The St Albans International Organ Festival presents arguably the world’s leading organ competition. Its roll-call of past prize-winners includes many of today’s most influential organists.

For two weeks our biennial festival celebrates organs and a lot more besides. A diverse mix of large-scale and intimate concerts, talks, workshops, art exhibitions and fringe events offers something for everyone and complements the organ competition itself. Events are centred around the magnificent Norman cathedral of St Albans and spread out across this beautiful historic city. Important venues in London host additional competition rounds and performances.

The festival attracts leading performers from around the world together with the very best young organists. It was founded in 1963 by the distinguished organist Peter Hurford OBE (1930–2019).

Latest News
August 24, 2026NewsRenowned recitalist and Tournemire Prize winner 1997 to perform at St Albans Cathedral in September. Martin Baker won the Improvisation Prize at St Albans International Organ Competition before going on to be Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral for 20 years. He is much sought after as an organist, playing frequent solo concerts in the UK and around the world. Martin will open our 2026/27 series of Saturday International Concerts on Saturday 12th September, when he will perform works by Frescobaldi, Messiaen, Mendelssohn and Tournemire, concluding with an improvisation. Entrance and printed programme are free, with a collection to support future Organ Festival events. Read more [...]
June 23, 2026NewsInternationally renowned Competitions will take place in July 2027 New commissioned work by celebrated American composer Nico Muhly Substantially remodelled Tournemire Prize for Improvisation Interpretation repertoire marks 20 years since the death of Petr Eben Find out more The long-established St Albans International Organ Competitions and interconnected Festival were founded in 1963 by Peter Hurford, who also commissioned the revolutionary Harrison & Harrison organ in St Albans Cathedral. The instrument and venue remain central to the event. Organists born after 17 July 1994, we invite you to apply now! The deadline for applications is Friday 5 March 2027. The Interpretation Competition will feature a new commissioned work by Nico Muhly, whose previous works for organ have been acclaimed by players and audiences alike. The remodelled Tournemire Prize for Improvisation combines different dimensions of improvisational practice: prepared and spontaneous creativity, interaction with historical and contemporary materials, responsiveness to external stimuli and communication with fellow performers. The emphasis lies on artistic personality, imagination and the ability to communicate through music, reflecting the richness and diversity of contemporary organ music. The finals will be presented in St Albans Cathedral, which will also host many of the earlier rounds alongside the 2006 Mander organ in St Peter’s Church, St Albans and the exceptional 18th-century Richard Bridge organ in Christ Church, Spitalfields, London. The First Prize winner will receive £12,000 together with the Gold Medal and recital engagements. The winner of the Tournemire Prize for Improvisation will receive £8,000, a commemorative bronze medallion and recital engagements. Six further prizes totalling £13,000 will also be awarded. The competition attracts talented young organists from around the world. It has a reputation as ‘the friendly festival’ and fosters a supportive community amongst all competitors, who are hosted by local families in their own homes. Find out more [...]
March 20, 2026NewsDavid Titterington, the Festival’s Artistic and Executive Director, will give an AGM recital in support of the International Organ Festival on Saturday 25th April. The performance will be at St Albans Cathedral, starting at 6.30pm, and will include Partita Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g’mein by Lionel Rogg, marking the composer’s 90th birthday four days earlier. The recital will be free with no tickets required, and with a retiring collection to support our future activities. [...]
September 29, 2025NewsAll of us at the St Albans International Organ Festival were saddened to hear of the death of Martin Neary, who won Second Interpretation Prize at the first St Albans International Organ Competition in 1963. We offer heartfelt condolences to Martin’s widow, Penny, and to all of his family. Daily Telegraph obituary: Martin Neary, Westminster Abbey organist who directed the funeral music for Diana, Princess of Wales The Times obituary: Martin Neary, superlative director of music Photo: Martin Neary at the 2005 Proms ahead of his performance of Bach’s Toccata in D Minor on the newly restored organ of the Royal Albert Hall – Heathcliff O’Malley [...]
