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Category Archives: Invited organists
Johannes SKOOG
Johannes SKOOG (born 1992), is an organist from Stockholm, Sweden.
He is an international recitalist as well as a student of the Paris Conservatory (Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris) in the organ class of Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard.
Johannes Skoog has studied organ interpretation for Mathias Kjellgren and organ improvisation for Nils Larsson at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Kungliga Musikhögskolan).
He will graduate from the organ class of Michel Bouvard and Olivier Latry in the summer of 2017. He is also studying organ improvisation with Laszlo Fassang and Thierry Escaich.
In the year of 2016, he has given recitals in Notre-Dame de Paris, Chapelle Royale in Versailles, Royaumont abbey, cathédrale de Chambéry, as well as in London, Stockholm, Toulouse…
Emmanuel CULCASI
Born in 1993 in Montpellier (France), Emmanuel CULCASI began his musical studies at age 6 in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille in piano performance under the instruction of Michel Bourdoncle and in the organ classes of Chantal De Zeeuw and André Rossi.
From 2004 to 2011, he was awarded a dozen of first and second prizes at several levels of national or international piano competitions, such as Claude Kahn, Steinway & Sons, Simone Delbert Fevrier among others.
In 2012, he then attented the organ class of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique (CNSMD) of Lyon under the tuition of François Espinasse and Liesbeth Schlumberger.
In 2015, he obtained his Bachelor of Music in organ performance and a Bachelor’s degrees in musicology at Lyon 2 University, both with highest honour. He is currently in the second year of his Master’s degree program in organ performance at CNSMD in Lyon.
Upon being awarded in 2014 a two-years research fellowship, he attented the CNRS-Aix-Marseille University and began a research program focusing on the impact of music training on brain’s structural plasticity and long term memory interactions.
Emmanuel is currently learning music pedagogy as a graduate teaching assistant in piano, with a research program aiming at defining improved music based therapies to help children with autism.
Trained as a musician and a scientist, he is planning a versatile career as a concertist, collaborative scientist, and educator.
In parallel, Emmanuel CULCASI is currently pursuing his musical studies in Pierre Pincemaille’s class of Fugue and Counterpoint in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and he is still studying piano with Romano Pallottini in Paris.
From 2004 to 2015, he has attended numerous masterclasses and participated in summer programs under the tuition of renowned concertists such as Ingo Bredenbach, Bernard Foccroulle, Paolo Crivellaro, Jacques Van Oortmerssen, Jean-Baptiste Robin, and pianists such as Vladimir Viardo, Paul Posnak, Konstantin Lifschitz, Jacques Rouvier, Jean Martin, Sylviane Deferne, Carlos Roque Alsina, Romano Pallottine, among others.
Emmanuel Cculcasi has performed in many festivals and recital series as pianist (Nuits pianistiques in Aix-en-Provence, Honegger’s King David (an European Project under Jean-François Senart) or as organist (Abbaye Saint-Victor in Marseille, Estivales in Megève, Collégiale du Château in Grignan, Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, Ars Sacra Fesztival in Budapest, Hungary, etc…). His activities also include concerts with orchestras, and several duet projects and concerts as a piano accompanist. He is pursuing intense collaborations with saxophonists, oboists and trumpetists.
Since 2016, Emmanuel Culcasi is appointed as one of the organists “co-titulaires” at the 1854/80 Ducroquet/Cavaillé-Coll organ at Saint-Sauveur cathedral in Aix-en-Provence with Chantal De Zeeuw.
Quentin GUÉRILLOT
Loreto ARAMENDI
Loreto ARAMENDI started her studies at the Conservatoire of San Sebastian where she obtained higher degrees in piano, harpsichord, organ and chamber music with Loreto F. Imaz, Esther Mendiburu and Cristina Navajas.
She studied organ at the National Regional Conservatoire of Bayonne with Bernadette Carrau and Esteban Landart, receiving the Gold Medal and the First Prize upon completing the Advanced Degree course.
Entering into the National Higher Conservatoire of Lyon (C.N.S.M.D), she worked with Jean Boyer, Louis Robilliard, J. Von Oortmersen and Liesbeth Schlumberger, obtaining the First Prize with “Mention trés bien” and her National Diploma of Advanced Studies with specialisation in the organ.
She was awarded scholarships from the local government of Guipuzkoa for two years, as well as from the Lartundo Foundation.
She then furthered her studies over a period of five years at the National Regional Superior Conservatoire in Paris with Noëlle Spieth, receiving the First Prize upon finalizing her Advanced Degree in the harpsichord and her General Music Studies Diploma. At the same time, she worked with J. Rouvier, on piano specialization.
She studied the piano for three years in Barcelona with Edith Fischer and Jorge Pepi. She has completed advanced courses with professors such as M. Radulescu, J. Oortmersen, W. Jansen, D. Moroney, R. Requejo, Roberto Szidon, Claudio Brizzi and Sakharov, amongst others. She has given numerous recitals at international festivals in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Argentina, USA, UK and France.
She has collaborated with the Basque Symphony Orchestra for many years, with whom she has recorded two discs. She gives concerts as a soloist and as part of different groups as an organist, pianist, and harpsichord player, embracing all periods and styles into her repertoire. At the same time, she has a degree in Psychology from the University of the Basque Country (UPV).
Loreto Aramendi is currently a professor at the F. Escudero Conservatoire in San Sebastian and main organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ ( 1863) of the Basilique of Santa María del Coro. Interested in the pipe organ building process, she has collaborated and participated since 2014 in several works of organ restoration in France and Spain.
In 2015 she published a double CD recorded on the Cavaillé-Coll organ (1863) of the Basilique of Santa María del Coro with works by C. Franck, F. Liszt, J. Brahms and Ch. Tournemire, which received the 4 stars award from “Choir & Organ” Magazine, and was acclaimed by “The Sydney Organ Journal”.
Her commitments for the next years include recitals in Japan, USA, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Norway.
Thomas KIENTZ
Né en 1991, Thomas KIENTZ commence ses études au Conservatoire de Strasbourg. Après avoir obtenu les diplômes d’études musicales et de perfectionnement dans les classes de piano de Michel Benhaïem et d’orgue de Daniel Maurer, il se perfectionne à Paris auprès de Vincent Warnier pour l’orgue, et de Nicolas Mallarte au conservatoire de Boulogne Billancourt pour le piano. En parallèle, il étudie l’improvisation avec Pierre Pincemaille au Conservatoire de Saint Maur-des-Fossés où il obtient le Diplôme d’Études Musicales.
Entré au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris en 2011, il obtient le Diplôme National Supérieur Professionnel de Musicien ainsi qu’un premier Prix de contrepoint en 2014.
Son désir d’approfondir les différentes époques du répertoire l’amène à compléter sa formation auprès de Louis Robilliard et d’Éric Lebrun pour la musique symphonique, de Francis Jacob pour la musique baroque allemande, de Lorenzo Ghielmi et d’Andrea Marcon pour la musique italienne du 17ème siècle, ainsi que du compositeur Benoît Mernier pour la musique contemporaine.
Thomas Kientz termine son Master dans les disciplines suivantes : la classe d’interprétation à l’orgue d’Olivier Latry et de Michel Bouvard, la classe d’improvisation de Thierry Escaich et Laszlo Fassang, et les classes d’écritures.
Sur le plan international, Thomas Kientz se distingue par un Premier prix au 8ème concours international d’orgue de Saint Maurice (Suisse). Par ailleurs, il remporte le prix “Pierre de Manchicourt” pour la meilleure interprétation du répertoire polyphonique ainsi que le prix “Aristide Cavaillé-Coll” pour la meilleure interprétation du répertoire symphonique au 5ème concours international d’orgue de Béthune / Saint-Omer.
Ces distinctions lui permettent d’accader à la scène internationale pour des récitals tant comme soliste à l’orgue qu’accompagnateur au piano. Il se produit en France, en Allemagne, en Suisse, en Italie, ainsi qu’aux États-Unis en tant que young artist in residence à la cathédrale de la Nouvelle Orléans (Louisiane) d’octobre 2013 à avril 2014.
Thomas Kientz est organiste titulaire à Strasbourg des orgues de l’église Saint Pierre le Jeune protestant, Saint-Guillaume et de l’orgue de chœur de la Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
Kumi CHOI
Née en 1990 en Corée du sud, Kumi CHOI a commencé l’étude du piano à 6 ans. Elle débute l’orgue à l’âge de 16 ans auprès de Shin-Young Jang à Séoul.
Après l’obtention en 2008 d’un 2ème Prix au Concours organisé par l’Université de Théologie Presbytérienne de Corée, Kumi Choi intègre l’Université Nationale des Arts de Corée pour un cycle de quatre ans où elle se perfectionne ainsi auprès de Ja-Kyung Oh et Hyun-Jung Kim. Diplomée d’un Bachelor en 2013, cette formation complète lui aura notamment permis de participer à de nombreux concerts à Séoul consacrés à Robert Schumann, à Antonio de Cabezόn en 2010, à Georg Böhm et Wilhelm Friedemann Bach en 2011.
En 2013, elle rejoint la France et le Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés dans le but de poursuivre ses études d’orgue auprès d’Éric Lebrun.
En juillet 2014, elle remporte le 2ème Prix du concours Gaston Litaize.
Depuis septembre 2014, Kumi Choi suit l’enseignement d’Olivier Latry et de Michel Bouvard en cycle de Master au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.
En mai 2015, elle obtient le 2ème Prix du ‘Grand Prix d’orgue Jean-Louis Florentz’ de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts puis en août 2015 le 3eme Prix et le Prix spécial du Concours d’orgue de Saint-Maurice en Suisse.
Johannes ZEINLER
Born in 1993, the Austrian organist Johannes ZEINLER started his musical career at the local music school in his native town near Vienna. He continued his studies in organ with Klaus Kuchling and Pier Damiano Peretti, piano with Christiane Karajev and church music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Following his graduation, he studied the organ and harpsichord for one year in Toulouse under Michel Bouvard and Jan Willem Jansen (Organ) and Yasuko Bouvard (Harpsichord).
He is currently studying for his Masters in Claviorganum at the University of Music and Theatre in Hamburg, where he is focusing on early music repertoire with Wolfgang Zerer in organ and Menno van Delft in harpsichord.
After early successes at international organ competitions in Wiesbaden 2012, Kitzbühel 2012 and Liechtenstein 2013, Johannes won the prestigious First Prize at the International Organ Competition in St.Albans in 2015.
In September 2018, Johannes Zeinler won the Grand prix at the prestigious concours international d’orgue de Chartres and the audience prize and also the special prize for the interpretation of the piece of Thomas Lacôte.
As recitalist he has been invited to major festivals and venues like the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, the Bavokerk in Haarlem, the Cathedral of Poitiers, the Philharmonic Hall in Essen and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.