Sursa American Organ Competition

Application Deadline: June 30, 2025

Results of the preliminary recorded round will be known on or around July 15, 2025. Any selected candidates who decide not to take part in the competition must e-mail sursaorgan@bsu.edu by Friday, August 8 or future applications will be dismissed.

Check-In*

Wednesday, September 3 in Sursa Hall's Mueller Lobby, Time TBA

Practice Sessions

Practice sessions on the Sursa Hall organ will be scheduled on September 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Pre-Professional Division Semi-Finals

Saturday, September 6, 2025 in Sursa Hall, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

Pre-Professional Division Final Round

Sunday, September 7, 2025 in Sursa Hall, 12:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. 

*Applicants will be required to check-in and register on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. 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), or Scherzo, Op. 2 by Maurice Duruflé

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 No. 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 piece by Rachel Laurin

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, 1989 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.

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