Ball State University will host the fourth Sursa American Organ Competition in September, 2022. The competition has undergone some changes and we are excited to announce the continuation of a High School Division. The 2022 competition will be conducted blind with the implementation of the screen for live rounds between the judges and contestants.

The Pre-Professional Division and High School Division participants will perform on the Goulding & Wood organ in Sursa Performance Hall and all performances will be livestreamed. Detailed information about each division can be found in the tabs below.

Jury

The High School and Pre-Professional Divisions will be judged by the jury members listed below.

The Preliminary Recorded Round will be judged anonymously by:

  • Stephen Price, assistant teaching professor of organ at Ball State University
  • Damin Spritzer, associate professor and area chair of organ at The University of Oklahoma
  • Timothy Olsen, Kenan professor of organ at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and associate professor of organ at Salem College

The Live Rounds will be judged anonymously by:

  • Brenda Portman, Sursa Competition Laureate (2016) and organ instructor at Xavier University
  • Gregory Hand, associate professor of organ at the University of Iowa
  • Kirby Koriath, professor emeritus of organ at Ball State University

Travel and Accommodations

The Ball State University - Sursa American Organ Competition offers limited free accommodations in private homes in Muncie on a first-come, first-served basis. Other accommodations include a wide range of hotels on and off campus, including the Ball State University Hotel.

Arrangements for travel between the Indianapolis Airport and Muncie will be made for those competitors invited to the semi-finals.

Pre-Professional Division

Application Deadline: July 15, 2022

Results of the preliminary recorded round will be known on or around August 2, 2022. Any selected candidates who decide not to take part in the competition must e-mail sursaorgan@bsu.edu by Friday, August 12 or future applications will be dismissed.

Check-In*

Wednesday, September 7 in Sursa Hall's Mueller Lobby, Time TBA

Practice Sessions

Practice sessions on the Sursa Hall organ will be scheduled on September 6, 7, and 9.

Pre-Professional Division Semi-Finals

Friday, September 9, 2022 in Sursa Hall, Time TBA

Pre-Professional Division Final Round

Sunday, September 11, 2022 in Sursa Hall, Time TBA

*Applicants will be required to check-in and register on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Failure to register may result in disqualification from the competition.

Preliminary Round

Video Recording Submission

A. A first or last movement from one of Bach's trio sonatas BWV 525-530.
B. A first or last movement from any Symphony by Louis Vierne or Widor (except the final from Symphony 5), or one of Mendelssohn's Sonatas (complete)

Semi-final Round

6 candidates, 45-minute programs

*A. Choose between: J. S. Bach - One of the following Trio Sonatas - BWV 525-530 for organ
B. Choose between: Clerambault Fugue (suite 1) or Recit (suite 1) or Plein Jeu (suite 2) or any toccata from Frescobaldi's "Il Secondo Libro Di Toccate..." except N. 3 and 4 or Froberger Toccata 1 FbWV 101, Toccata 2 FbWV 102, Toccata 3 FbWV 103 from his Libro Secondo (1649)
*C. Choose between: one of Mendelssohn's 6 Sonatas, Op. 65
D. Free choice of a piece written after 1925 of 10 minutes maximum and 4 minutes minimum

*candidates can choose the same work from the preliminary round

Final Round

3 candidates, 1-hour programs

A. Choose between: Bach - one prelude and fugue (except 533) or toccata and fugue or Passacaglia
B. Choose between: G. Boehm - Prelude d moll or Buxtehude - Prelude BuxWV136, 139, 140, 141, 142, 146, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153 or Lubeck - Prelude g moll (double pedal) or Bruhns - Prelude in e minor (big one)
C. Time to be completed with free program including one Franck organ piece (no harmonium pieces accepted)
The following prizes may be awarded:

First Prize—$2,500

Second Prize—$1,500

Third Prize—$700

Eligibility

Applicants who reside in North or South America and are born after January 1, 1986 are eligible to enter the competition.

Applicants must not have previously been awarded first prize in the Sursa American Organ Competition.

How to Apply

Applicants must fill out and submit the online application form. Pre-professional applicants will be required to provide links to YouTube or Vimeo video recordings of the required preliminary round repertoire. All video footage should be unaltered and the applicant must appear in profile. The recording must contain no spoken word or other acoustic marks. The judges will decide whether each applicant is invited to take part in the live competition rounds at Sursa Performance Hall on the strength of the recorded performance alone. It is in each applicant's interest to ensure that the recording is of the highest technical quality. Should you have any questions about the video link submissions, please email us at sursaorgan@bsu.edu.

Additionally, a $95 application fee must be paid in order to complete the application.

Please configure any ‘Spam’ or ‘Junk mail’ filters on your computer to allow you to receive emails from sursaorgan@bsu.edu. Six competitors from the preliminary round will be invited to advance to the semi-final round.

Apply Now

Application Deadline: July 15, 2022

Results of the preliminary recorded round will be known on or around August 2, 2022. Any selected candidates who decide not to take part in the competition must e-mail sursaorgan@bsu.edu by Friday, August 12 or future applications will be dismissed.

Check-In*

Saturday, September 10, 2022 in Sursa Hall's Mueller Lobby, Time TBA

High School Division Final Round

Sunday, September 11, 2022 in Sursa Hall, Time TBA

*Applicants will be required to check-in and register on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Failure to register may result in disqualification from the competition.

Preliminary Round

Video Recording Submission

  1. A recording of a prelude "Little" attributed to J. S. Bach - BWV 553-560 (not Fugue)

Final Round

3 high school competitors will be invited to Ball State for the final round.

  1. Choose between: one prelude "Little" attributed to J. S. Bach - BWV 553-560 (Not Fugue). This can be the same prelude from the video recording.
  2. Free Choice not exceeding 10 minutes.

The following prizes may be awarded:

First Prize—$500

Second Prize—$250

Third Prize—$100

Note Icon

Note

The jury has the right to decide whether prizes are awarded.

Eligibility

Students who are in high school or will be entering high school in the fall of 2022 are eligible to compete. High school students who are graduating this spring are not eligible to compete.

How to Apply

Applicants must fill out and submit the online application form. High School applicants should select the "High School Division" application and will be required to provide a link to a YouTube or Vimeo video recording of the required preliminary round repertoire. A $25 application fee must be paid in order to complete the application.

All video footage should be unaltered and the applicant must appear in profile. The recording must contain no spoken word or other acoustic marks. The judges will decide whether each applicant is invited to take part in the live final round at Sursa Performance Hall on the strength of the recorded performance alone. It is in each applicant's interest to ensure that the recording is of the highest technical quality. Should you have any questions about the video link submissions, please email us at sursaorgan@bsu.edu.

Please configure any ‘Spam’ or ‘Junk mail’ filters on your computer to allow you to receive emails from sursaorgan@bsu.edu. Three competitors from the preliminary round will be invited to advance to the final live round.

Apply Now

Past Competition Winners

First Prize (tied): Brian Glikes and Nicole Simental
Audience Prize: Brenda Portman

Nicole Simental, first prize winner of the Sursa American Organ Competition, was named the winner of the IV International A. F. Goedicke Organ Competition in Moscow, Russia.
First Prize: Aaron Tan
Second Prize (tied): Wesley Hall and Hansol Kim
Audience Prize: Aaron Tan

Pre-Professional Division

First Prize: Josiah Hamill
Second Prize: Jihye Choi
Third Prize: Yong Zhang
Audience Prize: Josiah Hamill

High School Division

First Prize: Daniel Colaner
Second Prize: Rebecca Lee