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from Tue, 07/23/2024

Competition success for HfMT church musicians

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Enno Gröhn portrait new 3:2
© Christina Körte

Enno GröhnChurch music alumnus (MA) from the organ classes of Prof. Jan Ernst, Prof. Wolfgang Zerer and Prof. Pieter van Djk has won the international competition for organ improvisation in Haarlem in the Netherlands.

Vita
Enno Gröhn was born in Bad Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein in 1996.
Immediately after graduating from high school, he held a full cantor position in Rickling, Schleswig-Holstein at the age of 19. During this time, he performed his own compositions for organ, choir and orchestra, as well as in popular music. In 2018, he began studying church music at the University of Music and Drama in Hamburg in the organ classes of Prof. Wolfgang Zerer, Prof. Jan Ernst and Prof. Pieter van Dijk and choral conducting with Prof. Annedore Hacker-Jakobi. During his studies, he was organist of the district cantor position at St. Petri Church in Buxtehude from 2019-2021 and vacant organist at the main church St. Michaelis in 2021. Enno Gröhn was assistant church musician and organist at the main church of St. Petri from 2021-2023.
In July 2022 he won 1st prize and the audience prize at the Bach Biennale improvisation competition in Weimar. In September 2022, he took 1st place at the Cologne Competition for Organ Improvisation in the Trinitatiskirche. In July, he won 1st prize and the Audience Award at the 18th International Competition for Organ Improvisation in Schwäbsich Gmünd.
In July 2024, he won 1st prize (Piet Kee Award) and the Audience Award at the International Competition for Organ Improvisation in Haarlem.
Since October 2022 he has been a lecturer in organ improvisation at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Herford and from 2023-2024 as a substitute at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen.
From October 2024 he will teach liturgical organ playing and organ improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik und Drama in Hamburg.

The Haarlem International Organ Improvisation Competition is the oldest European competition of its kind for organ improvisation. It has been held since 1951 as part of the International Organ Festival in the Dutch city of Haarlem.
Applicants must send their audio recordings of specified tasks to the organizer in advance. After a pre-selection process, eight participants are invited to Haarlem to perform their skills in several rounds of the competition in front of a prominent international jury. A previous age restriction for applicants was lifted in 2018.
The jury of the International Improvisation Competition 2024 consisted of:
Jean-Baptiste Robin (F)
Berry van Berkum (NL)
Zsigmond Szathmáry (H/D)
Maria Alejandra Castro Espejo (Peru/NL)
Monika Melcová (SK/ES)
Ansgar Wallenhorst (D, Chairman)

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