FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A Closer Look at AGO Competitions C
HRISTIAN LANE is the AGO’s Councillor for Competitions. In his first term on the National Council, he is bringing his considerable energy and intellect to bear on the competitions program of the AGO.
For many years the AGO has been operating five competitions, three in perfor-
mance and two in composition, all on a biennial schedule. Several years ago, Messrs. Ron Pogorzelski and Lester Yankee bequeathed a tracker organ to the Guild, as well as funding to endow an annual Pogorzelski-Yankee Tracker Organ Composition Competition. The purpose of the competition is to create a new work that can be performed on that instrument. As a result, we are introducing an an- nual composition competition into the mix for the first time. Unlike past AGO competitions, this one will be designed to identify a composer as the competition winner, rather than a particular composition. The composer selected will have demonstrated by his or her background, experience, and body of work the ability to create a new work for the organ in accordance with the competition committee’s guidelines. The AGO used to have three separate committees, each focusing on a single performance competition—
the National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance; the National Competition in Organ Improvi- sation; and the AGO/Quimby Regional Competitions for Young Organists. Under the new governance struc- ture, a super-committee is now being formed that will oversee all of the individual competitions through subcommittees. A separate committee devoted to new music and commissions will oversee our three com- position competitions—the AGO/Marilyn Mason Award in Organ Composition; the AGO/ECS Publishing Award in organ and choral music; and the above-referenced Pogorzelski-Yankee Tracker Organ Composi- tion Competition. With the help of a special competitions review committee, Councillor Lane is spearheading a compre-
hensive survey of the AGO’s performance competitions. The probing questions address the schedule of each competition (including the components and chronology of each competition cycle); the repertoire; the preparation time allocated to competitors; the awards; and several aspects of the judging process. The questions regarding how the judging should be handled were of particular interest to this reader. For
example, survey participants are asked to provide their opinions as to whether the judges should be able to see the competitors perform or whether the judges should be shielded from the competitors. Respondents are also asked whether each judge should score each performance privately and anonymously and after which the scores are tallied, or whether the judges should only converse together to reach consensus on the winners. Here is an update on where each competition stands: 1) As announced in the July issue of TAO, Ivan Božiˇ
ceviˇ AGO/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition for his piece, Kyrie eleison. Mr. Božiˇ
c has been named the winner of the 2014 ceviˇ
c is a com-
poser, organist, pianist, arranger, and jazz musician who lives in Croatia. His award-winning composition will be premiered on June 27, 2014, at the AGO National Convention in Boston, Mass. Thirty-five com- posers submitted pieces to this 14th biennial competition that called for an original setting of the Kyrie in Greek or English, no longer than eight minutes in duration. 2) After thoroughly considering all of the entries, the judges for the AGO/MarilynMason Award reached
a consensus that no prize would be awarded in 2014. 3) The AGO National Council has approved an initial draft of the rules for the first Pogorzelski-Yankee
Tracker Organ Composition Competition. A date has not yet been set for the publication of the guidelines pending the installation of the instrument on which the premiere will be performed. 4) The 2014 NYACOP is now in progress. Nineteen competitors have been selected for the 2014 competi-
tion. The next stage for NYACOP is the recorded round, which will be judged later this year. Seven semi- finalists will be announced in the March 2014 issue of TAO. They will compete in the spring at the semi- final round in Columbus, Ga., and in the final round at the 2014 Boston Convention. Major funding for the NYACOP has been provided recently by the Jordan Endowment. 5) Applications for 2014 NCOI are now being submitted. The 2014 rules and applications appeared in the
July 2014 issue of TAO. The deadline for submission is September 5, 2013. 6) 2014 AGO/Quimby RCYO competitions will be completed by the time this issue comes off press.
Final rounds were held at each of the 2013 regional conventions. The winners, who will be known as “Rising Stars,” will play at the Boston convention in 2014. A total of 88 competitors competed in 35 chapter-level competitions before advancing to the final round at each regional convention.
AUGUST 2013
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