Grethe KROGH was Professor of Organ and Chairman of the Organ Department at the Royal Danish Academy of Music for several years. Prior to her appointment at the Academy, she was organist at the famous Holmens Church in Copenhagen. In 1990 she left the Academy to devote more time to her career as concert organist.

Grethe Krogh graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music with degrees in piano, organ and harpsichord. Additional studies were undertaken with André Marchal in Paris.

An extensive concert career has taken Grethe Krogh throughout Europe, the former Soviet Union, Canada, Japan, and the United States. She has served on juries for international organ competitions, including the prestigious Chartres and Nuremberg competitions. She is internationally acclaimed by critics for her performances and many recordings on Lyrichord Discs, EMI, Dacapo and Danacord. She is especially recognized for her interpretation of Danish music, including the organ works of Carl Nielsen. Her keen interest in contemporary music has led to several premiere performances of new works for organ. She has attracted students from throughout Europe and the United States. Many of her students have distinguished themselves in national and international competitions and important collegiate and church positions.

Grethe Krogh has received many honours and awards, including the coveted prize from the Copenhagen Music Critics, the Tagea Brandt’s Prize of Honour, the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie-Carl Nielsen Prize of honour, and the Prize of Honour of the Carl Nielsen Society in Denmark 2005.

http://www.grethekrogh.dk/02hovedsideeng.htm

Organist and Choirmaster, Dale Krider leads musical activities at St. Andrew’s. Dale is organist, plans the music for all services and special concerts, directs the parish choir, and oversees the Concert Series since June of 2000.

He holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the College of Church Musicians of Washington Cathedral and earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Catholic University. He is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists.

Edgar Krapp was born in Bamberg and received his first organ lessons at the age of ten as a member of the Regensburger Domspatzen.

Later he studied with Franz Lehrndorfer at the Munich Musikhochschule and with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. After winning first prize at the international music competition of the ARD in 1971, he began his career as concert organist and educationalist.

Since then he has performed in many European countries, in America and in Japan. His broad repertoire, including works ranging from the early organ literature to the modern age, is documented on many records, radio and television recordings which for the most part were made with historical instruments.

Edgar Krapp has rendered particularly outstanding service to the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach, which he has previously performed as a cycle in Frankfurt, Nuremberg, at the Rheingau Music Festival and in Munich (the latter with a live broadcast).

The main emphasis of his work lies in concert performances with orchestra conducted by such distinguished musicians as Rafael Kubelik, Georges Prêtre, Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Horst Stein and Christoph Eschenbach, with whom, among others, he has performed the organ concertos by Handel, the organ symphonies by Camille Saint-Saëns and Alexandre Guilmant, the organ concertos by Francis Poulenc, Paul Hindemith and Harald Genzmer, as well as premières including the works for organ and orchestra by Günter Bialas, Hans Jürgen von Bose and Rafael Kubelik. He has collaborated with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the Bamberg Symphonica, the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the ORF Orchestra Vienna and the Vienna Symphonica, among others.

From 1974 to 1993, Edgar Krapp taught at the Frankfurt Musikhochschule, where he succeeded Helmut Walcha. He was a guest professor from 1982 to 1991 at the Salzburg Mozarteum.

In 1993 he joined the Munich Musikhochschule. In recognition of his artistic and educational services, he was awarded the Frankfurt Music Prize, the E.T.A. Hoffmann Prize of the town of Bamberg as well as the Friedrich Baur Prize.

He is a member of the directorate of the Neue Bachgesellschaft Leipzig and the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Krapp

Born in 1944, he has got education as organist, pianist and conductor. He is Laureate of the International Organist Competitions in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Italy. At present time he is conductor of the Cathedral in the Saarland where he leads also Philharmonic chorus and Bach society.

In 1992-1994 he headed the orchestra to Estonian philharmonic, since 1995 he has been a main quest conductor of the Minsk Philharmonic. Kremer also teaches at germane High Schools, tales part in Jury of many International organist Competitions.

He annually conducts with Chamber orchestra of the St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra the concert cycles, presenting styles from early baroque to late romanticism and expressionism. Many programs, played in Petersburg, had a great success during tours in cities of Germany.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Kr%C3%A4mer

Kei Koito enjoys her career as an esteemed concert organist. She has performed throughout Europe, Russia, Japan, and the Americas. She is acclaimed for her expertise on Baroque and Renaissance music, especially that of J.S. Bach. Kei Koito has won numerous prestigious prizes as a recording artist and is often invited to judge international organ competitions. She is also a founder of the Festival Bach de Lausanne (Lausanne Bach Festival/Bachfest Lausanne), of which she has served as artistic director since its genesis in 1997. Kei Koito is currently an organ professor at the Haute Ecole de Musique/ Conservatoire de Lausanne (Lausanne University of Music/Musikhochschule Lausanne) in Switzerland.

Kei Koito was born in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, into a family of artists. Her childhood was steeped in the arts and culture. She was attracted at an early age to the world of music, especially that of J.S. Bach. She began her musical training at the age of six, first with piano, followed by cello and voice. At the age of twelve, she discovered the organ, which soon became her favorite instrument.

As a student at Hiranuma College of Yokohama, Kei Koito played the cello for two years in the school orchestra. Also as a proficient pianist, she performed Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with City Orchestra of Yokohama. After graduation from this High School, she decided to commit herself to organ studies. She was sixteen at that time.

Kei Koito graduated from National University of Fine Arts and Music of Tokyo/Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku, where she achieved high distinctions in organ, harpsichord, music theory, chamber music, philosophy and musical esthetics. She also has a master’s degree from the Conservatory of Geneva/Conservatoire de Genève/Musikhochschule, Genf, where she won several prestigious prizes including the First Prize of Organ Virtuosity with distinction, of Improvization and of Basso Continuo, Special Grand Prix of the Year, and Otto Barblan Prize for the best interpretation of J.S. Bach. All was awarded unanimously.

Kei Koito studied organ under Pierre Segond (general organ studies) in Geneva, and under Xavier Darasse (romantic, symphonic and contemporary repertoires) in Toulouse. She also studied early music performance and introduction to musicological research with Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini in Fribourg, baroque music with Reinhard Goebel in Köln, and orchestration, music analysis and composition with Eric Gaudibert in Geneva.

Starting in 1985, Kei Koito focused in on the music of J.S. Bach and his important predecessors such as Buxtehude, Böhm, Bruhns, Frescobaldi, Kerll, Froberger, Muffat, Pachelbel, Fischer, de Grigny, Couperin, and their precursors. Consequently, the research of early music became one of Kei Koito’s major interests. She not only adapts her style of playing based on principles of early performance practices, but incorporates her own understanding and observation of historical instruments, and her personal inspiration and intuition into her playing.

Prior to 1985, Kei Koito was a keen performer of romantic and symphonic music (Schumann, Brahms, Liszt, Reubke, Widor, Duruflé, etc…).

Between 1978 and 1996, she was ardently involved in avant-garde music including Ligeti, early Maxwell Davies, Berio, and other 20th-century composers from all over the world. She devoted considerable amounts of time to performing world premieres of newly composed pieces, some of which were dedicated to her.

Kei Koito’s interpretation of music for every repertory is defined not only by the different aesthetics of the relevant repertoire, but also by the direct emotional impact which engenders contemporary audiences.

Kei Koito made her professional debut in a series of recitals at Victoria Hall in Geneva and Auditorium Maurice Ravel in Lyon.

As a highly acclaimed concert organist, Kei Koito is regularly invited to perform as a soloist at the most distinguished festivals and concert venues throughout Europe, Asia, and North and South America.

Her vast performance experience includes playing with the Baroque Orchestra Musica Antiqua Köln (dir. Reinhard Goebel) for J.S. Bach’s Cantatas, Organ Sinfonias and Händel’s Organ Concertos, and the Vocal Ensemble Gilles Binchois (dir. Dominique Vellard) for the Italian Renaissance/Baroque and the French classical/pre-classical repertoires. She has also performed Concertos by Haydn and Rheinberger with Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and the Concerto for Organ by Francis Poulenc with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

http://www.kei-koito.com/

Ferdinand Klinda born 28 August 1929 in Košice is a Slovakian organist (born Czechoslovakia).
He studied music at the Conservatory and the Bratislava Academy of Music (organ, piano, musical composition) with Stephan Nemeth–Samorinsky, Riegler–Skalisky then took lessons with Josef Rheinberger in Weimar.

Since 1965, he played as soloist with the Slovak Philharmonic. He served on many international juries (Member of the Jury Grand Prix de Chartres 1972). Performing in a large organ repertoire from Bach to Charles Chaynes, he wrote several musicological works (organ playing).

http://www.osobnosti.sk/index.php?os=zivotopis&ID=59678

Born in Gran in Hungary in 1930, Stephan Klinda has a formation of choirmaster, organist (Prof Pécsi) and conducting in Budapest and Vienna, and composer (Rezsö Kokay Ferenc Farkas).

From 1960 to 1963 he studied at the Vienna Academy of Music, in orchestral conducting (Prof. Swarowsky).

He has given concerts in Austria and Europe several times been a soloist at the Salzburg Festival, and o. HS professor at MHS Mozarteum of Salzburg for organ classes.

Jury at prestigious organ competitions (Member of the Jury Grand Prix de Chartres 1978), founder and artistic director of the international week of the organ in Salzburg, he founded the chamber orchestra “I Solisti da Chiesa”.

Prizes and competitions : 1958, international prices at the organ competition “Prague Spring”, and contest Bach of Gand. In 1963 he was appointed professor at the Mozarteum.

Albert de Klerk, Haarlem, October 4, 1917 – Amsterdam, December 2, 1998, Dutch composer and organist.

