The 2026 Biennial Young Professional Competition

Nathan Ringkamp (b. 2001) is pursuing a Prix de perfectionnement (Artist Diploma) in Organ Performance with Jean-Baptiste Robin at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Versailles, France, supported by the premier scholarship of the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund for Musicians. He continues advanced studies in organ improvisation with David Cassan, titular organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris. In France, Nathan has been featured in collaborative recitals at the Royal Chapel of Versailles, Notre-Dame des Armées in Versailles, and Saint-Séverin in Paris for the Île-de-France Regional Conservatories.

A 2025 graduate of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, Nathan earned a Master of Music in Organ Performance degree under Dr. John Walker and received the J.W. Lewis Performance Award upon graduation. He began organ lessons in 2019 and, after initially attending the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for engineering, earned a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance in 2023, studying with Benjamin LaPrairie. While at Catholic University, he studied organ improvisation with Ronald Stolk.

Nathan has accompanied various liturgies at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception including Catholic University-held Masses broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). He became an Assisting Organist at the National Shrine in 2023. Previous appointments include Principal Organist at Saint Dominic Church (Washington,D.C.); Director of Music and Organist at the National Shrine of Saint Alphonsus Liguori; and Interim Director of Music and Organist at Zion Lutheran Church (both in Baltimore).

He has been a featured soloist at the Basilica of the National Shrine, the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, and Christ Church Christiana Hundred in Wilmington, Delaware. When not on the organ bench, he enjoys photography, traveling, cycling, and time with family in his hometown of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.

Organist Jon Runion (b. 2001) is a second-year graduate student at The Juilliard School, pursuing a degree in Organ Performance in the studio of Paul Jacobs. Jon serves as Organ Scholar for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC, where he performs weekly for liturgies and concerts. In addition to his work at the Cathedral, Jon is active as a solo and collaborative performer. He works as Assistant Conductor and Accompanist for the Central City Chorus, has performed in collaboration with groups such as the Oratorio Society of New York, and has appeared as a recitalist at venues such as St. John the Divine, the Church of the Transfiguration, and Hitchcock Presbyterian Church. Jon has performed in masterclasses with Thierry Escaich, David Cassan, Thomas LaCôte, and Olivier Penin.

A native of Rochester, NY, Jon received early musical training on the piano with his mother. He also studied trumpet with faculty members of the Eastman School of Music and musicians of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jon later moved to Pittsburgh, PA, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Trumpet Performance at Duquesne University in the studios of Micah Wilkinson and Chad Winkler. At Duquesne, Jon worked with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and under the batons of Dr. James Gourlay and Daniel Meyer. During this time, Jon began studying the organ with Dr. Ann Labounsky and served as organist at venues across Pittsburgh, including Heinz Memorial Chapel and the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer.

Upon graduation, Jon was appointed Associate Director of Music at Resurrection Parish in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, where he worked for two years as organist and oversaw the Children’s Music Ministry. Jon also assisted the Luley Organ Company in organ restorations, tunings, and new organ constructions.

Jaehee Won began her organ studies in South Korea and earned a Bachelor of Music in Church Music with an emphasis in Organ Performance at Yonsei University. Upon graduating with high academic standing, she was selected by Yonsei University to perform in the 23rd Young Artists Concert, an annual showcase jointly presented by the Korean national newspaper The Kukmin Daily and Youngsan Art Hall. The appearance marked her professional concert debut in Seoul. Later that year, she received Second Prize in the 7th Organ Competition of the Korean Association of Organists and subsequently performed in its prizewinners’ concert.

At Yonsei, she studied with Dong-ill Shin, following earlier studies with Okjoo Park, Hyojin Song, and Kyunghee Kim. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Organ Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studies with Janette Fishell on a merit scholarship. At Jacobs, she has also received instruction from Ludger Lohmann, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Organ. Through her studies with Jeffrey Smith in organ collaboration and service playing, she continues to deepen her understanding of church music and liturgical practice.

Having advanced through the preliminary round of the XI Miami International Organ Competition, she is currently preparing for the semifinal round. She is particularly interested in French Romantic and symphonic organ repertoire and continues to deepen her engagement with church music. Her plans for 2027 include an invited recital and additional performance projects.