IAO and RCO announce organ competition semi-finalists

Six semi-finalists have been announced in the IAO-RCO Organ Competition 2026.

The selected semi-finalists are:
Oskar Kalnins (UK/Latvia)
Anna Kirillova (Switzerland)
Elizabeth Lesan (Slovakia)
Marcus McDevitt (UK)
Conor McGlone (UK)
Tingshuo Yang (UK)

Under the joint artistic direction of Sarah MacDonald and Mark Lee, RCO President and IAO President respectively, the IAO/RCO Organ Competition is open to organists aged from 18 to 26 years.
The adjudicators for this year’s competition are Sarah MacDonald, Mark Lee. For the final, they will be joined by Peter King, Past President of the IAO.

The six semi-finalists have been chosen from submitted recordings, with the semi-finals and finals taking place during the IAO Festival 2026 in Bristol.

The semi-finals will be on Monday 27 July, with performances at Christ Church, Bristol and All Saints, Clifton.

The final will be at Bristol Cathedral on Wednesday 29 July.

IAO President Mark Lee said: “This competition continues to play a vital role in encouraging and showcasing the next generation of organists.

“We are delighted to welcome such a high calibre of young musicians to Bristol, and I look forward to hearing the energy, creativity and artistry they bring to their performances.”

Sarah MacDonald, RCO President, added: “The standard of entries this year has been exceptionally high, and it has been a pleasure to adjudicate the first round.

“These six shortlisted players performed exceptionally well in the first round, and I’m looking forward to hearing them live in the semi-finals and final.”

Tickets for the semi-finals and the final will be available during the festival. A full programme of festival events is available at www.iao.org.uk/festival26