The second International Martini Organ Competition Groningen (IMOCG) will take place July 31–August in Groningen, the Netherlands. After the first competition in 2017, plans were made for this to become a biennial event, alternating with the other major organ event in Groningen, the Schnitger Festival. The second competition was to take place in 2020, but it had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic. Registration for the 2022 competition is open to organists under the age of 35 from all over the world.
The jury consists of Éric Lebrun (France), Pier Damiano Peretti (Italy), Reitze Smits (the Netherlands), Jean-Claude Zehnder (Switzerland), and Nathan Laube (United States). The jurors will also present concerts on the historic organs in Groningen. The competition will feature five instruments: the Martinikerk organ by Schnitger, the recently restored Timpe organ in the Nieuwe Kerk, the Baroque-style organ built by Edskes in the Lutherse Kerk, the Schnitger organ in the Pelstergasthuiskerk, and the Schnitger organ in Der Aa-kerk.
The competition week will include concerts, masterclasses, and organ excursions. For the second round of the competition in the Lutherse Kerk, participants will demonstrate their talent for ensemble playing. The Edskes organ (a reconstruction of the Schnitger organ that once stood in the church) has a free-standing continuo manual, which positions the organist between the other musicians. Participants will play an organ concerto, accompanied by the strings of the Luthers Bach Ensemble.
Deadline for application is March 15.
For information: imocg.nl.
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