July 16, 2025NewsCongratulations to everyone who competed at the 33rd St Albans International Organ Competitions 2025, and in particular to our winners and finalists. First Prize and Gold Medal for Interpretation was awarded to Alexis Grizard. This prize is valued at £12,000 plus a wide range of recital engagements. Born in Jena, Germany, Alexis Grizard discovered the organ at the age of 11 with Philippe Brandeis at the Conservatoire of Cergy-Pontoise. From 2020, he studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris with renowned professors such as Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, Thomas Ospital and Thierry Escaich. In 2021, he participated in the recording of Olivier Messiaen’s complete works at Toul Cathedral, and this year, he will be recording his first solo album. At the Angers Competition, under the aegis of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, he was awarded the Grand Prix Jean-Louis Florentz in 2023, along with the Audience Prize and the Contemporary Creation Prize. Alexis won the 20th-Century Organ category at the 2024 Xavier Darasse Competition in Toulouse. Beyond classical repertoire, Alexis is passionate about performing orchestral transcriptions, the works of Jean-Louis Florentz, and new compositions. Second Prize Interpretation was awarded to Grant Smith. This prize is valued at £5,000. Grant Smith is a performing organist and church musician based in Houston, Texas. He is a recent graduate of Rice University, where he studied under Ken Cowan for a Masters degree in organ performance. In July 2024 he was awarded Third Prize in the 24th International Leipzig Bach Competition, and he has been invited to perform in the Boston Bach Birthday Festival and the Arnstadt Summer Organ Series in 2025. Previous competition successes include First Prize and Hymn Prize in the 2023 Hall Organ Competition in San Antonio, Texas and First Prize in the 2022 Feith International Organ Competition in Blieskastel, Germany. Grant Smith is currently organist and pianist at Christ Presbyterian Church in Houston. He is also the accompanist for the Houston Masterworks Chorus, a prominent community choir in Houston which performs major works from the classical repertoire as well as new music. Second Prize Improvisation was awarded to Bernard Hauk. Bernhard Hauk was born in Osnabrück. He began studying the organ aged 14, and later won several first prizes with his baroque ensemble, including at Jugend musiziert and at ORDA in Amsterdam. He was also successful as a solo organist and won prizes at Jugend musiziert. In 2020 he began studying church music with David Franke in Freiburg. He is a prize winner of several competitions, such as the International Organ Improvisation Competition Anton Bruckner and the Kirch´Klang Festival Bad Ischl, where he was awarded first prize of the Culture Capital Bad Ischl. He also won the Grazer Orgelkino in 2024 and was a prize-winner at the Competition for Organ Improvisation in Leipzig 2025. Since 2024 he has been a Masters student of church music in the classes of Matthias Maierhofer, Frank Markowitsch and Wolfgang Seifen. First Prize for Improvisation (the Tournemire Prize) was not awarded in 2025. The Audience Prize was awarded to Aleksanteri Wallius. This prize of £1,000 is decided by a secret ballot of all audience members at the final. Aleksanteri Wallius is the First Prize winner of the 23rd International Wiesbaden Organ Competition. He was also a finalist in the prestigious Longwood Gardens and Elizabeth B Stephens organ competitions in the USA. Wallius graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 2024, studying under Markku Hietaharju, Markku Mäkinen. He is now pursuing a postgraduate degree at HMT Leipzig with Martin Schmeding. He regularly performs as a soloist and collaborates with choirs and ensembles, including as a soloist with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO). He has played at all major Finnish organ festivals and gives concerts across Europe. His main interests lie in 19th-century French symphonic organ music and in creating and performing arrangements. In the autumn of 2020, he performed all six organ symphonies by Louis Vierne in one day at Turku Cathedral. The Peter Hurford Bach Prize was awarded to Andoni Andrada. £2,500 with support from the RCO Foundation Andoni Andrada was born in Madrid. He studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris with Vincent Warnier and at the Conservatoire de Versailles with Jean-Baptiste Robin. He completed his pianostudies at the Integrated Music Centre in El Escorial, Madrid. In 2024 he graduated from the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, where he studied organ with Aleksei Parshin and piano with Aleksandr Vershinin and Andrey Pisarev and participated in masterclasses given by prestigious organists. He has been invited to perform solo organ recitals at the Kirov City Philharmonic, Moscow Catholic Cathedral, and the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, and he has given numerous organ concerts in churches and cathedrals throughout France and Spain. Andoni Andrada performs on organ and piano, and as an accompanist in vocalrecitals. The prize for the best performance of the commissioned work was awarded to Alexis Grizard. £1,000 for the best performance of the commissioned work by Jean-Baptiste Robin The Douglas May Award was presented to Ádám Tabajdi. £1,000 for the best performance of a competition work in either the Quarter-Final or Semi-Final rounds of either competition. Ádám Tabajdi gained extensive internationalexperience as the organist scholar of the Notre Dame de Paris and as the residentorganist