The jury of the International Organ Festival Haarlem has awarded the prize in the 49th International Organ Improvisation Competition in Haarlem to Frenchman Paul Goussot, who also won the audience prize. The final round took place July 20 in St. Bavo’s in Haarlem. The three finalists—Noël Hazebroucq (France), Edyta Müller (Poland), and Paul Goussot—were given the theme one hour before their performance; a pencil and paper were their only means of preparation. The theme was written for the occasion by Viennese organist Peter Planyavsky, former organist of the Cathedral of St. Stephen and teacher at the Musikhochschule.
Earlier in the week, eight contestants improvised on the Müller organ in St. Bavo’s on an old Flemish song; on the Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Philharmonie they improvised after watching a 90-second film commissioned for the occasion. The international jury consisted of Lionel Rogg, Naji Hakim, Wolfgang Seifen, Joost Langeveld, and Klaas de Vries; the chairman was Stephen Taylor.
Paul Goussot is titular organist at the Dom Bedos organ in the Abbey of St. Croix in Bordeaux. He won prizes at international competitions in St. Albans, Bruges, Saint-Maurice, and Luxembourg. He has performed at such locations as Notre Dame in Paris, the Royal Chapel of Versailles, and the festivals of Comminges, Magadino, and Dudelange. On the establishment of a joint program by the Cathedral of St. Louis in New Orleans and the Paris Conservatory in 2009, Goussot became the cathedral’s first Young Artist in Residence.
The International Organ Improvisation Competition is a key event in the International Organ Festival Haarlem. The next International Organ Festival Haarlem will take place July 11–26, 2014.
