TCAGO Competition in Organ Performance
TCAGO Announces Winners of the 2025 Competition in Organ Performance
Congratulations to the TCAGO Competition in Organ Performance winners which took place on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at Normandale Lutheran Church in Edina, Minnesota.
Isabel (Munson) Alsum – 1st prize of $2,500, sponsored by Schubert Club
Henry Dangerfield - 2nd prize of $1,500, sponsored by Phil Asgian
Jurors:
David Fienen
Aaron David Miller
Ju-Young Lee
Isabel Alsum, a native of Lakeville, MN, Isabel Alsum began studying the organ in high school after receiving the TCAGO Pipedreams scholarship. In May 2024, she graduated from Dordt University (Sioux Center, Iowa) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music: Organ Performance & Pedagogy. There, Isabel studied with Dr. Carrie Groenewold. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Church Music & Organ at the University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas), where she studies with Dr. James Higdon. Isabel hopes to make an impact in the world of church music by advocating for the pipe organ in contemporary worship contexts and promoting traditional styles of worship music.
Henry Dangerfield, a high school junior, lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He began his organ studies with Brian Williams in 2019 after receiving a student scholarship from the Southeast Minnesota Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In 2021, he started taking lessons from Raymond Johnston (Canon Musician at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis). Since fall 2024 he has been studying with Dr. Catherine Rodland (Artist in Residence at St. Olaf College).
Congratulations, Isabel and Henry!
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Competition Rules
1st Prize: $2,500, sponsored by the Schubert Club
2nd Prize: $1,500, sponsored by Phil Asgian, TCAGO member
Eligibility
The competition is open to organists under 24 years of age as of August 1, 2025.
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 are required.
Official Registration Form 2025 (pdf)
Repertoire
1. REQUIRED: A prelude and fugue OR two contrasting movements of a Trio Sonata by J.S. Bach. BWV 582 is acceptable; BWV 553-560 and 572 are not acceptable.Select from two of the categories below:
2. A work composed between 1800 and 1900 (a single movement of a larger work is acceptable).
3. A work composed between 1900 and 2000 (a single movement of a larger work is acceptable.)
4. A work composed between 2000 and 2024
Works chosen in categories 2, 3, and 4 must be contrasting in style, mood and technique.
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 first round, and is entirely separate from this competition.
For more information contact Isaac Drewes, TCAGO Competition Committee, using the form on the "Contact Us" page in the list at the left.