of the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara in Japan. In 2023 he won the Third Prize of the Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition and in 2021 the First Prize and the Audience Prize of the 13th Toulouse International Organ Competition. Besides the largest cathedrals and concert halls in Hungary, he has performed at the Royal Chapel of Versailles, NotreDame de Paris, at the Kallio Church of Helsinki, the Tallinn Dom, St John the Divine Church in New York City and in major concert halls around Japan. He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and at the Paris Conservatory; he is currently a doctoral student at the Liszt Academy. In 2019 Axel de Marnhac (Improvisation Finalist) started studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris with Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard and Thomas Ospital. He is now studying with Vincent Warnier and Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin. He previously studied at the Clermont-Ferrand conservatory. Since the age of ten, he has been organist in the church of Pontaumur, playing a copy of Bach’s organ in Arnstadt. He was also a substitute for the Grand Organ of the Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand between 2016 and 2019. In 2024 he was nominated as Organist Competition Holder of the Orgue de Choir de Saint-Sulpice. As a composer, he created two baroque suites and two symphonies for organ between 2012 and 2016. Carlo Massimo (Improvisation Finalist) began playing piano and organ at the age of only two. After being self taught for six years, he joined St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, where he stayed for nine years learning organ with Duncan Ferguson, master of music at St Mary’s Cathedral. At the same time, Carlo became a chorister in St Mary’s Cathedral Choir, singing concerts both solo and with the choir around Europe. In 2023 Carlo moved to Paris and began studying organ with Eric Lebrun and David Cassan at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de St Maur, and also with Jean-Paul Imbert at the Schola Cantorum, where he recently received his Diplome de Virtuosité with the highest possible mark. While in Paris, Carlo has played for services and concerts in churches such as Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, Saint-Jaques du Haut Pas, La Trinité and Sainte-Clotilde. Photograph by Stephen Boffey: the major prizewinners standing in front of the jury and distinguished guests [...]
July 13, 2025NewsCongratulations to the four Improvisation and eight Interpretation candidates who have been selected by the international jury to progress to the semi-final rounds. Commiserations to the talented organists who were not successful at this stage. We wish all competitors the very best for their bright futures in music. Improvisation Daniel Carroll is a second-year student at the Curtis Institute of Music studying with Alan Morrison and Jeffrey Brillhart. He previously studied with Daniel Aune of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, and both David Lang and Michael Galdo of Northern Virginia. In 2024 he studied in France with Thierry Escaich and Philippe Lefebvre, pursuinghis passions for French repertoire and improvisation. Daniel won first prize in the 2025 Taylor National Organ Competition in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also played at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina; Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington DC; and The Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia among other venues. Daniel has been a church organist since the age of twelve. He now holds the Organ Scholar position at Saint Thomas Church, Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Michael Smith. Bernhard Hauk was born in Osnabrück. He began studying the organ aged 14, and later won several first prizes with his baroque ensemble, including at Jugend musiziert and at ORDA in Amsterdam. He was also successful as a solo organist and won prizes at Jugend musiziert. In 2020 he began studying church music with David Franke in Freiburg. He is a prize winner of several competitions, such as the International Organ Improvisation Competition Anton Bruckner and the Kirch´Klang Festival Bad Ischl, where he was awarded first prize of the Culture Capital Bad Ischl. He also won the Grazer Orgelkino in 2024 and was a prize-winner at the Competition for Organ Improvisation in Leipzig 2025. Since 2024 he has been a Masters student of church music in the classes of Matthias Maierhofer, Frank Markowitsch and Wolfgang Seifen. In 2019 Axel de Marnhac started studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris with Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard and Thomas Ospital. He is now studying with Vincent Warnier and Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin. He previously studied at the Clermont-Ferrand conservatory. Since the age of ten, he has been organist in the church of Pontaumur, playing a copy of Bach’s organ in Arnstadt. He was also a substitute for the Grand Organ of the Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand between 2016 and 2019. In 2024 he was nominated as Organist Competition Holder of the Orgue de Choir de Saint-Sulpice. As a composer, he created two baroque suites and two symphonies for organ between 2012 and 2016. Carlo Massimo began playing piano and organ at the age of only two. After being self taught for six years, he joined St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, where he stayed for nine years learning organ with Duncan Ferguson, master of music at St Mary’s Cathedral. At the same