This fall, the American Guild of Organists (AGO) announced that Josh Ring ’13, DMA, faculty member in the School of Music at Olivet Nazarene University, was selected as the winner of the 2028 AGO/Marilyn Mason Award in Organ Composition.
Dr. Ring’s winning proposal was for an eight-minute composition for the organ titled “In the Beginning…” which musically depicts the seven-day creation story in Genesis.
“Each ‘day’ of creation will be represented by one minute of music, and a new motive (or two) will be introduced each day,” he explains. “As the piece progresses, those motives will slowly combine into larger units. The full melody will be ‘created’ and finally heard in its entirety on the seventh and final ‘day.’”
The creativity in his composition for “In the Beginning…” is demonstrated not only in the overall theme he proposed, but in additional layers of meaning woven through the work. For example, the motives (or themes) of the music will be created through a musical cryptogram which associates all of the letters of the alphabet with a particular music note. Dr. Ring used the phrase “In the beginning,” from John 1:1a to illustrate this musical code.
“When translated to music letters using the cryptogram, word becomes ABDD,” he explains. “Light will be EBGAF, and water is BAFED. I’ve selected a word or two to represent each day [of creation], which will be turned into musical pitches that will serve as the motive for that day. Other words include earth, sun/moon, fish/bird, Adam/Eve, and finally, rest.
In addition to receiving a financial award for his composition, Dr. Ring’s piece will also be premiered at the AGO National Convention in Philadelphia in 2028 and the work will be published by H.T. FitzSimons Co. For this competition, musicians of all ages were invited to submit their five-to-eight-minute compositions of new solo organ works.
While some might view the organ as an outdated instrument relegated to hymn sing-alongs, Dr. Ring believes in the potential of pushing the limits of the sounds and textures that an organ can produce. Most all conventional pipe organs include keyboards (called manuals), a pedal board and some sort of pipes. However, a pipe organ is not a standardized instrument — the number of keys, pipes, pistons and stops can be widely varied.
“For composing for the instrument, the organ is basically like an orchestra at your fingertips,” Dr. Ring says. “It’s so fun to come up with unique sounds that change throughout the composition, and getting to use those specific colors of the instrument to bring out different sides of the music. My goals in composing for the instrument are 1) to bring people closer to God — most of my compositions are about Christian themes, and 2) to grow appreciation for the organ.”
Dr. Ring has been a faculty member in the School of Music since 2019. He has recorded a solo album; published a book of organ arrangements; and has been featured on multiple radio programs. In addition to his work at Olivet, Dr. Ring serves as the Associate for Music Ministry at the First Presbyterian Church of River Forest. He also regularly performs in organ recitals on campus, throughout the Midwest and around the world, in addition to entering composition and performance competitions.
“Competitions stretch me as a composer,” Dr. Rings says of the value in entering various contests. “I always grow when I do these composition competitions, even when I don’t win (which is also very common). Many competitions have specific confines, such as length, difficulty level, or style, so it’s fun to find a way to be ‘me’ and find new ways to be creative through these constraints.”
Beyond the opportunity to stretch his creative dexterity, Dr. Ring also sees competitions as occasions to connect with other people.
“I’ve made many friends that have premiered my compositions around the world, and many people have met me through hearing my compositions performed,” he says. “I’m most excited about sharing my music, and these competitions are a great way for that to happen.”
Trained as a classical pianist, Dr. Ring was initially drawn to learn how to play the organ because of the Fratelli Ruffatti pipe organ, which was installed in Centennial Chapel during his time as a student at Olivet. He took two semesters of organ to be able to play on the Italian-made instrument, but didn’t seriously consider he would have many future opportunities to play. But a few years later, while in graduate school, he was attending a church which needed an organist — prompting a renewed interest in expanding his skillset.
“Looking back, it was one small step after the other that God was leading me through to become more of an organist, and each time I said yes to those small things,” Dr. Ring reflects. “Now, it all adds up and leads to big things, like being the Harold and Ruth Severance Professor of Organ at Olivet and winning national and international organ composition competitions. I never would have imagined where it would lead me, and I know God’s not done with me yet!”
All of Dr. Ring’s compositions can be found on JoshRing.com, and recordings of his performances are on YouTube, Spotify and other streaming platforms. His next organ recital at Olivet will be on Monday, March 22, 2027, at 7:00 p.m.
For more information about Olivet’s School of Music and other areas of study, visit Olivet.edu/Academics.
