American Guild of Organists — Twin Cities Chapter

2026 COMPETITION IN ORGAN PERFORMANCE 

1st PRIZE:  $2,500 - sponsored by the Schubert Club
2nd PRIZE: $1,500 - sponsored by Phil Asgian, TCAGO member

Date and Place of Competition
Saturday, April 18, 2026
St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
17205 County Road 6 Plymouth, Minnesota

Organ
Schantz Organ Co, Opus 2243, 2005

Eligibility
The competition is open to organists under 24 years of age as of August 1, 2026. Competitors must reside (either home or school) in the North Central Region: Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Previous first prize winners of this competition may not compete again.

Registration
A completed official online registration form, registration fee of $25, official proof of age, and proof of AGO membership, must be submitted via a secure link no later than Monday, February 2, 2026 at 10:00 p.m. CST.

Repertoire: please consult the official rules for more details about the repertoire requirements.

1. REQUIRED: A major work by a composer who died in 1750 or before.

Select from two of categories 2-4 below:

2. A work composed between 1800 and 1900

3. A work composed between 1900 and 2000

4. A work composed between 2000 and present

Works chosen in categories 2, 3 and 4 must be contrasting in style, mood and technique.

5. REQUIRED: One of the following hymns:

Note: This competition is no longer associated with the National AGO “Regional Competition for Young Organists” (RCYO). The RCYO competition has shifted to a recorded 1st round, and is separate from this competition.

Please download the full Official Rules and Hymn Packet for the TCAGO 2026 Competition in Organ Performance. You may also download the TCAGO 2026 Competition flyer.

This online registration form must be submitted as part of this application process.

The registration deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026 at 10:00 PM CST. For more information contact: 
Isaac Drewes
TCAGO Competition Coordinator
idrewes@centralmpls.org  

Twin Cities chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church present Stefan Engels

Saturday, April 25, 2026 Workshop/presentation at 9:30am
and 
Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 2:30pm

St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Road
Mahtomedi, MN 55115

On April 25 and 26 St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi welcomes Southern Methodist University professor and world-touring recitalist Stefan Engels who will highlight the music of Sigfrid Karg-Elert in a 2-day celebration of the composer's vast works. A workshop/presentation on Saturday, April 25 at 9:30 a.m. begins this mini-festival, and the concert, also in the church’s main Sanctuary, on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. will be followed by an artist's reception with light refreshments. As an advocate, champion and specialist in the music of Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Engels’ program will span the vast range of musical personality expressed by this renowned late-Romantic German composer and organist. Fun fact: Karg-Elert played the re-dedicatory concert on Casavant Opus 1177 in 1932, after its relocation to a new chapel on the Phillips Academy campus in Andover, Massachusetts. This connection is historically notable, as the 1927 Casavant's tonal resources are particularly well-suited to producing the wide range of sonorities and textures found in Karg-Elert's music.

Advanced registration for the workshop is encouraged at tcago.org.

Both events are co-sponsored by the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and all are welcome, free of charge. St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church is located at 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, MN 55115.