HfMT church musician wins organ improvisation prize

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Enno Gröhn, a student of church music at the HfMT in the class of Prof. Jan Ernst, has won first prize in the organ improvisation competition in Weimar.

The BACH BIENNALE WEIMAR / Improvisation & Competition was announced this year for the first time as an international online competition for organ improvisation. The online organ improvisation competition is open to young organists from all over the world. All applicants under the age of 35 at the time of registration were eligible to take part. Prizes were awarded by a five-member international jury based on the videos submitted. In addition to the cash prizes, the winners of the online competition will be invited to a public concert on Friday, July 8 during the BACH BIENNALE WEIMAR, where they will be asked to improvise spontaneously on audience topics. An audience prize will also be awarded during the concert.

Vita
Enno Gröhn was born in Bad Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein in February 1996. He grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano at the age of 6. This was later followed by drums, bass, guitar and other instruments, many popular music experiences and choir singing until he finally learned to love the organ at the age of 16.
Immediately after graduating from high school, he was able to take up a full cantor position in Rickling in Schleswig-Holstein at the age of 19. He also performed his own compositions for organ, choir and orchestra, as well as in popular music.
Improvisation and liturgical organ playing became his musical foundation during these years.
In 2018, he began studying church music at the University of Music and Drama in Hamburg in the organ class of Prof. Wolfgang Zerer, Prof. Jan Ernst and choral conducting with Prof. Annedore Hacker-Jakobi. He has been teaching there himself as a tutor for organ improvisation and liturgical organ playing since 2022.
During his studies, he became vacant organist and assistant for the district cantor position at St. Petri Church in Buxtehude in 2019 and vacant organist at the main church St. Michaelis in 2021. Enno Gröhn has been church music assistant at the main church of St. Petri in Hamburg and director of the Collegium vocale since October 2021