POST-EVENT PRESS RELEASE
on the conclusion of the 12th Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition
On 12th September at Moscow’s Zaryadye Concert Hall, a majestic Gala concluded the 12th Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition. Throughout the evening, the competition’s winners performed organ classics and works by Mikael Tariverdiev. The 12th International Organ Competition was the centerpiece of a series of events marking the composer Mikael Tariverdiev’s 90th anniversary. The competition winners who took part in the concert included holders of the following awards and distinctions:
Aidan Hill (USA) — Diploma;
Tyler Boehmer (США) — 3rd prize and Laureate title;
Alexander Patrushin (Russia) — 3rd Prize and Laureate title;
Carolyn Craig (USA) — 2nd prize, Laureate title, and special prize For Best Performance of Mikael Tariverdiev’s Works;
Elisaveta Borodaeva (Russia) — 1st prize and Laureate title.
Held biennially, the competition’s geography spans three continents. The semifinals and finals are held in Kaliningrad, the city formerly known as Koenigsberg. The first round consists of three stages, held in Lawrence (Kansas, USA), Hamburg (Germany), and Moscow (Russia). The competition’s jury includes international star organists. The representative jury of the 12th Competition’s Kaliningrad rounds was chaired by Winfried Bönig (Cologne, Germany), concert organist, Doctor of Music, cathedral organist at the Kölner Dom, professor of organ and head of the Catholic church music department at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne.
40 organists from 16 countries took part in this year’s competition. Due to the global spread of Covid-19 and the strict quarantine measures introduced, the competition’s organising committee moved to amend its rules and use video recordings during qualifications for the first round in Hamburg. The Hamburg jury was chaired by Arvid Gast (Lübeck, Germany), concert organist, director of the Church Music Institute at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, titular organist at Lübeck’s St Jakobi Church.
For the Kansas and Moscow first rounds, the organising committee decided to maintain an in-person format. The two-day auditions of the competition’s North American leg were held by the University of Kansas at the Dane and Polly Bales Organ Recital Hall). The organising committee also allowed participation by video recording for those contestants who were unable to travel to Kansas. The auditions for the competition’s Moscow leg were held at the Russian National Museum of Music. The juries for both the North American and the Moscow round were chaired by James Higdon (Kansas, USA), concert organist, professor of organ, and director of the division of organ and church music at the University of Kansas.
Yet despite all difficulties, 20 organists from Russia, the USA, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Brazil, and South Africa competed for participation in the Kaliningrad semifinals and finals. Unfortunately, Chinese organists were unable to take part in the final auditions due to the spread of the pandemic and international air travel restrictions.
Six organists took part in the competition’s finals: Alexander Patrushin (Russia), Tyler Boehmer (USA), Elisaveta Borodaeva (Russia), Carolyn Craig (USA), Arang Park (Korea), and Aidan Hill (USA). In addition to their awards and Laureate titles, all participants received unique prizes in the form of solo concerts at concert halls of the greatest prestige.
On the evening of 8th September, the closing ceremony of the 12 Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition was held at the Grand Hall of the Kaliningrad Cathedral. Numerous guests and representatives of Russian concert halls arrived for the award-giving ceremony, presented by the well-known Russian TV and radio host Fyokla Tolstaya.
The competition’s special prizes and awards included:
The Audience Choice Award, going to 1st prize winner Elisaveta Borodaeva (Russia), who also received the Special Prize of the Riga Cathedral, the Special Prize of St Michael’s Church in Hamburg, a solo concert in the 2022–2023 season; and the Kaliningrad Oblast Governor’s Special Prize, awarded to the highest-placing Russian finalist of the competition.
Vera Tariverdieva’s Faith, Hope, Love prize went to Jakub Kapała (Poland).
Carolyn Craig (USA) received the Shostakovich St Petersburg Philharmonic Special Prize, awarded for the most distinctive performance by a competition laureate in the finals, and consisting of a solo performance at the Grand Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonic in the 2022–2023 concert season. She also received the Special Prize of the Kaliningrad Cathedral, a solo concert in the 2022–2023 season.