September 25, 2009
Br. Jonathan Ryan, SJC wins International Organ Competition
On September 25, Br. Jonathan Ryan, SJC won First Prize and the LeTourneau Prize in the Jordan II International Organ Competition in Columbus, GA. Sponsored by The Jordan Foundation, the First Prize includes a cash award of US$30,000.00, the largest monetary prize of any organ competition in the world, and concert management with the prestigious Karen McFarlane Artists in North America and OrganPromotion in Europe. The LeTourneau Prize, given for the best performance of newly commissioned work for organ & percussion ensemble required of all finalists, brings a cash prize of US$5,000.00. Founded in 2001, the Jordan International Organ Competition is one of the premiere international organ competitions in the world.
Among the demanding repertoire required for this competition’s semi-final round, held on September 22-23, were the Chorale-Preludes on Vater Unser, BWV 682 and Allein Gott, BWV 676 by J.S. Bach, the Etude coulée by György Ligeti, two movements from the Seven Pastels on the Lake of Constance, Op. 96 by Sigfrid Karg-Elert from which Br. Jonathan chose The Soul of the Lake and The Legend of the Mountain, the Toccata IX from Girolamo Frescobaldi’s First Book of Toccatas, and one of the two major multi-movement organ works by Maurice Duruflé of which Br. Jonathan performed the Prelude, Adagio, and Chorale Variations on Veni Creator, Op. 4.
For the final round’s 60-minute program of selections by the contestant’s choosing, Br. Jonathan played the Outbursts of joy from a soul before the Glory of Christ from The Ascension by Olivier Messiaen, the Récit de tierce en taille from the Organ Book by Nicolas de Grigny, the Trio Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, BWV 528 by J.S. Bach, the required new work for organ and percussion ensemble entitled Soundscape by Columbus State University Professor and Composer Robert Rumbelow, the Pastorale and Toccata by David Conte, and the Chorale-Fantasy on Hallelujah! Gott zu loben, Op. 52, No. 3 by Max Reger.
The jury comprised of British concert organist Dame Gillian Weir as the President of the Jury, Yale University Organ Professor Martin Jean, Jon Laukvik of the Stuttgart State School of Music and Oslo University of Music, Parisian organist, musicologist and Sorbonne Professor Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet Hakim, and Tong-Soon Kwak, Professor of Organ at the Yonsei University in Seoul. Stefan Engels, Professor of Organ at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” in Leipzig, served as Artistic Director
Second Prize was awarded to Soo-young Choi, a student at the Yonsei University in Seoul, and Third Prize to Shin-Young Lee, a student at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris.
A native of Charlotte, NC, Br. Jonathan has played the organ since age eight, and holds music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (BM, 2004 with academic honors) and the Eastman School of Music (MM, 2006). He has concertized as a solo organist throughout the Eastern and Midwestern United States and France. Prior to the Jordan Competition Prizes, he received First Prize awards in numerous other national organ competitions, including the Arthur Poister (2006), John Rodland (2006), Albert Schweitzer (2004), and Augustana Arts-Reuter (2003) competitions. He has served as Principal Organist at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, IL since 2006 when he also entered the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius.