Parisian by birth and training, Antoine SibertinBlanc felt the need to move elsewhere early on. A pupil of Cesar Franck School in Paris from 1945 to 1954, he received there a multidisciplinary education from the best teachers, obtaining, under the supervision of Edouard Souberbielle, the Higher Diploma in Organ and Improvisation benefiting at the same time from the teaching of Maurice Duruflé at the Paris National Conservatory.

Having held the position of organist at the “Maîtrise de La Madeleine” and of “Maître de Chapelle” at Saint Merry since 1952, he decided in 1955 to leave Paris and take up a post in Luxembourg which he held until 1961.

When the opportunity arose to teach organ in Lisbon, at the recently Jounded Centre of Gregorian Studies, he did not hesitate.

Enjoying a favourable set of circumstances from the time of his arrival, in 1965 he was appointed Titular Organist of the newly built Great Flentrop of Lisbon Cathedral, two key ports with multiple repercussions on all levels in a country which, after a long decline, was rediscovering the wonders of its own heritage, restoring its old organs, and, at the same time, gaining access to the knowledge and practice of the great organ repertoire of the world.

Attentive to all aspects of this revival, Antoine Sibertin-Blanc, tirelessly continues his work thoughout Portugal, Madeira and the Azores, and undertakes international tours every year, throughout Europe as well as in varions countries of the former Soviet Union and Brazil.

His recordings for Erato, Columbia-EMI and Arion have received high critical acclaim.

In 1999, Antoine Sibertin-Blanc was honoured with the titre of Commander of the Order of St James of the Sword by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Jorge Sampaio.

Thomas Schmögner was born in Vienna in 1964.

He received his musical education in Vienna and at the Conservatoire National de Region in Strasbourg thanks to a scholarship of the French government.

He has been part of various ensembles for Early music : Concilium Musicum, Ensemble Flauto Voce, Clemencic-Consort, Van Swieten Ensemble, as well as director of the study programme and conductor at the festival for Baroque Opera Spektakulum.

As a soloist and accompanist, he has been part of orchestra performances together with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphonic Orchestra, the Symphonic Orchestra Berlin, the Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice, and others.

Performances in Austria, Germany, France (Notre Dame Paris, cathedrals in Strasbourg, Chartres, Versailles), the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, etc. Tours through Japan and the USA, as well as radio and CD recordings.

Technical articles for the Österreichisches Orgelforum and other magazines, as well as the publication “In memoriam Anton Heiller” (1999), whose works play an essential role for Thomas Schmöger.

Publishing Heiller Scores in cooperation with publishing companies.

http://thomas.schmoegner.at/

Organist Dong-Ill Shin, winner of the 20th Grand Prix de Chartres, has been hailed as “one of the world’s most promising talents of his generation”. He won first prize in the national competition for piano sponsored by the Korean Times at age ten. Attracted by J. S. Bach’s Music and the orchestra-like colors produced by the organ, he began his studies with Dr. Sun-woo Cho at age 14. He studied with Dr. Tong-soon Kwak at Yon-sei University in Seoul and completed his Bachelor of Music degree in 1997.

He then studied in France with Jean Boyer and received the Diplôme National d’Etudes Supérieures Musicales from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon in Organ, Harmony, Fugue, Analysis, Improvisation & Basso-Continuo. His studies continued with Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the prestigious Cycle de Perfectionnement program. He also undertook private studies with Mme Marie-Claire Alain for Organ and Mme Françoise Marmim for Harpsichord. During his years of study in France he won several scholarships including awards from the Dorazzi Foundation, the Meyer Foundation and Mécène de Société Générale. In 2004 he completed his Artist Diploma at The Boston Conservatory on a full scholarship studying with James David Christie.

Dong-Ill Shin is a prize winner of international Competition such as Musashino-Tokyo International Organ Competition in 1996, Ciurlionis International Piano and Organ Competition, Lithuania and The 51th Prague Spring International Music Festival and Competition in 1999, the 21st St. Albans International Organ Competition, Great Britain in 2001 and the Grand Prix de Chartres international Organ Competition in 2006. He has been a featured artist on KBS Radio in Korea, NHK Satellite Television in Japan, France Musique, Radio France & MEZZO Television in France, Lithuanien National Television, Hungarian National Radio, Spanish National Radio, Bayerischer Rundfunk radio, Radio Luxembourg, Australien ‘Art and Sound’ Radio and WCRB, UPR, KBYU and Pipedream in USA. He has given numerous concerts in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Norway, the Czech Republic, Monaco, Luxembourg, Swiss, Netherlands, USA, Canada, Uruguay, Australie and in the Far East.

Dong-Ill SHIN – Chartres 2013

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong-ill_Shin

Wolfgang Seifen, born in Bergheim/Erft, Germany, in 1956, received his early musical training at the music school of the Regensburger Domspatzen and studied church music from 1973 to 1976 in Aachen, Germany.

After working as a church musician in Aachen and Nettetal-Lobberich, he became organist of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary in Kevelaer, Germany. Here, on the large Seifert organ (128 stops, 4 manuals), his international reputation as a much-sought-after improviser grew. He also worked as a choral conductor and published his own compositions.

Wolfgang Seifen taught improvisation and liturgical organ playing at the State Music Conservatory in Stuttgart from 1989 to 1992, and at the Robert Schumann Conservatory in Duesseldorf from 1992 to 2000. He was named honorary professor in 1995. In October of 2000, he was called to the position of professor for improvisation and liturgical organ playing at the University of the Arts in Berlin.

In 2004 he was named Titulary Organist of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtnis-Kirche (Emperor Wilhelm Memorial Church), Berlin.

In 2006 he was engaged to compose a Missa Solemnis “Tu es Petrus” for Grand Orchestra, Choir and Organ for Pope Benedikt XVI´s 80th birthday.

Wolfgang Seifen has been a prizewinner of several improvisation competitions, including Strassburg (1990) and Nuernberg (1992). In addition to his busy, international performing schedule, he is a co-founder and teacher of the International Altenberg Organ Academy for Improvisation as well as a teacher at other international academies and courses.

Numerous recordings and television appearances have made Wolfgang Seifen’s art accessible to a large public. He has also published on the topics of organ improvisation and organ building.

http://www.wolfgangseifen.de/

Swiss organist Pierre Segond was born in 1913 in Geneva and died in 2000.

He studied at the Conservatoire de Genève under Henri Gagnebin and Alexandre Mottu. After that, he obtained his Premier Prix from the Conservatoire de Paris in the class of Marcel Dupré. His classmates included Jehan Alain, Jeanne Demessieux and Marie-Louise Girod.

He served as organiste titulaire of the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in Geneva from 1942 to 1994.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Segond

John Scott was born in Wakefield in 1956, where he became a Cathedral Chorister. While still at school he gained the diplomas of the Royal College of Organists, winning the major prizes. In 1974 he became Organ Scholar of St. John’s College, Cambridge, where for four years he acted as assistant to Dr. George Guest and held the University John Stewart of Rannoch Scholarship in Sacred Music. His organ studies were with Ralph Downes and Dame Gillian Weir : On leaving Cambridge he was appointed Assistant Organist at London’s two Anglican Cathedrals, St. Paul’s and Southwark, playing three days of the week in each. During this time he won the first prizes from the Manchester and Leipzig J. S. Bach International Organ Competitions in 1978 and 1984 respectively. In 1985 he left Southwark to work solely at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where in 1980 he succeeded Dr. Christopher Dearnley as Organist and Director of Music.

Under his direction, the St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir has toured in France, Holland, Spain, Japan and twice in the USA ; it has embarked upon two widely admired series of recordings, one of English Cathedral music and another of Psalms, both for Hyperion Records, and works frequently with such orchestras as the City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Francis Grier, Robin Holloway, William Mathias, Robert Saxton, John Tavener, Jonathan Harvey, James MacMillan and Hugh Wood have all composed works commissioned for the Choir in recent years.

As an organist John Scott is particularly known for his performances of large-scale romantic and twentieth century repertoire and has premiered many new works written especially for him by Peter Eben, William Mathias, Kenneth Leighton, Charles Camilleri, Francis Pott and David Bedford. In addition he also performs from the earlier organ repertoire, and has appeared as a soloist with the Academy of Ancient Music, The Tallis Scholars and the King’s Consort.

His career as a recitalist has taken him to five continents. In November 1983 he inaugurated the new Rieger organ in Hong Kong Cultural Centre and in 1990 he was one of five international Cathedral Organists invited to play in Washington Cathedral to celebrate the completion of the Cathedral.

He has many recordings to his name and has recently recorded the organ sonatas of Elgar, organ music by William Mathias, the complete organ works of Duruflé and Mendelssohn and also, with the London Symphony Orchestra, the solo organ part in Janacek’s Glagolithic Mass.

http://www.johngscott.com/jgs_home.html

Born in Leipzig in 1939, Andreas Schröder studied organ in Fribourg with Walter Kraft. He spends his church music exams and knowledge of music with honors. Later he was a student in Berlin and Prague. He succeeded with distinction the Competition Freiburg, Frankfurt and Innsbruck.

Since 1965, Andreas Schröder is organist and Kapellmeister at the Catholic Church of Karlsruhe and professor of organ and harpsichord at the Higher School of Music of this city.

He has performed in many concerts in Germany, Holland, France, and as a soloist with the National Orchestra of Karlsruhe.

Also a composer, Andreas Schröder has made recordings of his works in SWF Freiburg.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Schr%C3%B6der_(Kirchenmusiker)

Born in 1949 in Amorbach/Odenwald, he already played the baroque organ of the former Abbey Church whilst still a schoolboy ; he is still closely connected to his hometown as concert advisor of the Leiningen dynasty of princes and as artistic director of the Amorbach Abbey Concerts.

After studying at the Music Academy and the University of Munich, he won the international organ competitions in Avila and Bologna as well as the Munich ARD Competition.

Before accepting his post in Freiburg, he was church musician, lecturer and organ specialist in Würzburg and Munich. In 2002 he was named founding rector of the Academy of Catholic Ecclesiastical Music and Music Education in Regensburg. Alongside his teaching and performing activities, Klemens Schnorr has also published works on organ and organ playing as author and editor.

Klemens SCHNORR – Chartres 2008

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

German organist, chorus master, teacher and musicologist (born March 4, 1909, in Weimar ; died November 26, 1994, in Cologne).

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schneider_(Organist)

Christian SCHMITT-ENGELSTADT, born in 1967 in Ingelheim a. Rhin, is a cantor and organist at the Lutherkirche Worms.

From 2001 to 2010, he was a lecturer for the Musikhochschulen Mainz and Frankfurt / Main orchestras.

He has won several awards at international competitions: Carouge organ competition (Geneva) 1992 / 1st prize and special prize of the International Nuremberg Organ Week (ION) (Johann Pachelbel prize) 1994 / 1st prize of the competition Organ Competition Gelsenkirchen 1996 / 2nd Prize Competition Buxtehude Toulouse 1991 / 3rd Prize Int. Odense Organ Competition (Denmark) 1992 / Freiburg Musikhochschule Prize 1994 / Finalist at the Berlin Mendelssohn Competition 1995.

He has been the guest of many concert series: Cathedral of Chartres – Leon Cathedral (Spain) – Cathedral of Mexico – International Nuremberg Organ Week – Summer Concerts Cathedral of Constance – European Church Music Schwäbisch Gmünd – Music of St. Blasier Spring – Lisbon Cathedral – Riga Cathedral – Church of the City of Winterthur – Kaiser St. Wilhelm Berlin – Meldorfer Dom – Dom Limburg – Bonner Münster – Dom Fulda – Abbey Amorbach – Concerts Nieder-Mooser Organ – Steinfeld Abbey – Dom Aachen – Music Summer Obermain – Antoniterkirche Cologne – Grauhof Monastery Church Goslar – St. Lorenz Nuremberg – St. Crucis – Erfurt Church – Summer Music Ostfriesischer – Saints Peter and Paul Görlitz – Divi Blasii Mühlhausen – Memorial Church from Speyer.

Radio recordings were made at SWF, BR and Radio Suisse Romande. He also recorded several CDs.