time, Carlo became a chorister in St Mary’s Cathedral Choir, singing concerts both solo and with the choir around Europe. In 2023 Carlo moved to Paris and began studying organ with Eric Lebrun and David Cassan at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de St Maur, and also with Jean-Paul Imbert at the Schola Cantorum, where he recently received his Diplome de Virtuosité with the highest possible mark. While in Paris, Carlo has played for services and concerts in churches such as Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, Saint-Jaques du Haut Pas, La Trinité and Sainte-Clotilde. Saturday 12th July, 10.00am, St Peter’s Church: Improvisation Semi-Final 1 BOOK Wednesday 16th July, 4.00pm, Royal Academy of Music: Improvisation Semi-Final 2 BOOK Interpretation Andoni Andrada was born in Madrid. He studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris with Vincent Warnier and at the Conservatoire de Versailles with Jean-Baptiste Robin. He completed his piano studies at the Integrated Music Centre in El Escorial, Madrid. In 2024 he graduated from the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, where he studied organ with Aleksei Parshin and piano with Aleksandr Vershinin and Andrey Pisarev and participated in masterclasses given by prestigious organists. He has been invited to perform solo organ recitals at the Kirov City Philharmonic, Moscow Catholic Cathedral, and the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, and he has given numerous organ concerts in churches and cathedrals throughout France and Spain. Andoni Andrada performs on organ and piano, and as an accompanist in vocal recitals. Born in Jena, Germany, Alexis Grizard discovered the organ at the age of 11 with Philippe Brandeis at the Conservatoire of Cergy-Pontoise. From 2020, he studied at the CNSMDP in Paris, with renowned professors such as Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, Thomas Ospital and Thierry Escaich. In 2021, he participated in the recording of Olivier Messiaen’s complete works at Toul Cathedral, and this year, he will be recording his first solo album. At the Angers Competition, under the aegis of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, he was awarded the Grand Prix Jean-Louis Florentz in 2023, along with the Audience Prize and the Contemporary Creation Prize. Alexis won the 20th-Century Organ category at the 2024 Xavier Darasse Competition in Toulouse. Beyond classical repertoire, Alexis is passionate about performing orchestral transcriptions, the works of Jean-Louis Florentz, and new compositions. Johannes Güdelhöfer is studying organliterature and improvisation with Martin Schmeding, Zita Nauratyill, Thomas Lennartz, Daniel Beilschmidt and Johannes Lang. He also works as a teaching assistant at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre, where he took his Master’s in church music. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Cologne with Winfried Bönig and Thierry Mechler. As a DAAD scholar, he studied for a month at Rice University in Houston with Ken Cowan. He won the Bach Prize at the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition 2020 and was a prizewinner at the XVI International Gottfried Silbermann Organ Competition 2023. He has attended masterclasses with Ben van Oosten, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Daniel Moult, Olivier Latry and Thierry Escaich. He was a church musician at Brauweiler Abbey and will be organist and cantor at St Lambertus, Düsseldorf, from September. He performs internationally. Xiaofeng He, a Naxi ethnic minority musician, studies at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM). He began piano studies aged four and commenced organ training at 14 under Professor Shen Yuan. At 15, he became the youngest recipient of the CCOM Haarlem Organ Scholarship to study at the Haarlem International Organ Festival. He has won first prizes at Sibelius, Vivaldi and North American Maple International Competitions, London Young Virtuoso Competition, European Classical Music Awards and Second Prize at World Classical Music Awards. In 2023, he was the first Chinese finalist and prizewinner at Russia’s Tariverdiev International Organ Competition. He has performed at prestigious venues throughout China, including Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony with the China Philharmonic, Ningbo Symphony and CCOM Symphony Orchestras. He has twice been selected for the Chinese Organ Originality initiative, and in 2025 he gave a seven-city recital tour across Russia. Alexander Little is studying with David Higgs for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Born in the UK, he was a chorister at Norwich Cathedral before studying at Merton College, Oxford where he was organ scholar then assistant organist, and studied organ with William Whitehead. He later travelled to Copenhagen and Lund to study with Hans Fagius, with a grant from the Royal Philharmonic Society. Alex won the 2023 Lynnwood Farnam Organ Competition in Montreal, having previously won Second Prize in the 2022 International Buxtehude Competition in Lübeck and Third Prize at the Northern Ireland International OrganCompetition in 2018. He is currently Director of Music and Organist at St Anne’s Catholic Church in Rochester, NY, having previously held the position of Assistant Organist at Christ Church Episcopal. Grant Smith is a performing organist and church musician based in Houston, Texas. He is a recent graduate of Rice University, where he studied under Ken Cowan for a Masters degree in organ performance. In July 2024 he was awarded Third Prize in the 24th International Leipzig Bach Competition, and he