ORAVA ORGAN PRIX

International Organ Competition

JURY

ERWIN WIERSINGA

Head of jury

Titular organist at Schnitger organ in Martinikerk, professor of organ in Groningen

Predseda poroty

Titulárny organista Schnitger organu v Martinikerk, profesor organovej hry v Groningene

KAROL MOSSAKOWSKI

Titular organist in St Sulpice, Paris, professor at Musikene in San Sebastian

Titulárny organista v St Sulpice v Paríži, profesor na Musikene v San Sebastian

MONIKA MELCOVÁ

Professor of organ at Royal Danish Academy of Music and of improvisation at Musikene in San Sebastian

Profesorka organovej hry na Royal Danish Academy of Music a improvizácie na Musikene v San Sebastian

ERWIN WIERSINGA

studied at the Conservatory in Groningen with Wim van Beek and earned the Performer,s Diploma in organ with distinction. He also earned the Performer,s Diploma in piano. He teaches organ at the „Universität der Künste“ in Berlin ( from 1997-2019) and since 2009 at the Prins Claus Conservatoire in Groningen In 2014 he was appointed, together wih Leo van Doeselaar, as Titulair organist at the famous Arp Schnitger organ in Groningen He gives regular concerts in the Netherlands and other European countries and performed in Korea, China and Japan, and the USA. He made several radio and awarded CD recordings on important historical organs in Germany, Holland and Belgium. In 2006 he was a soloist in The Berliner Staatsoper in the opera Doktor Faust under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. He is also active in different professional orchestras , since 2007 he is frequently active in the Royal Concertgebouworchestra, where he worked with conductors as Mariss Jansons, Ricardo Chailly Ivan Fischer and others. In 2016 he played the american premiere of Theatrum bestiarium of Detlef Glanert with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Carnegiehall New York As guest professor he was invited to teach at several Eurpean conservatories as well in Beiijng, Tokyo and Seoul Erwin Wiersinga is also organist of the Catharinachurch in Roden. More information; www.erwinwiersinga.nl

KAROL MOSSAKOWSKI

Karol Mossakowski is renowned for both his interpretation and improvisation skills. He was awarded First Prize of the International Prague Spring Competition and the Grand Prix de Chartres, and leads an international career in both areas of practice as they mutually enrich one another.

He is Artist in Residence at NOSPR Katowice, and held the same position at Radio France from 2019 to 2022.

Recent and upcoming highlights include concerts in venues such as Radio France, Philharmonie de Paris, MÜPA Budapest, Wroclaw's National Forum of Music, Lyon's Auditorium, Warsaw Philharmonie, Moscow Philharmonie, Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Madrid's National Music Auditorium, BOZAR Brussels, Palais Montcalm in Quebec, Bamberg's Konzerthalle, Dresden Philharmonie, Berlin, Cologne, Vienna, Milan cathedrals , as well as with orchestras as the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, or the Odense Symphony Orchestra, under conductors like Myung-Whun Chung, Kent Nagano, Mikko Franck, Fabien Gabel, Giancarlo Guerrero, Cristian Măcelaru and Lawrence Foster.

Karol Mossakowski seeks to keep music alive thanks to improvisation, to which he gives an important role in his recitals and develops in silent film accompaniment. In 2017, his accompaniment of Dreyer's Jeanne d'Arc for Lyon's Festival Lumière was released in DVD on Gaumont.

In 2021 he releases his first solo album Rivages featuring works from Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Liszt connected by improvisations, on Tempéraments, Radio France's label.

As a composer, he is in residence at the Festival de musique sacrée de Saint-Malo, for which he composed "Les Voiles de la Lumière" oratorio for three organs and mixed choir premiered in 2021, as well as "Trois Versets" for three organs, premiered in 2022.

In 2014/15 Karol was appointed Young Artist in Residence at Cathedral of St. Louis King of France in New Orleans (USA).

Karol Mossakowski started the piano and the organ at three years old with his father. After musical studies in Poland with Elżbieta Karolak and Jarosław Tarnawski, he entered the organ, improvisation, and composition classes at the Paris Conservatory as a student of Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Lefebvre.

He is titular organist of Lille's Cathedral, and professor of improvisation at the Higher School of Music in San Sebastián (Musikene).

MONIKA MELCOVÁ

Monica Melcova received her first musical education at the age of five. After her studies at the Conservatoire in Košice, she went on to study at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Michael Radulescu. In 1999, she gradu-ated with the highest distinction and the prize of honour by the Austrian Ministry of Culture and Education.

In the same year, she was accepted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris for postgradual courses "cycle de perfectionnement" with Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard.

In 2002 she was appointed the organist in residence at the Sapporo Concert Hall KITARA, Japan, where she taught master classes, performed in numerous organ recitals at venues like Suntory Hall Tokyo, Metropolitan Art Space, Opera City Hall, Minato Mirai Hall, Niigata Performing Center, Morioka Civic Hall etc.

From 2006 to 2011, she taught at the Gaston Litaize Conservatoire and was also the titular organist at Saint Martin de Champs from 2003 to 2011. Since Septem-ber 2008, she started teaching improvisation at the Music Academy MUSIKENE in San Sebastian www.musikene.net

She has been invited to be a member of jury at prestigious organ competition Concours international de l´orgue - GRAND PRIX DE CHARTRES, Concours de Dudelange in Luxembourg, Weimar Improvisation competition, Concours de Saint Maurice etc.