Jury
Michel Bouvard(chair)
Over the past thirty years, Michel Bouvard has enjoyed a remarkable dual career as a concert artist and professor of organ. Internationally recognized as one of the most captivating French interpreters, he is regularly invited to perform on the most beautiful historic organs throughout Europe, as well as in the great concert halls of Asia and prominent venues in North America. He has given more than 1000 concerts in more than 25 countries.
Michel Bouvard is indebted to his grandfather, organist and composer Jean Bouvard, a student of Louis Vierne, for inspiring him in his vocation. Michel received his early training at the Paris Conservatory (musicianship classes), studying organ and improvisation in the class of André Isoir. He also studied with the renowned organists of St. Severin in Paris: Jean Boyer, Francis Chapelet and Michel Chapuis. In 1983, he marked the inception of his career by winning the first prize in the international organ competition of Toulouse. Called by Xavier Darasse to succeed him in the direction of the organ class at the Toulouse Conservatory in 1985, he pursued Darasse’s vision of partnership and collaboration with the city and region by organizing concerts, organ tours, masterclasses and the international organ competition alongside colleague Jan Willem Jansen. These efforts culminated in 1996 in the creation of the international organ festival Toulouse les Orgues.
Michel Bouvard served as a professor of organ at the CNSM of Paris from 1995 to 2021, alongside his colleague and friend Olivier Latry. Together they developed an original pedagogical collaboration that has attracted students from all over the world to Paris. In 2013, he was invited to join the organ faculty of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York, where he served as a professor in residence for the fall semester. He completed teaching residencies at Yale University in November 2015, and at the National University of the Arts in Tokyo in 2016.
Michel Bouvard has held the position of titular organist of the renowned Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Romanesque Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse since 1996. In 2010, he was appointed one of the four principal organists of the Chapel Royal at the Château in Versailles.
Andrzej Białko
Andrzej Białko graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków, where he studied organ with Joachim Grubich. He received first prizes in the International Organ Competition in Rome (1981) and the National Organ Competition In Bydgoszcz-Gdańsk (1985). He took part in most Polish organ festivals and performed also in most European countries, as well as in Lebanon and the Americas.
Andrzej Białko has been active as a teacher, serving as a professor at the Organ Department at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków and the Władysław Żeleński State School of Music in Kraków. His Kraków and Wrocław performance of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach in the jubilee year 2000, as well as his Kraków series “Ars organ”, an anthology of organ music of the 16th–20th centuries in 20 concerts, have won great acclaim. His diverse and ever-expanding repertoire embraces all styles, including complete organ works of Buxtehude, Bruhns, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Franck, Liszt and Brahms. Many of his recordings have made significant contributions to the archives of the Polish Radio (Channel 2). He has recorded 30 CDs.
The Minister of Art and Culture awarded him the silver (2006) and gold (2020) medals “Gloria Artis”. Between 2016 and 2020, Andrzej Białko served as Vice Rector at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Musić. Since 2020, he has held the positions of Head of the Organ Department and Director of the Doctoral School.
Eva Bublová
Eva Bublová, an accomplished organist and harpsichordist, pursued her organ studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under the tutelage of Jaroslav Tůma. She then continued at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon (France), studying under Jean Boyer.
She won several international organ competitions, including the Prague Spring in 1999 and the Gottfried Silbermann International Organ Competition in Freiberg (Germany) in 2001. In 2002, she was a finalist in the Royal Bank Calgary International Organ Festival and Competition.
Eva Bublová has performed in Europe, Japan and Canada, and recorded her music with the Czech, Slovak and Luxembourgish radios. Notably, she released an organ CD titled “Les Fresques” and authored a harpsichord publication titled “The Names of Compositions by Clavecinists”, showcasing her translation skills.
Having dedicated 20 years to a French parish in Prague and 16 years to the academic parish of the Most Holy Salvator, Bublová also taught organ and harpsichord at the Conservatory in České Budějovice and Teplice.
Currently, she holds the position of professor of organ at the Prague Conservatory.
Wolfgang Kogert
Wolfgang Kogert is an organist at the Vienna Hofburgkapelle, curator of the organ at the ORF RadioKulturhaus Vienna and teacher of organ at the Mozarteum University Salzburg.
In 2006, he won the 1st prize at the Musica Antiqua Bruges organ competition. In 2013, he became an Artist in Residence at the Cité des Arts in Paris. He regularly collaborates with contemporary composers, including Friedrich Cerha, Jean-Pierre Leguay and Younghi Pagh-Paan, and leading orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Beyond his performance career, Wolfgang Kogert is actively involved in the field, contributing articles to journals and consulting for organ-building projects. His concert activities span a wide range of venues, including prestigious events like Bachfest Leipzig, orgel-mixturen at Sankt Peter Köln and Hildebrandt-Tage in Naumburg. He has performed at various international stages, including Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, Riga, Brussels, and other prominent locations.
Karel Martínek
Karel Martínek was born and lives in Olomouc. Here he first studied mathematics and physics at the Faculty of Science at Palacký University, and later at the Faculty of Arts in musicology. V 2004 - 2009 he studied organ at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno under Karel Pokora. Already during his studies at the Academy he actively participated in a number of performance courses led by leading Susan Landale, Martin Sander, Günther Kaunzinger, Julian Gembalski, Reitze Smits, Thomas Ospital, Olivier Latry, etc. He has also participated in several performance and improvisation competitions (Prague Spring, Schwäbisch Gmünd). In 2014 he started private study of improvisation under Philippe Lefebvre, titular organist of the cathedral Notre-Dame in Paris. In addition to performing a wide range of organ literature, Karel Martínek is also an improviser. In this field he is now considered a leading figure in Czech organ music. Martínek also taught organ improvisation at the Church Conservatory from 2007 to 2009. Opava. He is currently teaching organ at the Conservatory of the Evangelical Academy in Olomouc. From 1994 to 2008 he worked as organist at St. Wenceslas Cathedral in Olomouc. From 2009 to 2019 he was organist of the St. Moritz Cathedral in Olomouc, where he had the famous instrument Michael Engler. Since 2020 he is again the organist of the Olomouc Cathedral, where he is also the new organist as regensor. Since 2011 he has been involved in the organisation of the International Organ Festival Olomouc, organised by Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra as its dramaturge. Karel Martínek regularly collaborates with important musical ensembles such as the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra Zlín, Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, Žerotín Academic Choir, Campanella Choir, etc. He has recorded several CDs for Czech and American Czech and Czech universities, and has contributed musically to some documentary films for the University of Palacký University. In addition to organ performance and improvisation, he is also a composer. In addition to compositions for solo organ, he has composed several works for piano and works for choir and orchestra, some of which have been prizes at composition competitions. Recent achievements include promotion to the top three compositions for the new organ of Prague Cathedral.
Karel Martínek performs at home and abroad (Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Lebanon, Israel). As part of his concert tours he has performed in major European churches, such as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Turin Cathedral, Antwerp and Ghent Cathedrals, St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, etc.
Bernadetta Šuňavská
During her studies in Bratislava, Freiburg and Stuttgart, Bernadetta Šuňavská has ascended to the pinnacle of the performing arts.
In addition to acquiring numerous certificates and awards in international organ competitions across Europe, she captivates audiences with her originality, virtuosity, sensitivity, and unwavering artistic profile. Recognized as a highly acclaimed organ virtuoso, she is the epitome of professionalism, delivering unforgettable and vibrant renditions of organ compositions that elicit enthusiastic reactions from audiences.
Her excellence extends beyond traditional organ performances, garnering praise in the professional press for her transcriptions of orchestral works and premieres of contemporary compositions. She recently commanded the stage at the Philharmonic in Essen, Germany, presenting Niccolò Castiglioni’s monumental piece “Sinfonie guerriere et amorose”.
In addition to organ and piano, Bernadetta has also studied historical instruments and the harpsichord. This diverse musical background enables her to interpret works spanning all styles, reaching back to the Middle Ages.
Her recorded performances and CDs, released through labels like Naxos, Organum Classics and Südwestrundfunk, showcase her artistry. Bernadetta regularly collaborates with Slovak Radio and Television, as well as Czech Radio. She is also a sought-after guest on the concert stages of major international festivals.
Erwin Wiersinga
Erwin Wiersinga studied at the Conservatory in Groningen under Wim van Beek and earned the Performer’s Diploma in organ with distinction. He also obtained the Performer's Diploma in piano. He taught organ at the Universität der Künste in Berlin from 1997 to 2019 and has been teaching at the Prins Claus Conservatoire in Groningen since 2009.
In 2014, he was appointed as titular organist at the famous Arp Schnitger organ in Groningen alongside Leo van Doeselaar. Erwin regularly gives concerts in the Netherlands and other European countries, and has performed in Korea, China, Japan and the USA. He has produced radio and award-winning CD recordings on important historical organs in Germany, Holland and Belgium.
In 2006, Erwin was a soloist at the Berliner Staatsoper in the opera Doktor Faust under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. He is active in various professional orchestras, and since 2007, he has frequently played with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, working with conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Ricardo Chailly, Ivan Fischer and others. In 2016, he performed at the American premiere of Theatrum Bestiarium by Detlef Glanert with the Concertgebouw Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York.
As a guest professor, Erwin has been invited to teach at several European conservatories, as well as in Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul.