Saki Aoki was born in Tokyo and began her piano studies at the age of six. She first studied organ under Keiko Utsumi, and then became a pupil of Masaaki Suzuki at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (Tokyo Geidai) where she obtained both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees with top honors. While still a graduate student, she decided to broaden and diversify her studies in France. For two years she studied in the Advanced Studies Program under Éric Lebrun at the St Maur Conservatory where she obtained the André Monsaingeon Prize and the J. S. Bach Prize for the best interpretation of a J. S. Bach work, as well as the 1st Prize in Organ with top honors in 2006.

She further enriched her studies as a pupil of Erwan Le Prado at the Conservatoire National de Région in Caen where she obtained the Advanced Studies Diploma with top honors.

During her studies she was able to distinguish herself in several international competitions, notably by winning the Diplôme d’honneur of the International Organ Competition in Bruges, 1st Prize in the Grenada International Competition, 1st Prize in the 2007 Jean Louis Florentz Competition in Angers, 2nd Prize in the 2007 Nürnberg International Competition, and the First Prize in interpretation, the Audience Award and the Gaston Litaize Special Prize in the 2008 Grand Prix de Chartres She is also the recipient of a two-year scholarship that is awarded to promote young artîsts from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs

She has given numerous recitals in Japan, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Hungary, Spain and Canada. She has recently recorded a CD of French 20th century music in Chartres Cathedral. In addition to her extensive concert career, she is currently a teacher at th, Ecole de Musique de Saint Lô in Normandy, and serves as organist at the Saint Pierre an, Saint André churches in Caen.

http://www.lisa-org.com/in-fr.html

Saki Aoki – Chartres 2012

Marion André studied violin and piano in the city Chauny (North of France) then in the “Conservatoire de Région” in Paris where she learned with Emmanuel Mercier and won a first prize in piano. She studied organ in Paris with Christian Ott and also violon with Eichi Chijiwa and piano with Pascal Godart. She won the “Perfectionnement Diploma” in piano in the International Conservatory of Music in Paris.

In the same time she was appointed organist of Notre-Dam Church in the city of Chauny.

She won the first prize of organ in the Zontac club and studied in the highest degree with Eric Lebrun in the conservatory of the city St Maur-des-fossés and harmonie with Thibault Perrine in “Conservatoire Régional de Paris”.

Since 2010 she is a student in piano in Royal Academy of Music, London, with the maestro Pascal Nemirovski.

Marion André – Chartres 2011

Forever closely associated with the organ of the Great Church of Maassluis (near Rotterdam) is the name of Feike Asma. In 1927, Asma succeeded his father as organist of the Reformed Church of Den Helder. He played the organ of the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden from 1933 to 1943, afterward moving to the historical organ of the Lutherian Church in The Hague. Asma served as organist here for a period of 22 years, gracing the services and giving many recitals. In 1965, Asma became organist at Maassluis until his death in 1984, again playing for services and in numerous recitals. In the notes to the last recording issued during his life, Mr Jan Quintus Zwart characterised Osma in these words:

“Over half a century, organ virtuoso Feike Asma has achieved his own place among Dutch organists. While giving so many recitals, he was assured of a large audiences of enthusiastic listeners for his recitals throughout Holland, on large and small organs. But he also played in France, the United States, Canada and South Africa, again attracting large audiences to his recitals.”

Asma was a pupil of the legendary organist and historian Jan Zwart. He was a very remarkable person, also due to his very virtuous style of playing. He had many admirers, but he was also received harshly by some critics. Asma, bound to the organ with a deep love for the symphonic orchestra, was the organist who always gave much attention to the large-scale works of the Romantic organ literature. Reger, Liszt, Widor and Franck figured frequently in his programmes, and he also often included some of his own choral music and those of Zwart. As Asma himself once put it: “I’m a man who has the God-given ability of making music, and so I’m glad that I am able to play [for others].” Indeed, this was the foundation of his passion for music and organ playing.

Entirely apart from his achievements as an organist, his choral music stands solidly on its own, and is a touching listening experience – especially when attention is given to how finely the music is crafted to the lyrics in his chorales.

http://www.feike-asma.com/

Roberto Antonello was the winner of the Second Prize in Interpretation at the Organ Competition ‘Grand Prix de Chartres 2000’, prestigious and longed for event where no Italian player was awarded nor entered the final round in its 30-year history.

Born in 1967, near Padova, he graduated in Organ and Organ Composition at the National Conservatory in Castelfranco Veneto (near Treviso) with honors, and, later, in Choral Music and Choir Conducting. In 1992, he obtained full honors at Bologna University with a final dissertation in Elements of Harmony and Counterpoint dealing with “Cesar Franck’s Trois Chorals”.

He enriched his training attending many interpretation masterclasses, in Italy and abroad, held by : M. Radulescu, H. Vogel, M. Chapuis, M. Torrent, J. Boyer, P. Kee, G. Bovet, D. Roth.

He took part in several international organ competitions and won many prizes and honors, among them : First Prize (1989) in Gorizia (near Trieste), a Second Prize (1991) in Noale (near Venice), a Second Prize (First Prize not awarded) (1998) in Brig.

In 1994, he was appointed titular teacher for Organ and Organ Composition first at the Avellino Conservatory, now in Vicenza.

He has played in important festivals and music seasons in Italy, England, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay.

He is titular organist in the Basilica ‘Madonna dei Mira-coli’ in Motta di Livenza (Treviso). Besides teaching and concerts, he has done some musico-logical research.

In 1996 he was invited to present a paper at the International Organ Academy at the School of Music and Musicology – Goteborg University (Swe-den) dealing with “Registration in C. Franck’s Organ Works”. Since 1998, he has been editing the printed critical editions of the ‘Vespri di S. Ignacio’ and the ‘Misa a San Ignacio’ by D. Zipoli (coming from the Jesuit Missions in South America in the 18th century).

His work on unknown South-American baroque music, gives new repertory to the ‘Ensemble Zipoli’ of which he his a member.

He was born on October 5, 1934 in Chicago. He received his musical training at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago (Piano) and at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois (Bachelor’s Degree in organ performance with Lillian Mecherle McCord). Further studies followed at the Union Theological Seminary in New York (Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Sacred Music, 1957 and 1961) and (through a Fulbright scholarship) 1957–1959 with Helmut Walcha in Frankfurt am Main. In addition, Anderson studied organ with Heinrich Fleischer and Frederick Marriott, composition with Harold Friedell and Seth Bingham and harpsichord with Maria Jager.

Beginning in 1960, he served as Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at Southern Methodist University and as organist of the University Chapel and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, until his retirement in 1997.

He wrote numerous compositions for organ solo, including a Triptych (1958), as well as a cantata, “Garden of Gethsemane,” after a text by Boris Pasternak.

Anderson was organ consultant for some of the finest concert hall organs in North America: the C. B. Fisk organs at Meyerson Symphony Center (Opus 100, 1992) and SMU’s Caruth Auditorium (Opus 101, 1993), both in Dallas, TX. He also initiated the prestigious Dallas International Organ Competition, of which he was chair in 1997 and 2000.

As a concert organist, he played numerous recitals in the United States and Europe and was invited to leading organ festivals in Nuremberg, Paris, Berlin and Vienna. He was one of the leading organ teachers of his time in the United States. Among his more than 100 former students were organists such as George C. Baker, Ignace Michiels, Carole Terry and Wolfgang Rübsam.

Robert Anderson died in Honolulu in 2009.

Arkadiusz BIALIC was born in Krakow/Poland in 1976. After complete studies of piano and organ, he graduates with honours in the two disciplines from the Frederic Chopin Music College in Krakow.

Then, he enters an organ class with Professor Jozef Serafin at the Krakow Music Academy, where he is awarded the 1rst organ price with honours.

Afterwards, he goes to Germany where he receives the organ prize in Freiburg. Afterwards, he studies at the Music Academy ‘Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst’ in Frankfurt/Main with Professor Daniel Roth in his soloist class.

Taking part in organ competitions in Poland and Switzerland he is awarded various prizes.

At the same time, he studies in various masterclasses, under the direction of Marie-Claire Alain, Olivier Latry, Jon Laukvik, Harald Vogel and Ludger Lohman.

As a soloist and chamber music player Arkadiusz Bialic is giving concerts in Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland.

In 2002 he is awarded the “Second Prix d’Interprétation” of the “Concours International d’orgue de Chartres”.

Born in Montpellier (1942)

He studied piano with Lucienne Daumont, organ with Joseph and Xavier Roucairol Darasse, following yet lively organists sessions by Michel Chapuis, Marie-Claire Alain and Odile Bailey.

Catholic priest, he is a clinical psychologist, after supporting Montpellier psycho-pathology of memory and Applied Psychology entitled “Music therapy, music therapy“.

Titulariats : Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (Hérault) 1980-1983; Montpellier, St. Charles Hospital and St. Peter’s Cathedral (1992 …) co-titular with Othar Chedlivili and Joseph Roucairol.

Choirmaster and organist emeritus of the great organ at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Paris, Arsene Bedois very early undertook research on the Gregorian, the music of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance (vocal and instrumental ) and the Baroque period, at the behest of his masters Marcel Bitch (counterpoint, fugue), Daniel Lesur (counterpoint), Edouard Souberbielle (organ, improvisation, harmony), Jacques Chailley, Eugene Cardine and Huglo (medieval music, Gregorian chant and semiotics), Henri Pumpkin (modality accompaniment of Gregorian chant). He also worked with Professor Mas i Bonet of Barcelona (old Iberian music) and followed Pierre Boulez analysis courses and Luigi Nono Acanthes center of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

Defender of the tradition of the cantor, Arsene Bedois is among the first musicians to have partners – the early 1970s – the revival of the interpretation of Baroque music. In particular, he recorded works French, German, Spanish and Portuguese in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, critically acclaimed recordings : polyphonic Masses of the Ars Nova : the manuscript of Apt and the school of Florence (Arion) , Gregorian Chant at the time of Guillaume de Machaut : Rhythmic Office of Saint Juvenal (Erato), Office and Mass of the crazy ass Pierre Corbeil (Erato), Tournai Mass (anonymous fourteenth century) and Messe Nostre Dame Guillaume de Machaut (Erato), Music in the time of Philippe Auguste (Erato) Grand Prize of the French Academy disk, Portuguese masters (Arion) The organs of Paris (Erato) The organ of St. Thomas Aquinas (Live, SoReal-Melody) Dynasty Couperin (Ligia Digital).

Arsène Bedois has conducted numerous radio broadcasts, he leads French Baroque interpretation courses, medieval music and Gregorian (Pagani festival near Naples). He lectures on the history of music and its interpretation.

Invited to play regularly in Europe and Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay), Arsene Bedois part in many international festivals, alone or with singers and solo instrumentalists.

Honorary member of the advisory board of the organ of the City of Paris, he is called to act as a consultant for the restoration and maintenance of organs, in France and abroad.

Born in 1989, Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas studies the organ with François Espinasse, Willem Jansen, Michel Bourcier and Liesbeth Schlumberger. He also studies the harpsichord with Yves Rechsteiner and Catherine Latzarus, and the composition with Jean-Baptiste Robin. He is awarded a Master of the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon. He has the opportunity to work with differents famous teacher like Louis Robilliard, Wolfgang Zerer, Loïc Mallié…

In 2009, he is the prize-winner of the “Grand-Prix d’orgue Jean-Louis Florentz, Académie des Beaux-Arts” in the Cathedral of Angers, France. Then in September 2011, he is the first prize-winner of the “Gottfried-Silbermann orgelwettbewerb” in Freiberg, Deutschland.

In 2009, he created the baroque ensemble “Les Surprises”, wich play French and German music of the XVII° and the XVIII° century’s. With this ensemble, he plays differents concerts in Holland, France and Italy. Varying the musical experiments, he occurs in soloist (France, Deutschland, Italy… ), and with baroque ensemble, or with choirs, or in theatrical show. He also plays with the “Orchestre d’Auvergne” conduct by Arie van Beek.

In 2009, he was the harpsichordist of the “Orchestre Français des Jeunes Baroques”, leading by Paul Agnew, then in 2010 he performed with the “Académie Baroque Européenne d’Ambronay” conduct by Hervé Niquet.

Louis-Noël BESTION de CAMBOULAS – Chartres 2012

Georges BESSONNET was born in Paris, where he began organ studies with Françoise Renet, Georges Robert, Rolande Falcinelli, then André Isoir, and musical writing with Christian Gouinguené.

He won the First Prize in organ from the Versailles National Conservatory, and the First Prize in organ and fugue from the Paris National Conservatory. He participated in several international competitions, including Saint Alban’s in England and Chartres in France…. He obtained the Organ Teaching License from the Ministry of Culture.

Teaching in several conservatories, he was notably teaching organ and musical writing in the Meudon Departmental Conservatory and was for many years a teacher at the Sorbonne Music and Musicology University in Paris.

Georges Bessonnet is giving many concerts as a soloist, both in France and abroad (Germany, Austria, England, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, China, USA, Philippines…) and took part in several festivals, including Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Auvers-sur-Oise, Maseveaux, Chartres, Exeter, Turin, Montreal…

He recorded many CDs both as a solo performer and in collaboration with other artists: the organ works by Saint-Saëns (Accord), Jean Langlais (Syrius) and Mendelssohn (Syrius), the Church Sonatas by Mozart (BNL), « Pièces en Style Libre » by Louis Vierne (Syrius) and more recently, Schumann’s complete works for organ or pedal piano.

His musical compositions were rewarded in several international contests : among these, many vocal and instrumental works, notably for brass instruments (Billaudot Ed.), but also pieces for choir and orchestra.

Georges Bessonnet is currently Great Organ titular, musical chief for the Maîtrise d’Antony, which he accompanies since 1975, and co-titular of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Sceaux Church’s organ.
He is Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.