Competition success for HfMT church musicians

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

Biography
Enno Gröhn was born in 1996 in Bad Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein.
Immediately after graduating from high school, at the age of 19, he took up a full-time position as cantor in Rickling, Schleswig-Holstein. During this time, his own compositions for organ, choir, and orchestra—as well as works in the field of popular music—were performed. In 2018, he began studying church music at the University of Music and Drama in Hamburg, taking organ classes with Prof. Wolfgang Zerer, Prof. Jan Ernst, and Prof. Pieter van Dijk, and choral conducting with Prof. Annedore Hacker-Jakobi. While studying, he served as organist for the district cantor position at St. Petri Church in Buxtehude from 2019 to 2021 and as interim organist at St. Michaelis Main Church in 2021. Enno Gröhn served as church music assistant and organist at St. Petri Main Church from 2021 to 2023.
In July 2022, he won first prize and the audience award at the Bach Biennale Improvisation Competition in Weimar. In September 2022, he took first place at the Cologne Organ Improvisation Competition at the Trinitatiskirche. In July, he won first prize and the Audience Award at the 18th International Organ Improvisation Competition in Schwäbsich Gmünd.
In July 2024, he won first prize (the Piet Kee Award) and the Audience Award at the International Organ Improvisation Competition in Haarlem.
Since October 2022, he has been a lecturer in organ improvisation at the College of Church Music in Herford and, from 2023 to 2024, a substitute lecturer at the University of the Arts in Bremen.
Starting in October 2024, he will teach liturgical organ performance and organ improvisation at the University of Music and Drama in Hamburg.

The Haarlem International Organ Improvisation Competition is the oldest European music competition of its kind dedicated to organ improvisation. It has been held since 1951 as part of the International Organ Festival in the Dutch city of Haarlem.
Applicants must submit audio recordings of assigned pieces to the organizers in advance. After a preliminary selection, eight participants are chosen and invited to Haarlem to showcase their skills in several rounds of the competition before a distinguished international jury. An age restriction that had previously been in place for contestants was lifted in 2018.
The jury for the 2024 International Improvisation Competition 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, Chair)