has been invited to perform in the Boston Bach Birthday Festival and the Arnstadt Summer Organ Series in 2025. Previous competition successes include First Prize and Hymn Prize in the 2023 Hall Organ Competition in San Antonio, Texas and First Prize in the 2022 Feith International Organ Competition in Blieskastel, Germany. Grant Smith is currently organist and pianist at Christ Presbyterian Church in Houston. He is also the accompanist for the Houston Masterworks Chorus, a prominent community choir in Houston which performs major works from the classical repertoire as well as new music. Ádám Tabajdi gained extensive international experience as the organist scholar of the Notre Dame de Paris and as the resident organist of the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara in Japan. In 2023 he won the Third Prize of the Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition and in 2021 the First Prize and the Audience Prize of the 13th Toulouse International Organ Competition. Besides the largest cathedrals and concert halls in Hungary, he has performed at the Royal Chapel of Versailles, Notre-Dame de Paris, at the Kallio Church of Helsinki, the Tallinn Dom, St John the Divine Church in New York City and in major concert halls around Japan. He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and at the Paris Conservatory; he is currently a doctoral student at the Liszt Academy. Aleksanteri Wallius is the First Prize winner of the 23rd International Wiesbaden Organ Competition. He was also a finalist in the prestigious Longwood Gardens and Elizabeth B Stephens organ competitions in the USA. Wallius graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 2024, studying under Markku Hietaharju, Markku Mäkinen. He is now pursuing a postgraduate degree at HMT Leipzig with Martin Schmeding. He regularly performs as a soloist and collaborates with choirs and ensembles, including as a soloist with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO). He has played at all major Finnish organ festivals and gives concerts across Europe. His main interests lie in 19th-century French symphonic organ music and in creating and performing arrangements. In the autumn of 2020, he performed all six organ symphonies by Louis Vierne in one day at Turku Cathedral. Tuesday 15th July, 10.30am, Christ Church Spitalfields: Interpretation Semi-Final 1A BOOKTuesday 15th July, 2.30pm, Christ Church Spitalfields: Interpretation Semi-Final 1B BOOKWednesday 16th July, 10.00am, Royal Academy of Music: Interpretation Semi-Final 2A BOOKWednesday 16th July, 1.00pm, Royal Academy of Music: Interpretation Semi-Final 2B BOOK [...]
January 21, 2025NewsThe 33rd St Albans International Organ Festival and Competitions takes place from 7 to 19 July 2025. The Festival welcomes internationally renowned performers – celebrating the organ and so much more. Tickets are on sale now from St Albans Cathedral Box Office Make sure you are amongst the first to know about our future events by registering for email updates: Original cover artwork © Dione Verulam, reproduced by kind permission. dioneverulam.co.uk [...]
May 7, 2024NewsUpdated 2 April 2025 The 33rd St Albans International Organ Competition and Festival will be from 7 to 19 July 2025. Applications have now closed for the 2025 Competitions. Find out more [...]
April 5, 2024NewsWe are deeply saddened to hear that our dear friend and colleague Kalevi Kiviniemi, international organist and composer, died on 3 April in his native Finland at the age of 65. Kalevi was a jury member at many competitions around the world, including at St Albans in 2013. His performances, over 2000 of them, surely remain vivid memories for so many of us. His musicianship will live on in his recordings, particularly of wide-ranging French repertoire and of Sibelius. RIP, dear Kalevi. Photograph: Saint-Sulpice, 2013 [...]
March 16, 2024NewsWe are very saddened to have learnt of the sudden death on 23rd February of our former Chairman, Professor Sir Peter Gregson. In his relatively short time at the helm, he made a considerable positive impact on the IOF, including overseeing the introduction of the Supporters’ Scheme. We send our deepest condolences to Rachael and family from all at the International Organ Festival. cranfield.ac.uk/press/news-2024/tribute-professor-sir-peter-gregson [...]
February 13, 2024NewsWe ar pleased to share detailed histories of the Festival written by Paul Collins: The International Organ Festival, 1963 to 2001 — Introduction— Preface— The Festivals— The Competitions— Membership and Governance— Finance— The Future Download ’Anatomy of a Dream’ PDF Twenty Years On: The International Organ Festival, 2003 to 2023 – Introduction– Resilience– Artistic Director– Anonymity and insight– Commissions– The finals and the winners– Organs– Other Festival activity– The Covid Festival– Survival– Appendix A : Index of Artists– Appendix B : Members of Juries– Appendix C : Artistic Directors and Masters of Music at St Albans Cathedral– Appendix D : Prizewinners Download ’Twenty Years On’ PDF [...]
July 8, 2023NewsInterpretation First Prize and Gold Medal: Sunkyung Noh Presented by The Countess of Verulam and Derek Bird, representing the Williams Church Music Trust Improvisation First Prize: awarded jointly to Samuel Gaskin and Niklas Jahn Presented by Cllr Annie Brewster Interpretation Second Prize and Audience Prize: Julian Emanuel Becker Presented by The Countess of Verulam Douglas May Award: Ben Bloor Presented by the Mayor of St Albans Judith Weir Prize: Magdalena Moser Prsented by the composer of the commissioned work, Judith Weir CBE Peter Hurford Bach Prize: Johannes Krahl Johannes Krahl 🇩🇪 [...]
