Winners
2022 Competition Winners
The 2022 Taylor Organ Competition took place on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. First prize was awarded to Katherine Joliff, an organ performance major at the Eastman School of Music. Second prize went to Adam Chlebek, an organ performance student at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. The Final Round Judges were Ken Cowan, Janette Fishell, and Michael Unger. Judges for the CD Round were Robert Bates, Jonathan Moyer, and Carole Terry.
Katherine Jolliff – 1st Place
Katherine Jolliff is a 19-year-old organist from Indianapolis. She began piano studies at the age of 5 and started learning the organ in her freshman year of high school from Marco Petricic (University of Indianapolis). After completing her first two years of high school, she finished her studies at Interlochen Arts Academy. She majored in both piano performance and organ performance and studied organ with Tom Bara. Graduating with honors and the Fine Arts Award in Organ Performance, Katherine is currently at the Eastman School of Music as an organ performance major. In addition to being declared a winner at the Regional Competition for Young Organists, she also won first prize in the East Carolina University Young Artists Competition in organ performance (including the Bach Interpretation Prize and the Hymn Playing Award) as well as first place in the 2021 M. Louise Miller and Paul E Knox Scholarship Competition.
Adam Chlebek - 2nd Place
Adam Chlebek is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in organ performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he is a student of Jonathan Moyer. A Polish-American from Chicago, IL, Adam is a recipient of the Oberlin Conservatory Dean’s Scholarship and is interested in performance and sacred music. He has performed throughout the United States and Poland in such venues as St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, IL; the National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Doylestown, PA; and the Shrine of St. John Paul II in Kraków. He has participated in masterclasses with Janette Fishell, Nathan Laube, and William Porter. A devotee of choral music, Adam has sung with The Oberlin Musical Union and Collegium Musicum, where he has worked under Gregory Ristow and Steven Plank. Adam is also an avid jazz pianist, having participated in Oberlin’s Performance and Improvisation Ensemble, where he has performed with Jamey Haddad, Jay Ashby, and Becca Stevens. In addition to his studies, he serves as the Director of Music at St. James Catholic Church in Lakewood, OH.
2018 Competition Winners
The 2018 Taylor Organ Competition took place on Saturday, April 21, at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta. First prize was awarded to Chase Loomer, a student at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York and Second prize was awarded to Benjamin Kerswell a student at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.
2015 Competition Winners
The 2015 Taylor Organ Competition took place on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta. First prize was awarded to Nicholas Capozzoli, a student of James David Christie at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. Second prize went to Alcee Chriss III, also a student of James David Christie at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Final Round Judges were Joan Lippincott, Alan Morrison, and Christopher Young. Judges for the CD Round were Joby Bell, Roberta Gary, and Martin Jean.
2012 Competition Winners
The 2012 Taylor Organ Competition took place on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. First prize was awarded to Benton Blasingame, a student at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Second prize went to Samuel Gaskin at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Final Round Judges were Doug Cleveland, David Higgs, and Wilma Jensen. Judges for the CD Round were Michael Corzine, Faythe Freese, and Timothy Olsen.
