Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

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Maria Mokhova Maria Mokhova (Eliminated in the 2nd round)

Concert organist Maria Mokhova was born in 1982 in Nizhny Novgorod, in Russia. She was only five when she started playing the piano with Bella Alterman. Six years later, she began her organ studies with Tatyana Botchkova. Between 1999 and 2005, she was a student at the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory in both piano and organ. She enhanced her organ performance at the Music Academies in Frankfurt and in Heidelberg under the guidance of Martin Sander, completing her studies with high distinction. 

 

Maria has participated in many master classes including those taught by Ewald Kooiman, Hans Fagius, Ludger Lohmann, Wolfgang Zerer, Daniel Roth and Thierry Escaich. She won First Prize at three major international organ competitions: Opava in 2004, Prague in 2006, and Rome in 2009. She was a prizewinner at the international organ competitions in Korschenbroich (2005) and in Nürnberg (2007), and a finalist at both the St-Albans Organ Competition in 2007 and the Grand Prix de Chartres in 2008.

 

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Jared Ostermann Jared Ostermann (Winner of RCCO Prize)

Jared Ostermann is a doctoral student at the University of Kansas, where he studies organ with James Higdon. He received his Masters of Sacred Music degree in 2009 from the University of Notre Dame, where he studied with Craig Cramer. His Bachelor in Church Music is from the University of Kansas (2007), where he studied with Michael Bauer. 

 Jared has been awarded prizes at a number of competitions, including the Miami International Organ Competition, the John R. Rodland Scholarship Competition, and the San Marino Organ Competition. He was also a semi-finalist in the 2011 Dublin International Organ Competition. 

 Jared is currently the Director of Music at St. Ann Catholic Church in Prairie Village, Kansas.  He is also the founder and director of Sursum Corda, a Kansas City-area choir specializing in Renaissance Polyphony. Jared lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife Barbara and their children Sophia and Dominic. 

 

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Anna Pintér Anna Pintér (Eliminated in the first round)

Anna Pintér was born in 1982 in Budapest, Hungary. She started playing the organ with Lilla Szathmáry. She then studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest with János Pálúr and István Ruppert and later at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart (Germany) with Ludger Lohmann.

She won several prizes: a ”Prix d’excellence” at the National Organ Competition in Hungary; Second Prize at the J.J. Fux International Organ Competition in Austria; First Prize at the Francesco D’Onofrio International Organ Competition in Italy; and Third Prize at the International Competition in Switzerland. Anna took part in master classes with Lorenzo Ghielmi, Zsigmond Szathmáry, Ewald Kooiman, David Sanger, Guy Bovet, Jon Laukvik, and David Titterington.

Anna is organist at the Lutheran Church in Stuttgart-Ridenberg. She regularly plays organ recitals in her home country and abroad.


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Leydi-Katheryne Ramirez-Lopez Leydi-Katheryne Ramirez-Lopez (Eliminated in the first round)

Originally from Duitama, Colombia, Leydi-Katheryne Ramirez-Lopez graduated in Piano and Composition under the guidance of Pilar Leyva and Jorge Pinzon at the Juan N. Corpas University in Bogotá. Winner of major piano competitions in Colombia, she is regularly invited to perform as a soloist or with chamber music orchestra in concert halls across Colombia.

In 2008, she completed her degree in Musical studies in Pascal Marsault’s class at the Conservatoire national de region de Toulon-Provence-Méditerranée, where, in 2009, she also earned a First-Prize for her organ performance. During her graduate studies, Leydi-Katheryne pursued advanced studies in organ performance by taking master classes with Marie-Claire Alain, Susan Landale, Michel Bouvard, Louis Robillard, Lionel Rogg, Olivier Latry, and Christian Schmitt.

In 2009 and 2010, she participated as a performer and as a teacher in the Festival de Órgano de la Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango in Bogota. During that time, she recorded her first CD Encuentro con el organo in collaboration with Pascal Marsault and Christian Schmitt.

She is currently preparing for her Master’s degree in Organ with the guidance of Jürgen Essl and a Master’s in Harpsichord with Jon Laukvik, both at the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart.

 

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João Segurado Joao Segurado (Eliminated in the 2nd round)

Portuguese João Segurado was born in 1984 and studied music, organ and improvisation at the Escola Superior de Musica in Lisbon under the guidance of António Esteireiro and João Vaz where he graduated in 2006. In 2007, he travelled to Sweden to continue his organ studies with Hans-Ola Ericsson at the University of Technology in Luleå (Department of Arts, Communication and Education, Piteå) where he earned his Master’s degree in Musical Performance (organ). Since 2010 he continues his musical studies at the doctoral level at the Department of Arts in Piteå and the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts in Gothenburg, developing an inventive research project around the new Woehl organ in Studio Acusticum (Piteå).

João was awarded First Prize and Best Interpretation Prize at a National Organ Competition held in Lisbon in 2007, sponsored by the Gregorian Institute of Lisbon and the Juventude Musical Portuguesa. In 2008 he was one of the finalists of the 2ndInternational Organ Competition in Herford, Germany. João Segurado has performed concerts in Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Germany.

 


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Yulia Yufereva Yulia Yufereva (Bach Prize Winner)

Yulia Yufereva was born in 1982 in Kirov, Russia, where in 2001 she graduated in piano studies at the Music College. In 2006, she graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory in piano and in organ. At present, Yulia is pursuing a post-graduate diploma in organ at the St Petersburg State Conservatory with Daniel Zaretsky and at the Moscow State Conservatory with N. Goureeva. She has participated in many master classes including those led by Ludger Lohmann, Wolfgang Zerer, Pieter van Dijk, Lorenzo Ghielmy, Olivier Latry, and Martin Sander.

In 2009, Yulia was a prizewinner in the following international organ competitions: Buxtehude Orgelwettbewerb in Lubeck, Germany; Musica Sacra in Nuremberg, Germany; Zaragosa, Spain; and International Braudo Organ Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. She won both the First Prize and a special prize at the 2007 International Organ Competition Marcello Galanti in Italy.

Since 2003, Yulia has performed at major Russian venues including the Philharmonic Hall in St Petersburg, the Concert Hall of Moscow Conservatory, as well as in concert halls in Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, and Austria.

 


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