April 12, 2023NewsWe are delighted to announce the selection of organists from around the world to take part in the 32nd St Albans International Organ Competitions – celebrating 60 years. Competitors were selected by the pre-selection jury, who in a fully anonymised process considered a large number of excellent submissions from organists of many nationalities, all born after 14 July 1990. The sixteen Interpretation competitors will be: Julian Emanuel Becker🇩🇪Ben Bloor🇬🇧Jerrick Cavagnaro🇺🇸Quentin du Verdier🇫🇷Samuel Gaskin🇺🇸Kasumi Hamano🇯🇵Himawari Honda🇯🇵David Kiefer🇩🇪Johannes Krahl🇩🇪Hyelin Lee🇰🇷Charles Maxtone-Smith🇬🇧Magdalena Moser🇦🇹Sunkyung Noh🇰🇷Joshua Simões🇬🇧/🇵🇹Lars-Simon Sokola🇩🇪Alden Wright🇺🇸 The Interpretation Competition will include a new commissioned work by the celebrated British composer Judith Weir CBE, Master of the King’s Music. The five Improvisation competitors will be: Julian Emanuel Becker🇩🇪 Samuel Gaskin🇺🇸Bernhard Hauk🇩🇪Niklas Jahn🇩🇪Jakob Schönborn-Dietz🇩🇪 The Improvisation Competition (Tournemire Prize) has been substantially redesigned for 2023 and will provide a fascinating test for all creative and fast-thinking improvising organists. Prize money for 2023 has been significantly increased since the 2019 Competitions. The First Prize and Gold Medal (sponsored by Williams Church Music Trust) will be £12,000 and the Tournemire Prize for Improvisation will be £8,000, with both also being rewarded with recital engagements. Further prizes are Second Prize (sponsored by Amphion Fund) of £5,000, the Peter Hurford Bach Prize (sponsored by Mrs Elisabeth Wells) of £1,000, the Audience Prize (sponsored by Mr Andrei Lussmann) of £1,000, the Judith Weir Prize (sponsored by Martin Owen) of £1,000 and the Douglas May Award of £800. Competition Rounds Timetable, including Finals and Announcement of Prize Winners Presentation of Awards and Prize-Winnners’ Concert [...]
April 4, 2023NewsThe next St Albans International Organ Festival and Competitions – celebrating 60 years – will take place from 3 to 15 July 2023. The Festival welcomes internationally renowned performers – celebrating the organ and so much more. The programme offers something for every music lover – hear solo piano, jazz and classical song, chamber ensembles, glorious symphonic repertoire, and more. Illustration by kind permission of Bucket List Prints, bucketlistprints.com Booking now from St Albans Cathedral Box Office Download PDF brochure David Titterington, Artistic Director, introduces the Festival: This year we celebrate sixty years of the International Organ Festival with some very special performances. Large-scale highlights will undoubtedly be a rare chance to hear wonderful musicians headed by the Britten Sinfonia presenting two monumental works in the same evening – the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony and Berlioz’s Te Deum – and the first ever concert in St Albans by The Tallis Scholars, who are celebrating their own 50th birthday this year. The list of exceptional performers goes on, catering for a wide range of musical tastes: the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective; solo piano from our newest Patron, Angela Hewitt; recitals by tenor James Gilchrist with Anna Tilbrook and violinist Rachel Podger with Christopher Glynn; and the evergreen jazz singer Elaine Delmar. Organ-focused events include recitals by our distinguished jury; free Bach Corner lunchtime recitals by outstanding young organists; 15 competition sessions and Prize-Winnners’ Concert; a free showing of a director’s cut of the Organ Stops documentary which first aired on BBC television on Christmas Eve; and Judith Weir, the composer of this year’s interpretation competition commissioned work, in conversation. I hope you will join us! Booking now from St Albans Cathedral Box Office [...]
