Category Archives: Non classé

Jean-Philippe MERCKAERT

Born in 1980, Jean-Philippe MERCKAERT began his musical studies in Mons, Belgium. He graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris where he studied with Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard, and earned the first prize in organ. He also obtained his Master’s degree in classical composition at the Royal Conservatory of Mons.

He has won prizes at several international organ competitions, including the second prizes in Freiberg (2007) and Bruges (2009).

In 2003, Merckaert took a year’s sabbatical to become the resident organist at the Sapporo Concert Hall KITARA in Japan. Presently living in Tokyo, he appears regularly in concerts as soloist or with orchestras all over Japan. From 2011 to 2014, he was organist at the Tokorozawa Civic Cultural Center MUSE, and currently at the Nasunogahara Harmony Hall.

Thomas PELLERIN

A native of the Charente, Thomas PELLERIN studied the organ with Olivier Vernet, Jean-Luc Étienne, Éric Lebrun and Johann Vexo, and also studied the harpsichord with Françoise Marmin in Angers. He completed his training at the C.N.S.M.D. in Lyon, brilliantly gaining two Master’s degrees in organ and continuo, studying under François Espinasse, Liesbeth Schlumberger and Yves Rechsteiner.

He is grand prize winner of the Jean-Sébastien Bach competition in Saint-Pierre-les-Nemours (2017) and he has also won the international Renaissance organ competition in Saint-Julien-du-Sault (2013), the Joseph-Bossard competition in Bellelay (Switzerland, 2013) and the Tremplin d’Orgue of Bolbec (2013).

He initiated the Italian Renaissance organ construction project in Saint Cyhard church in Pranzac (Charente) and is founder and artistic director of the Festival “Au gré des Arts”, whose first edition was held in 2011.

He has appeared as soloist in many prestigious venues and festivals (Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Toulouse les Orgues, Festival de Lanvellec, etc.). Thomas Pellerin appears regularly as a continuo player in several ensembles (La Fenice, The Furious Arts, Artemandoline).

In 2013, he participated in the premiere of Gabriel Marghieri’s work “Mainte nuit sans repos” with the composer and the actor Francis Perrin. Thomas Pellerin holds the Certificat d’Aptitude in organ teaching and a Master’s degree in pedagogy. After teaching organ and harpsichord at Roanne Conservatoire, he has been teaching organ at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional in Angers since 2016.

Thomas Pellerin is Organiste Titulaire of the Dangeville/Cavaillé-Coll/Beuchet organ of Saint Maurice Cathedral in Angers since February 2018.

Benjamin-Joseph STEENS

Born in Bonheiden (Belgium), Benjamin-Joseph STEENS studied musicology at the Catholic University of Leuven and at the University of the Sorbonne Paris-IV, where he earned a Master’s degree in 1994. At the same time, the extensive musical formation that he underwent at the Lemmens Institute (Leuven) and at the Conservatory of Orleans led him to the Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris, where his studies were rewarded with several first prizes and diplomas of higher formation in organ (under Michel Bouvard and Olivier Latry), harpsichord (under Pierre Hantai then Olivier Baumont) and basso continuo. In addition, while there, he procured the “Certificat d’Aptitude” for Organ (department of pedagogy, 2004).

His attraction to antique keyboards was enriched by his contact with Jos van Immerseel, with whom he improved at the Antwerp Conservatory. Since that time, he has played more and more clavichord, becoming one of the few contemporary keyboardists to play this instrument in recital and to use it in chamber music (notably with Jacques-Antoine Bresh, traverso).

His natural curiosity for all repertories leads him also to take an interest in the music of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and to collaborate with composers in preparing creations such as the Ricercar for organ, by Bert van Herck, at the Saint Remi Basilica of Rheims on June 11, 2006.

Titular of the Cattiaux great organ in the Saint Remi Basilica of Rheims, he is at the same time the instrument’s curator and also responsible for the Bernard Aubertin organ in Vertus (The Marne), Benjamin-Joseph Steens appears regularly in Europe (Festival de Flandres, Toulouse-les-Orgues, Flâneries Musicales de Reims…) for recitals, chamber music concerts or orchestral productions. His performances are regularly recorded for radio or television. He teaches organ, harpsichord and basso continuo at the National Conservatory of Region of Music and Dance in Rheims and at the conservatory in Levallois (near Paris); his clavichord classes at the Sorbonne University are part of a special Master program dedicated to Early Music.

His discography includes several CDs made ​​for the Label Epr-classic. In 2007 appears the CD / DVD Bach – Buxtehude recorded on the great organs of Saint-Martin de Vertus and Saint-Remi in Rheims. His clavichord recordings: the Goldberg Variations by JS Bach (2010) and Bach and Sons, sonatas for flute and obbligato keyboard of the Bach family with Jacques-Antoine Bresch playing Traverso (2011) won considerable public success, were acclaimed by international critics and especially rewarded with 5 Diapasons in France.

