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<p align="right" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: right"><font face="Palatino" size="4" style="font: 15.0px Palatino"><u>Media Contact Only:</u></font></p><p align="right" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; text-align: right"><font face="Palatino" size="4" style="font: 15.0px Palatino">Marci Janas, Director of Conservatory Media Relations</font></p><p align="right" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 16.0px 0.0px; text-align: right"><font face="Palatino" size="4" style="font: 15.0px Palatino">440-775-8328 (office); 440-667-2724 (cell); <a href="mailto:marci.janas@oberlin.edu"><font color="#0000ee" style="color: #0000ee">marci.janas@oberlin.edu</font></a><br> </font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 16.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="4" style="font: 14.0px Palatino">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:</font></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 16.0px 0.0px; text-align: center"><font face="Palatino" size="6" style="font: 24.0px Palatino"><b>Joseph Ripka, a Student at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Wins First Prize at the Dublin International Organ Competition</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino">OBERLIN, OHIO (July 7, 2008) — Organist Joseph (Joey) Ripka, an Artist Diploma student at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, has won first prize at the Dublin International Organ Competition, held on June 28, 2008, at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. In addition to 5,000 euros, his award includes recital engagements in Ireland, the U.K., and continental Europe.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino"> Ripka, from Elk River, Minnesota, studies at Oberlin with Professor of Organ James David Christie. “This is one of the most prestigious … international organ competitions,” says Christie. “Joey really deserved this honor … he had the repertoire in his fingers, in his heart and soul.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino"> For the finals competition, Ripka and the two other finalists were required to present a 40-minute program that included a work by Olivier Messiaen, whose centenary is being celebrated this year. Ripka performed Messiaen’s <i>Transports de Joie</i>, J.S. Bach’s <i>Allein Gott in der</i> <i>Hoh sei ehr, BWV 662</i>, and Max Reger’s <i>Choral Fantasy</i> <i>on “Wachet auf.”</i></font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino"> The Dublin achievement caps a championship season for Ripka; he also won first prizes at the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition in April, and at the Elizabeth Elftman National Organ Competition, held in March in San Marino, California. He is also the second Oberlin student to win first prize in Dublin; Balint Karosi (AD ’05 and MMus ’07) of Hungary was a laureate in 2002.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino"> Thirty-nine organists representing 15 countries vied for the competition, with 16 being selected to compete in the quarterfinals, which commenced June 23, 2008.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino"> Thomas Trotter of Great Britain chaired the Dublin jury, which included Hans Fagius of Sweden, David Higgs of the U.S., Maragreta Hürholz of Germany, and Daniel Roth of France.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="5" style="font: 18.0px Palatino"> <b>The Oberlin Conservatory of Music</b>, founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Renowned internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and pronounced a “national treasure” by the <i>Washington Post,</i> Oberlin’s alumni have gone on to achieve illustrious careers in all aspects of the serious music world.</font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino"> </font><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><p align="center" style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 16.0px 0.0px; text-align: center"><font face="Palatino" size="4" style="font: 14.0px Palatino">###</font></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino"> </font></p><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Palatino; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">Marci Janas</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">Director of Conservatory Media Relations</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino"> and Editor, Oberlin Conservatory Magazine</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">Oberlin Conservatory of Music</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">39 West College Street</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">Oberlin, OH 44074</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">www.oberlin.edu/con</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">Voice: 440.775.8328</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Palatino">Fax: 440.775.5457</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Palatino" size="3" color="#0000ee" style="font: 12.0px Palatino; color: #0000ee"><a href="mailto:marci.janas@oberlin.edu"><u>marci.janas@oberlin.edu</u><u></u></a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; 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