2020 Sydney Organ Competition

Preliminary Section Adjudicator: Jim Abraham

v Friends of the Sydney Town Hall First Prize $250

v Friends of the Sydney Town Hall Encouragement Award $100

v The Ron Roberts Prize - Best Baroque performance (across Preliminary and Junior) $150

Josh Bautista G. Young Prelude in a Classic Style

Izabella Johnson JH Knecht Organ Piece

Terese Meney JN Lemmens Sortie in D Major (1862)

Yalena Rose Thompson D. Bedard Sortie from Suite Liturgique

Johann Kent Thompson V. Lübeck Prelude (only) in F, Lüb wv8

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Junior Section Adjudicator: Jim Abraham

v Michael Dyer First Prize $500

v Friends of the Sydney Town Hall Second Prize $300

v Friends of the Sydney Town Hall Encouragement Award $100

v The Ron Roberts Prize - Best Baroque performance ( in Preliminary and Junior) $150

Alex Fan JS Bach Prelude in G major BWV 541 A. Guilmant March on a theme of Handel Op.15

Nicole Ghi JS Bach Prelude and Fugue in E Minor BWV 533 R. Ampt Simple Suite for organ - Love Song & Happy Ending

Clara He JS Bach Fugue in G minor BWV 578 R. Schumann Sketch in F minor Op.58/3

Kathrine Hilberts JS Bach Toccata in D Minor BWV 565 C. Franck Piece d'orgue

Ava Pudney JS Bach Chorale Prelude “In Dir ist Freude” BWV 615 E. Gigout Scherzo in E major

Jack Theakston JS Bach Prelude in G major BWV 541 E. Gigout Toccata in B minor

Sean Weatherley JS Bach Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit BWV 668 P. Eben Theme and Toccata on O Jesu all mein Leben bist Du

Bailey Yeates D. Buxtehude Prelude & Fugue in D BuxWV 139 M. Dupré Placare Christe Servulis from "Le Tombeau de Titilouzé

We must thank our teachers sincerely for embracing the world of recording technology besides their ever passionate teaching of students. Robert Ampt David Clark Godelieve Ghavalas Ric Mills Mark Quarmby Philip Swanton Robert Wagner Christopher Wrench

Intermediate Section Adjudicator: Simon Niemiński

v The Friends of the Sydney Town Hall First Prize $1,500

v The Doris and George Vern-Barnett Memorial Prize $500

v The Friends of the Sydney Town Hall Encouragement Award $200

Matthew Nelson Dobell-Brown JS Bach Heut Triumphiet Gottes Sohn BWV 630 L. Vierne Carillon Opus 31/21 from 24 pieces en style libre

Louie Chen JS Bach Prelude & Fugue in A minor BWV 543 J. Langlais Fête

Callum Knox JS Bach Prelude & Fugue in G minor BWV 535 M. Duruflé Sicilienne from Suite Opus 5

Jaydon Lohe JS Bach Prelude and Fugue in G major BWV 541 F. Mendelssohn Sonata No 6 (i)

Makito Mizushima JS Bach Pièce d’Orgue BWV 572 C. Saint-Saëns Fantaisie in D-flat major Op. 101/2

Scott Peter Thompson JS Bach Sonata VI (i) BWV 530 P. Eben Moto Ostinato

Yuzhi Wang JS Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Dorian) BWV 538 J. Langlais Te Deum

Our Adjudicators Jim Abraham studied at university in York, England and, as Organ Scholar, had the opportunity to perform in many English churches and cathedrals including York Minster, Durham Cathedral , Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. He was also Deputy Organist at Selby Abbey, with the late Mervyn Byers. After moving to Guernsey in the Channel Islands he became very involved in the musical scene, accompanying the Guernsey

Girls' Choir and the Guernsey Choral Society. Jim has performed in France, Belgium, Austria, Norway and America, recorded numerous CDs and performed on television and radio. In 2001 Jim moved to Australia and was appointed Head of Music at Loreto Normanhurst School. He also taught at Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta before taking the position of Coordinator of the Arts at Pittwater House School, Collaroy. Jim is still active playing in concerts and accompanying musicians around Sydney and is also as an AMEB examiner. He conducts and accompanies The Cathedral Singers.

Simon Niemiński was born in London and descended from an unlikely mixture of Edwardian Japanese acrobats, Lancastrian Music Hall artistes and a Polish army veteran. He studied in London at the Royal College of Music, at Cambridge University and as Organ Scholar of York Minster. Before moving to Sydney, he was Organist of St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral and Director of Music at The Robin Chapel in Edinburgh, having previously been Organist and Master of the Music at Edinburgh’s other (Episcopal) St Mary’s Cathedral.

As a recitalist, he has played at venues around the UK and beyond. Recent concert engagements have included recitals at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, St Florian’s Abbey in Austria, The Royal Canadian College of Organists’ national convention in Ontario, and Washington National Cathedral, USA. For the last two years, he was the featured recitalist in the International Organ Festival in Japan. Over the airwaves he has featured in programmes including The Organist Entertains on BBC Radio 2, to Choral Evensong several times live on Radio 3, and Pipedreams in the USA.

He has recorded 11 solo CDs to date, and reviews have included: “This is a splendid release. There is a lot of poetry here.” (The American Record Guide) and “Simon Niemiński’s playing is utterly convincing and at one stroke establishes him as a recording artist of the first rank.” (Organists’ Review.) Recent recordings include the première of Giles Swayne’s monumental solo organ work Stations of the Cross, and a disc of works by ‘light’ music composer Alfred Hollins and his contemporaries (recorded in St Louis, Missouri) for Hollins’ 150th anniversary. His next release will be of Eugène Reuchsel’s La Vie du Christ and Bouquet de France, recorded at The High Kirk of St Giles, Edinburgh.

Our Donors The Organ Music Committee sincerely wishes to express their gratitude to Friends of the Sydney Town Hall, Ellen Dyer, Kathy Vern-Barnett and Teresa Mansour for Betty Roberts for their ongoing commitment to supporting our young talented organists.

Our Prize Winning Trophies are handcrafted Tim N B Gilley handcrafts pipes for our winning competitors. He started his apprenticeship as an organ pipe maker in 1979 at the well- known firm of FJ Rogers Ltd in Leeds, Yorkshire (UK). After completing his 5 year apprenticeship in 1984 he was employed at Rogers for a further 10 years. During that time he produced pipes for most of the leading organ building firms of the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. He emigrated to Australia in 1992 and commenced his own business in Victoria a few years later manufacturing organ pipes.

Our Competition Committee To the Education Committee Godelieve Ghavalas (Chair), Gregory Cunningham, Robert Fox, Geoff Lloyd and the Organ Music Society of Sydney.