June 6, 2022NewsInternationally renowned Competitions will take place in July 2023 Significantly increased prize money New commissioned work by Judith Weir CBE, Master of the Queen’s Music Substantially redesigned Improvisation Competition The 32nd St Albans International Organ Competition will take place in July 2023, celebrating 60 years since Peter Hurford presented the inaugural event in 1963. Applications are now being accepted for both the Interpretation and the Improvisation Competitions. The deadline for applications is 17 March 2023. The Interpretation Competition will include a new commissioned work by the celebrated British composer Judith Weir CBE, Master of the Queen’s Music. The Improvisation Competition (Tournemire Prize) has been substantially redesigned for 2023 and will provide a fascinating test for creative and fast-thinking organists, including improvisation to silent film and free improvisation with flute on literary texts. The finalists will perform on the revolutionary Harrison & Harrison organ in the Festival’s main venue of St Albans Cathedral. Further competition rounds will take place on the 2006 Mander organ in St Peter’s Church, St Albans; the exceptional 18th-century Richard Bridge organ in Christ Church, Spitalfields, London; and the 2013 Orgelbau Kuhn organ at the Royal Academy of Music, London. The First Prize winner will be presented with £12,000 together with the Gold Medal and recital engagements. The winner of the Improvisation Tournemire Prize will receive £8,000 plus recital engagements. A Second Prize of £5,000, Peter Hurford Bach Prize of £1,000, Audience Prize of £1,000, and Douglas May Award of £800 will also be awarded. The distinguished members of the 2023 Jury will be David Hill UK, Bine Bryndorf Denmark, Pieter van Dijk The Netherlands, Rie Hiroe Japan, Todd Wilson USA, Franz Danksagmüller Austria/Germany, and Jean-Baptiste Robin France. The competition attracts talented young organists from around the world. It has a reputation as ‘the friendly festival’ and fosters a supportive community amongst all competitors, who are hosted by local families in their own homes. The 32nd St Albans International Organ Competition and Festival, celebrating 60 years, will take place from 3 to 15 July 2023. You can find details about the Competitions and how to apply on this website. [...]
February 17, 2022NewsSave the date: Wednesday 6th July 2022 at 7.30pm The St Albans International Organ Festival and the Hertfordshire Lieutenancy are delighted to present a concert at St Albans Cathedral in celebration of HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A unique and thrilling concert of popular and ceremonial music from across The Queen’s reign will be given in St Albans Cathedral to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. We are honoured that a member of the Royal Family will be attending this special event. International choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone will present the evening. Headlining the concert will be London’s Southbank Sinfonia, described as an ‘orchestra like no other’ comprising thirty-three of the world’s most promising graduate musicians. Conducted by their founder, Simon Over, the orchestra will be joined by a massed choir of 160 singers, a 60-voice children’s choir, fanfare trumpeters and other guest musicians. Music will include Handel’s Zadok the Priest, William Walton’s spine-tingling Te Deum, Pete Letanka’s Hope and Glory, Hubert Parry’s I was Glad, John Williams’ Harry Potter Suite, and Paul Mealor’s Military Wives anthem, Wherever You Are. After concert costs are covered, net proceeds will be divided equally between Hospices serving Hertfordshire communities and St Albans International Organ Festival. Tickets will be on sale from Monday 11 April from St Albans Cathedral Box Office. [...]
September 23, 2021NewsWe are delighted that Angela Hewitt CC OBE, distinguished long-time friend of the Festival, has agreed to become a St Albans International Organ Festival Patron. Angela’s strong affinity with the organ was in no small part formed by her father, Godfrey Hewitt CM, DMus (Cantuar), the organist and choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, Canada for 50 years. David Titterington writes: ‘I know that our founders, Peter and Pat Hurford, would have been particularly delighted with this appointment. The deep connection with the music of JS Bach that Peter demonstrated throughout his life is fully reciprocated by Angela. We look forward to welcoming Angela back to St Albans to perform in the 2023 Festival.’ Angela joins Cllr. Annie Brewster, Sir Andrew Davis CBE, Dame Glynne Evans DBE, CMG, The Dean of St Albans, The Rt Hon Lord McNally PC, The Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City and District of St Albans in the role. Angela writes: ‘It was a great honour to be asked to become a Patron of the St Albans International Organ Festival, and I am more than happy to accept. Since I was a little girl, I heard about St Albans and its organist Peter Hurford, and always greatly admired his Bach recordings. My father would be so pleased to know of my new association with one of his favourite English cathedrals. I look forward to performing for you in 2023!’ [...]