De Klerk studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory, where he studied with Anthon van der Horst, Cornelis de Wolf and Hendrik Andriessen. Its sixteenth year until his death, he was organist at St. Joseph Church in Haarlem. From 1956 to 1982 he was with the organist Piet Kee in Haarlem and played the organ at St. Bavo Church.
De Klerk in 1939 graduated cum laude organ and distinguished for improvisation.
From 1946 to 1991 conducted the choir founded by himself in Haarlem (Haarlem Concert Choir now). He also gave nearly 20 years (until 1964) in Utrecht organ lessons. In 1965 he was appointed head of the organ professor at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, later at the Sweelinck Conservatory, a position he held until 1985.

As a composer, he wrote music for organ, 3 concerts for organ and orchestra, several works for orchestra, vocal music, church music and carillon music. In 1964 and 1976, De Klerk was jury of international organ competition in the Musica Antique Festival in Bruges.

Among others, were his students : Bob van Asperen, Bernard Bartelink, Gemma Coebergh, Leo van Doeselaar, Eckhardt, Peter Lau, Wim Madderom, Gonny van der sizes, Hans van Nieuwkoop, Gert Oost, Ben East, Willem Poot, Theo Saris , Lourens Stuifbergen, Ton Vijverberg Bernard Winsemius, Dorthy de Rooij.

Lothar Klein was born in Hannover, Germany in 1932, raised in England, educated in the United States, and, became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1985. By age 12, he was already an excellent pianist. From the time he was a young boy he was attracted to symphonic music. He received a diversified education, which included studies in philosophy and literature and piano with Olga Samaroff-Stokowski.

From early in his creative career, Lothar was writing works for some two dozen stage and for film productions, earning the Golden Reel Award from the American Academy of Film Sciences in 1956. Other awards include Rockefeller New Music Prizes (1965 and 1967) and the Greenwood Choral Prize (1968, for Three Chinese Laments), and the Floyd S. Chalmers Performing Arts Creation Award in 1982.

His compositional efforts were encouraged by Dimitri Mitropoulos, Antal Dorati and Goffretto Petrassi. He also studied with leading exponents of the avant-garde in Berlin. He studied composition with Paul Fetler at the University of Minnesota, orchestration privately with Antal Dorati (1956-8), and composition in 1956 with Goffredo Petrassi at Tanglewood and on a Fulbright Fellowship (1958-60) with Josef Rufer and Boris Blacher in Berlin, and Luigi Nono in Darmstadt. In 1961, he received a Ph.D. in Musicology and Composition from the University of Minnesota.

He taught at the Hochschule für Musik as assistant to Boris Blacher (1958-60) and at the Universitiy of Minnesota (1962-4) and the University of Texas (1964-8) before joining the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto as Professor of Composition in 1968. He became Chairman of Graduate Studies in Music (1971-76).

His music has been performed by virtually every North-American symphony orchestra and performed by such conductors as Karel Ancerl, George Szell, André Previn, Akiro Akiyama, Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Walter Susskind, Franz-Paul Decker, Heinrich Bender, Antal Dorati, Milton Katims, Victor Feldbrill, Werner Torkanowsky, and Stanislaus Skrowaczewski.

Lothar’s works are as prolific as they are diverse, with over 150 compositions, including more than thirty orchestral works. “He had a special interest in writing for the orchestra”, said his friend and fellow composer John Weinzweig.

Lothar Klein’s orchestral works prompted Irving Kolodin of the Saturday Review to refer to him as a “composer of excellent equipment and considerable enterprise… his eyes, too, are on the stars“. Indeed, orchestral music occupied a prominent place in Klein’s catalogue of compositions. Arthur Cohn, writing in Hi-Fidelity, praised him as “an orchestral craftsman of a very high order”. No less a composer then Witold Lutoslawski has praised his orchestral skills “of great brio and temperament”.

In 1966, when Kolodin’s review appeared, Lothar Klein was one of four young North American composers whose works had been chosen by George Szell for a Cleveland Orchestra premiere. Klein’s work, Musique à Go-Go (A Symphonic Mêlée) (1966), a jazzy, virtuosic orchestral study, was described by High Fidelity as “a veritable tour de force worthy of Ravel and Stan Kenton”. With over 100 performances of Musique à Go-Go, his many other orchestral works have been performed at music festivals all over the World, making Lothar Klein one of the most often performed, if not the most internationally recognized Canadian composer of concert music.

http://www.lotharklein.org/

Robert Burns King, a native of South Carolina, is Organist-Choirmaster of First Presbyterian Church in Burlington, North Carolina, Instructor of Organ at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and University Organist at Elon University.

He was graduated from Furman University with degrees in Organ and French, and holds the Master of Sacred Music degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he studied organ with Vernon de Tar of the Juilliard School.

As a Fulbright Scholar, King studied in Paris with Jean Langlais and Maurice Duruflé and was the first American to win the Prix de Virtuosité from the Paris Schola Cantorum. He has also studied with Michael Schneider in Cologne Germany.

King has performed in Germany, France, Italy, Scotland, and Portugal, and this past summer played an organ recital at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London.

He has appeared with the North Carolina Symphony and at regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists.