Hours of Organ Music at St. Aurelius - Johannes Krahl

Conversation with Bach The organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach meets other masterpieces in this concert and relates to them. Bach received musical influences but also influenced many! The concert explores this intricate web. About the artist: Johannes Krahl is a young organist, pianist, and conductor who stands out for his versatility due to his solid training. He has impressively demonstrated his skills in the past with first prizes at the 6th International Competition for the Eberhard-Friedrich-Walcker Prize in Schramberg, the 3rd International Kurt-Boßler Organ Competition in Freiburg, the 22nd International Organ Competition for the Bach Prize in Wiesbaden, the 3rd International Odoyevsky Organ Competition in Moscow, the 8th Northern Ireland International Organ Competition in Armagh, and the 8th International Gottfried-Silbermann Organ Competition in Freiberg. Additionally, he received further awards at the Faszination Orgel competition in Mannheim, the German Music Competition in Bonn, the 4th International Rheinberger Competition in Vaduz, the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition in Berlin, and the 32nd International Organ Competition in St Albans. Johannes Krahl is an alumnus of the German National Academic Foundation. He received important musical influences from his professors Martin Schmeding and Matthias Foremny at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig. Masterclasses with Masaaki Suzuki, Ben van Oosten, Daniel Roth, Olivier Latry, and other significant personalities expanded his musical personality. Numerous concerts have taken Johannes Krahl to important music festivals (Bachfest Leipzig, Silbermanntage Freiberg, Heinrich-Schütz-Musikfest, Merseburger Orgeltage, Hildebrandt-Tage Naumburg, Hamburger Orgelsommer, Lübecker Orgelsommer) as well as to internationally significant instruments (Konzerthaus Berlin, Thomaskirche Leipzig, Wenzelskirche Naumburg, Freiberger Dom, Merseburger Dom, Paderborner Dom, Ulmer Münster, London Westminster Abbey, Cambridge King’s College, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome). In March 2023, his debut CD titled "Elements of Bach" was released by the label ARS Produktion. A year later, he followed up with complete recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's organ concert adaptations at the Gottfried-Silbermann organ of the Dresden Cathedral of Ss. Trinitatis. In the academic year 2024/25, Johannes Krahl taught as a lecturer at the Institute for Church Music and Musicology at the University of Greifswald. Since 2025, he has been engaged as a solo repetiteur with conducting obligations at the Theater Altenburg Gera. Born in Bautzen, his current musical focus is in Leipzig.