July 16, 2021NewsThe prize-winners of the 31st St Albans International Organ Competition were announced at a screening at St Albans Cathedral on Friday 16 July, which was also streamed live on the Organ Festival’s website.  Watch the full presentation An exceptionally large field participated in the Preliminary Recorded Round, which was open to organists of all nationalities born after 17 July 1988. The judges selected twelve performers to take part in the online competition:Callum Alger (United Kingdom)Ben Bloor (United Kingdom)Daniel Chang (United States of America)Quentin du Verdier (France)Andrew Forbes (United Kingdom)Steven Knieriem (The Netherlands)Collin Miller (United States of America)Mitchell Miller (United States of America)Andrew Morris (United States of America)Magdalena Moser (Austria)Mona Rozdestvenskyte (Lithuania)Jannik Schroeder (Germany) Each competitor was asked to submit a video-recorded performance of a balanced 40-minute programme including: JS Bach: Fantasia in C minor BWV 562Saint-Saëns: Prelude and Fugue in B major op.99 no.2The commissioned work by Roxanna PanufnikPlus own-choice work(s). The illustrious jury of this year’s virtual Competition were David Hill (United Kingdom), Bine Bryndorf (Denmark), Pieter van Dijk (Netherlands) Rie Hiroe (Japan), Todd Wilson (USA), Franz Danksagmüller (Austria/Germany) and Jean-Baptiste Robin (France). The Peter Hurford Bach Prize of £1000, for the best performance of Fantasia in C minor BWV 562, sponsored by Mrs Elisabeth Wells, was awarded to Daniel Chang. JS Bach: Fantasia in C minor, BWV 562 (excerpt) Played on the Craighead-Saunder organ at Christ Church Episcopal in Rochester, New York The Roxanna Panufnik Prize of £800, for the best performance of the commissioned work by Roxanna Panufnik, was awarded to Mona Rozdestvenskyte. Roxanna Panufnik: Gloria cum Jubilo (excerpt) Played in the Propsteikirche in St Trinitatis, Leipzig The Douglas May Award of £800, for the best performance of a single work, was presented to Magdalena Moser.  Georg Muffat: Toccata decima from Apparatus musico-organisticus (excerpt) Played on the Wallfahrtskirche Sankt Veit am Vogau, Austria Three equal prizes of £1500 were awarded for the most outstanding overall performances to: Mitchell Miller Max Reger: Fantasia on B-A-C-H, Op.46 (excerpt) Played on the Walcker-Klais organ in the Stadtkirche of Ludwigsburg, Germany Quentin du Verdier Maurice Duruflé: Toccata from Organ Suite, Op.5 (excerpt) Played on the Beuchet-Debierre (1965) organ of the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in Angoulême, France Mona Rozdestvenskyte Thierry Escaich: Vers l’espérance from Poèmes No.3 (excerpt) Played in the Heilig Kreuz Kirche, Detmold, Germany [...]
April 16, 2021NewsWe are delighted to announce the selection of twelve organists from around the world to take part in this year’s special virtual edition of St Albans International Organ Competition. An exceptionally large field participated in the Preliminary Recorded Round. The judges have selected the following performers to take part in the online competition: Callum Alger (United Kingdom)Ben Bloor (United Kingdom)Daniel Chang (United States of America)Quentin du Verdier (France)Andrew Forbes (United Kingdom)Steven Knieriem (The Netherlands)Collin Miller (United States of America)Mitchell Miller (United States of America)Andrew Morris (United States of America)Magdalena Moser (Austria)Mona Rozdestvenskyte (Lithuania)Jannik Schroeder (Germany) Each competitor will be asked to submit a video-recorded performance, which should be a balanced programme with a total timing of 40 minutes including: JS Bach: Fantasia in C minor BWV 562Saint-Saëns: Prelude and Fugue in B major op.99 no.2The commissioned work by Roxanna PanufnikPlus own-choice work(s). Each performance will be shown on a big screen in St Albans Cathedral, over three successive evenings 7, 8 and 9 July 2021. The videos will also stream online for viewing around the world and to the Competition Jury. Read more… Andrew ForbesAndrew MorrisBen BloorCallum AlgerCollin MillerDaniel ChangJannik SchroederMagdalena MoserMitchell MillerMona RozdestvenskyteQuentin du VerdierSteven Knieriem [...]
March 8, 2021NewsApplications have been invited for a special online Interpretation Competition, which everyone will be able to view on the internet. The total value of prizes is over £7,000. In consideration of the changed Competition structure we have reduced the Application Fee to £25. The application deadline was Thursday 1 April 2021. Read more… [...]
November 28, 2020NewsThomas Trotter, President of St Albans International Organ Festival, has been awarded the 2020 Queen’s Medal for Music. The Queen’s Medal is awarded to only one person each year and was instituted in 2005. The 75mm silver medal is presented by Her Majesty to ‘an outstanding individual or group of musicians who have had a major influence on the musical life of the nation’. Thomas Trotter – Birmingham City Organist, organist of St Margaret’s, Westminster and visiting Fellow in Organ Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music – has a long association with St Albans. His reputation as an organist of international calibre was recognised when he won First Prize for Interpretation in the 1979 competition. He has since been an illustrious jury member on no fewer than five occasions, most recently at last year’s competition. St Albans music-lovers can next hear Thomas Trotter at 5.30pm on 27 February, when he will perform at the Cathedral. Entrance and programmes will be free, with a collection for the St Albans International Organ Festival. Read more The Festival will resume its Saturday Concerts on 16 January with a performance by the organisation’s Artistic Director, David Titterington. David and Thomas are both generously donating their performances as fund-raisers for the St Albans International Organ Festival, which will present its 31st Festival and Competitions in July 2021. Read more [...]