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Saturday, 02 February, 2019
Church of the College du Sacré Cœur – Gemmayzeh – Beirut
Originally from southwest France, Frédéric Blanc discovered music at very young age, and began improvising on piano and pipe
organ. After his studies at the Conservatories of Toulouse and Bordeaux, he continued perfecting his art, becoming a devoted disciple of notable French organists André Fleury, Marie-Claire Alain, and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé.
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Winner of several international competitions (the Grand Prix de Chartres, 2nd prize, 1996; and the Grand Prize of the Paris International Organ Competition, 1997), he now has a career as an international concert artist, performing recitals as a solo artist or with orchestra. Blanc also participates in and leads radio broadcasts, conferences, and master classes throughout Europe and the United States (most recently at the Royal Academy of Music, London) on the subjects of French music and the art of improvisation. Among the American institutions where he has given master classes are Valparaiso University (Indiana), Stanford University (California), Hope College (Holland, Michigan), Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois), Southern Methodist University (Dallas), and the Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia).
He is regularly invited as a guest performer by a number of international organ festivals: Bonn, Chartres, Roquevaire, Toulouse-les-Orgues, Rome, Monaco.
Frédéric Blanc is a member of the Organ Commission for the City of Paris, and a member of the Commission for non-protected organs [not historically classified by the French State] for the Director of Music for the French Ministry of Culture.
He has recorded for Motette, EMI, Aeolus, and Baroque Notes, specializing in the French organ school as well as the French art of improvisation, and has received critical acclaim by music critics in many countries.
He is the author of a study of the life and works of André Fleury (L’Orgue-cahiers et mémoires), and a monumental work dedicated to the memoirs and writings of Maurice Duruflé (Editions Séguier, Paris), as well as reconstructions of a number of the improvisations of Pierre Cochereau (Editions Butz).
He has served as titular organist of the great Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Church of Notre-Dame d’Auteuil, Paris.
Sunday, 03 February, 2019
Assembly Hall of the American University of Beruit
Monday, 04 February, 2019
Tripoli – El Mina – St. Francis’ Church (Terra Santa)
Roman Perucki graduated in 1985 from the Music Academy in Gdansk in the organ class of Leon Bator. He is currently the organ teacher at the same academy, as well as other music institutions.
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He is the principal organist at the cathedral of Gdansk Oliwa, and the president’s counsellor of Gdansk City for organ music. He is managing director at the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, president of “Musica Sacra” Society, and president of the Society of Friends of the Cathedral of Gdansk Oliwa. He also contributed to building new organs in Gdansk and its neighborhood. Perucki is the manager of the International Organ Music Festival in the Cathedral of Oliwa, the International J.P. Sweelinck
Competition in Gdansk, as well as other international organ- music events. He is a member of the jury of International Organ
Competitions in Kaltern (Italy), Opava (Czech Republik), Kaliningrad (Russia), Paris (France), and Poland. So far, Perucki has performed over 2000 concerts around the world: solo recitals, chamber orchestras, symphony orchestras, as well as duets with his wife Maria Perucka (violinist). He performed in almost all European countries, Russia, Japan, Canada, USA and Australia. He also leads several master-classes in Poland, Portugal, Mexico, Russia and France.
He has recorded for many international labels, as well as for Polish TV and Radio. He was awarded the Culture Prize from Ministry of Culture, in addition to many awards from the authorities of the Gdansk, as well as the highest Vatican’s distinction “Pro ecclesiae et pontifice”.
Tuesday, 05 February, 2019
O-Club Antelias
Matthias Bublath is a pianist, organist and composer/arranger. He has performed around the world at festivals and events such as the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Kora Awards Johannesburg (South Africa) and The Kennedy Center Of The Performing Arts (Washington DC) to name a few. He has toured extensively in the US, Europe and Japan playing piano, organ and keys with his own group and a lot of different bands.
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Being a versatile keyboardist he is also in full command of the Hammond B3 organ and performs regularly with his organ trio and a bassless funk quartet.He has performed with Lenny Picket, Mike Clark Lionel Loueke, Bobby Sanabria, Frank Lacy, Candido Camero, Reuben Wilson and others.
Besides his Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Funk influences Matthias is also a specialist for brazilian and afro-cuban piano styles and always searching for new ways to play.
He has released eight CD’s as a leader so far. Quoted by dailies and magazines, he is esteemed by national
and foreign musical personalities.
Wednesday, 06 February, 2019
Saint Anthony Monastery – Harissa
Born in La Spezia in 1962, Ferruccio Bartoletti began his music studies with Mario Fiorentini and Martha Del Vecchio, obtaining his diploma with distinction in Organ and Organ Composition under the guidance of Giancarlo Parodi at the “Cesare Pollini” Conservatory of Padua, and perfecting his skills in Denmark with Knud Vad, and in France with René Saorgin.
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He is an internationally famous concert player who has given over 800 recitals. Besides Italy, Bartoletti regularly performs in the most important cathedrals, churches and concert rooms all over Europe. He performed with orchestra in the Philarmonie im Gasteig (Munich) and Neuen Gewandhaus (Leipzig), where he recorded the third symphony of Saint-Saëns, conducted by Fabio Luisi. He recorded for Bottega Discantica and Bongiovanni, music by Bach, Buxtedhude, as well as improvised performances.
Alongside his normal concert performances as an organist, he has dedicated himself to the reconstruction of soundtracks for 1920s cinema films by Italian and foreign filmmakers, re-proposing the traditional early 20th-century figure of the improvising accompanist. Again as an improviser, for over 10 years, Bartoletti was a member of the “Ensemble Katharsis”, with whom he won the selections for the prestigious American Grammy Awards, thanks to the record “Vesprae”.
From 1994 to 2003, he was the Artistic Director of the Festival internazionale d’organo of Marina di Carrara. Since 1991,
he has been the artistic director of the “César Franck” Musical Association.
He is a consultant for the restoration of the antique organs present in Liguria and northern Tuscany. Currently he is the
artistic director of the project “Il suono del tempo-antichi organi”, the Festival Internazionale di Musica 5terre, and the Festival Organistico Apuano.
He taught organ and Gregorian chant at the Conservatories of Como, Latina, and La Spezia. Since 2003 he has been the teacher of Organ and Harmony at the Scuola Diocesana di Musica Sacra of Massa Carrara-Pontremoli. For three consecutive years (2001-2003) he held a master class on Baroque Organ Literature at Altenfelden (Austria). From 2001 to 2003 he held a course in organ literature and improvisation at the Accademia Europea d’Organo of Castel Coldrano (Bozen). In 2015 he began the entertaining project “BMV”, concert/lessons on the organ works of J.S. Bach, at the church of Sacro Cuore, La Spezia. In 2016 he was appointed resident organist of the Cathedral of Massa by the Bishop of the
Massa Carrara/Pontremoli diocese.
Thursday, 07 February, 2019
Basilica Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse – Achrafieh – Beruit
Juan Paradell Solé, is the main Organist of the “Sistine” Musical Pontifical Chapel Choir and as such performs regularly at the Liturgical Celebrations conducted by Pope at Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He also plays at the concert events of the “Sistine” Pontifical Musical Chapel, and is the distinguished lifetime first Organist of Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore of Rome as well.
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Paradell Solé is Professor of Organ and Gregorian chant at the “L. Refice” Music Conservatory in Frosinone. He is Honorary President of the Association “Settembre Organistico Fabrianese,” and Honorary President of the Association “Les Amis de l’Orgue Merklin d’Obernai” (Alsace).
Born in Igualada (Barcelona), Spain, he started his musical studies with the Gregorianist P. Albert Foix. He studied organ with Professor Montserrat Torrent at the Barcelona Music Conservatory.
In 1973 he moved to Rome (then obtaining Italian citizenship) to follow Organ studies and composition with Professor Monsignor V. Miserachs. Following his graduation in Rome he spent three years of specialization in Germany with Professor G. Kaunzinger.
He has an intense concert schedule throughout Europe, Russia, USA, South America and Syria, participating in important international Organ Festivals. He has recorded for the Italian National Radio and TV, the Vatican radio, the German radio of Berlin, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Radio S. Paulo of Brazil and Catalunya Music. He has also performed on Italian and Spanish TV programs. Along with the “Polifonisti Romani” choir he made two CDs of L. Perosi and V. Miserachs music. He also recorded a duet organ CD under the French label Pamina, other recording for Elle DiCi and several CDs/DVDs with the “Sistine” Musical Pontifical Chapel Choir.
Friday, 08 February, 2019
Church of Notre Dame de Louaize Zouk Mosbeh
Download the program
Born in Hungary, Zita Nauratyill’s earliest classes in piano and organ were at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music and then at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Her teachers there included Gábor Eckhardt, Imre Hargitai, Zsuzsa Elekes, János Pálúr and László Fassang.
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Since 2013 she has been studying organ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Prof. Martin Haselböck, while also studying the piano with Prof. Otto Probst at the Musik und Kunst private University in Vienna. In June 2017 she played the second exam of the diploma curriculum in organ with distinction. In January 2018 she completed her bachelor exam on the piano, also with distinction.
Zita has taken part in numerous masterclasses with internationally acclaimed organists and pianists such as Christoph
Bossert, Jean-Claude Zehnder, Kimberly Marshall, Zsigmond Szathmáry, Michael Radulescu, Michel Bouvard, Balázs Szokolay, Tamás Ungár, Rita Wagner, Christopher Hinterhuber und Jan Jiracek von Arnim.
As a solo recitalist on the piano and the organ, but also in chamber music formations or with orchestra she has played
in prestigious concert venues in Hungary and abroad such as the Palace of arts in Budapest, the Budapest Music Center, in Germany, Poland, Malta, and the United Kingdom.
Zita’s most notable and latest concerts were in the Schottenkirche in Vienna, in the Radiokulturhaus, this concert was
also recorded and later transmitted by the channel Ö1, the culture and education channel of the ORF. in the St. Michael’s Church in Hamburg, Germany, in Roermond, Netherlands, and in Arezzo, Italy.
A competitor in several recent international organ competitions, she was a finalist in the St Albans Organ Competition in 2015, where she was awarded the Paul Patterson Prize for the best performance of the commissioned work “Volcano” by Paul Patterson as well as the Audience Prize. In 2017, she won a first prize and five special prizes at the X. Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad (Russia).
In 2016, Zita was awarded the prestigious Tokyo Foundation Scholarship.
In 2017 she was involved in a CD production of the department for equality and gender studies of the University. She recorded for the first time the Messe pour deux voix égales, Op.167 by Cécile Chaminade.
Zita will make her debut as a soloist in the Konzerthaus in Vienna in June 2019.
Sunday, 10 February, 2019
The National Evangelical Church of Beruit – Downtown Beruit
Ulrich Walther (born in 1980) studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart (Germany), where he achieved degrees in Church music, diplomas in concert performance and music education, magister in school music. During that time his professors were Ludger Lohmann (organ), Dieter Kurz (Conducting) and Hans-Martin Corrinth, Willibald Bezler and Jürgen Essl (Improvisation).
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He took part in organ master classes with Lorenzo Ghielmi, Daniel Roth, Hans-Ola Ericcson, David Sanger, Heinz Wunderlich, Gerhard Weinberger, Jon Laukvik.
He been awarded several prizes: First prize of the International Organ Competition in Korschenbroich (Germany) 2005; Second prize and special award for the commissioned modern piece of Thomas Daniel Schlee at the International Organ Competition in Graz (Austria) 2006; Second prize of the International Organ competition in Heidenheim (Germany) 2006; First prize and audience prize at the International Organ Festival in St.Albans (GB) 2007; First prize and Messiaen-prize at the Bach-Liszt-competition in Erfurt-Weimar-Merseburg 2008; Scholarship of the “Deutscher Musikrat” 2008, where he was taken up in the federal selection “Konzerte junger Künstler.”
From October 2008 until 2010 he taught as a guest professor organ, improvisation and figured bass at the Kunstuniversität in Graz (Austria). Since October 2010 he works regularly as a professor in Graz. Walther is also active as a guest-lecturer at master-classes and a jury member in international organ competitions.
Recent performances of his concert schedule include:
Nürnberger Orgelwoche ION, Thüringer Bachwochen, Bodensee Musikfestival, Oberstdorfer Kunstsommer, Organ Festival Oviedo, Orgelfestival Bergamo, St.Albans, Los Angeles St.James’ Episcopal Church, Wormser Dom, Chartres Cathedral, Stadthalle Wuppertal, Edinbourgh St.Giles, Birmingham Townhall, St.Bavo Haarlem, Moskau Cathedrale, St.Petersburg Capella, Frederiksborg Castle, Trinitatiskirke Kopenhagen.
In 2010 he released his first CD mit Bach-arrangements by Max Reger, recorded at the historic Sauer-organ in Bremen Dom. Upcoming projects for 2016 include the first recording of the complete transcriptions for organ by Max Reger.