Augustin BELLIOT

Augustin BELLIOT followed musical studies at the National Conservatory of Nantes Region, attending in particular the Violin and Bassoon classes.

Then he was admitted to the Writing classes of the National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris, where he obtained the prizes for Harmony, Counterpoint, Twentieth century Writing and Polyphonies of the Renaissance. These studies in Paris allowed him to benefit from contact with musical personalities such as Marc-André Dalbavie, Thierry Escaich and Olivier Trachier. He took the opportunity to study in the same establishment other disciplines, such as Orchestration, Tuning and Temperaments, Treaties of early music, Ethnomusicology, Organology and Iconography. The Diploma in Higher Writing Training is awarded to him with the mention Very Good.

Organist and harmonium player who started out as a self-taught artist, he then decided to train with Frédéric Desenclos from 2004 to 2007. He performed in chamber groups as well as in recital, and regularly heard his art harmonium Couty & Richard (1870) restored by him.

Augustin Belliot is a composer. He started composing at a young age, especially at the start of pieces for liturgical use linked to his organist activity. He is the author of vocal and instrumental works for diverse numbers, ranging from the soloist to the symphonic orchestra with choirs. His music reflects his tastes for symbolism in general, ancient counterpoint, and work on special intervals.

His desire to share music with as many people as possible has led him in recent years to give several cycles of conferences accessible to all, by willingly bringing together different artistic disciplines. This desire was also materialized by the creation of the association “Les Orgues dans nos Campagnes” which he chairs in the department of Cher.

Augustin Belliot is professor of Musical Culture and Composition at the Bourges Departmental Conservatory.

Hendrik BURKARD

The young organist Hendrik BURKARD studies at Paris conservatory in the class of Michel Bouvard and Olivier Latry. He has won the Organ competition of Toulouse 2017 (Xavier Darasse)ex-aequo“ and the Boellmann-Gigout competition in Strasbourg 2019.

Born 1996 in Cologne, Burkard received his first organ-lessons at the age of 9. In 2010 he entered the organ-class of Johannes Geffert at “Musikhochschule Köln“.

5 years later he become a student at the conservatory of Paris where in 2018 he obtained his Bachelor degree with the highest possible note.

Hendrik Burkard currently studies improvisation under Thierry Escaich and Lazzlo Fassang and continues his Master-studies in the class of M. Bouvard and O. Latry.

Apart from his solo-classes Burkard studies the art of “basso-continuo” in the class of Thierry Maeder.

During his studies he also had opportunity to work with other famous artists including Louis Robilliard (Lyon) and Nicolas Kynaston.

Olivier MAINGUY

Born in Nantes, Olivier MAINGUY studied piano and then entered the Conservatoire National de Région de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés in the organ class of Gaston Litaize.

His studies of organ, musical training and writing were crowned by the highest awards: in 1986, a First Prize of Honor unanimously at the UFAM International Organ Competition; in 1987, a Gold Medal for organ unanimously as well as a Gold Medal for musical training; in 1990, a First Prize for organ (Superior Level 2) and a Gold Medal for musical writing, first named, in the class of Pierre Doury. This allowed him to receive the SACEM’s Special Prize.

He continued his harmony studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the class of Jean-Claude Raynaud, where he obtained, in 1992, his Diploma of Musical Writing with honors.

He then began a career as a liturgical organist, concert performer and teacher: in 1987, he became titular organist of the great organ of the Saint-Louis church in Port-Marly (78) until 2006.

In 1996, after passing the competitive examination, he became professor of music education for the City of Paris.

Since 2002, he has held the Parisian professional card of “Artiste Musicien des Cultes“.

In 2005, Olivier Mainguy was appointed organist of the Great Organs of the Cathedral of Saint-Etienne de Meaux (77), a position he held until 2017.

His training with Gaston Litaize also allowed him to develop a musical sense well adapted to the accompaniment of sacred song.

As a concert performer, Olivier Mainguy has had the opportunity to perform, notably in prestigious venues, during concerts or recitals in France (Paris, Chartres, Reims, Saverne,..) or abroad (Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland,…).

As a teacher, Olivier Mainguy attaches great importance to the transmission of his passion for music to young people.
In this regard, with other teachers and in partnership with the Academy of Paris, he has been actively collaborating for several years with the association Le Paris des Orgues and the Claude Monet College in the preparation of concerts with the students. The goal is to make the children, accompanied by the organ, actors of the music and to make known this instrument to the school public in Parisian places rich in history and heritage.

He received in 2019 the Medal of Honor of the City of Paris, as part of the promotion ’14 July 2017′.

Anna HOMENYA

Organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, Anna Homenya was awarded the First Prize for organ and harpsichord at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg in 2013. She completed her PhD (musicology) in 2013, with a book on the Symphonies of A. Bruckner.

She participated in master classes of H.Fagius, M.Bouvard, L.Robilliard, W.Zerer, H.Davidsson, P.Van Dijk (organ) and C.Stembridge, C.Rousset, A.Staier, S.Sempé (harpsichord).

In 2017 she finished her studies at the CRR of Paris in the organ class of Christophe Mantoux and in the harpsichord class of Noëlle Spieth.
Anna Homenya was among the five finalists of prestigious organ competitions in Luxembourg (Dudelange) in September 2017.

She performs in concerts in places like the Academic Chapel in St. Petersburg, Church of St. Severin, St. Gervais, St. Augustin, des Billettes in Paris, Marienkirche in Stralsund (Germany).

Since 2018 she is a member of the baroque music ensemble “Quadrivium” as an accompanist (organ and harpsichord continuo). The ensemble was in partnership with the Musée des Arts et Métiers for the 2018-2019 season and proposed a program of four concerts on the subject “Compositrices en lumière”.

Anna Homenya founded “The Show of Hands” – a harpsichord duo with harpsichordist Tatsiana Khalevo in 2017. Their first concert program in Minsk Philharmonic (Belarus) was devoted to F. Couperin and French music.
With Camille Déruelle they play four hands and four feet at the Festival “Les Heures d’orgue” (summer 2019) in Annecy or in Paris (Festival “Komm, Bach” in February 2020).

In May 2019 she participated in the opening concert of the festival “Paris les Orgues”. In November 2019 Anna played at the organ festival “La musica del cielo” in Elche (Spain).

Anna Homenya teaches piano, organ and music theory at the Russian School of Arts in Paris. In the summer of 2019 she was a guest organ teacher at the University of St.Andrews (Scotland) during “Organ Week”.
She made her UK debut with the concert in Leven on a historic organ by August Gern, disciple of A.Cavaillé-Coll.

The beginning of 2020 was marked by the release of a CD (Naxos) with works for harp and organ and orchestra by Boris Tishchenko (1939-2010).

Anna Homenya is currently organist at the Sankt-Albert church and at the Billettes church in Paris.

Tom RIOULT

Tom RIOULT was born in 1997; he was six years old when he took his first music lessons at the regional Conservatory in Caen.

He starts learning to play the trombone in the class of Jan-Louis Basset, later, he is taking in parallel organ lessons in the class of Erwan Le Prado .

2015 he passed his A-levels at the Conservatory, section ‘music and dance’ as well as the trombonist diploma in the class of Clément Carpentier.

2017 he obtained the organ diploma (in Mai) as well as the A-levels in music analysis in June the same year.

Today he is entirely dedicated to completing his musical professional training, studying organ with Erwan Le Prado and Saki Aoki, deepening his practical knowledge in improvisation, and at the same time in music theory: composing and history of music.

In the frame of this studies Tom Rioult has already taken part in some international competitions: In March 2016 he won the First Prize at the ‘International Kurt – Bossler Organ Competition’ in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), in August 2017 he was awarded the Second Prize at the International Organ Competition in Armagh (Ireland).
In July 2019, he won the second prize in the Saint Albans International Organ Competition ‘Interpreting’ (England).

Tom Rioult has given several concerts on organs in the northern part of France: e.g. in Caen on the instruments in the churches St. Peter and St. John, in the “Abbey aux Hommes” dedicated to St. Etienne, in Notre-Dame-Church in Vire, in Vimoutiers and Evrecy, in the cathedrals of Bayeux and Lisieux; he has also been invited to play during several festivals in Falaise (Notre-Dame de Guibray), in Argentan…..

Yanis DUBOIS

Yanis Dubois is 25 years old. He took his first organ lessons with Anne Dumontet at the local music school in Lisieux. In 2009, he went to Caen to continue his studies at the Conservatory with Erwan Le Prado and Saki Aoki, being awarded the organ prize with honours, graded „very good“. Afterwards, he completed his studies with Constance Himelfarb in composition, harmony, improvisation, basso continuo, history of music and analysis.

In June 2018 he graduated from the Sorbonne with a Bachelor’s degree in musicology and a Bachelor’s degree as organist (interpretation), both rated “very good”.

During his studies he took part in master classes with well known teachers: Olivier Houette, François Espinasse, Thierry Escaich, Michel Chapuis and Wolfgang Zerer, and also in Denmark at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Hans Davidsson and Byne Bryndorf.

He has given various concerts on organs in the northern part of France: in Caen, Lisieux, Vire and Coutances, and the public could listen to him during festivals in Gisors and the Abbey of Lucerne d’Outremer, at Notre-Dame de Guibray in Falaise, in Argentan, and even in London.

2015 he won the Third Prize as well as the Bach-Prize at the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition , in 2016 he was awarded the Second Prize at the ‚Pierre de Manchicourt’ Organ Competition taking place in Béthune and St.Omer (Northern France).

In September 2017, he successfully passed the entry exams to the Master’s degree at the Lyon Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSMD), studying in the classes of François Espinasse and Liesbeth Schlumberger.

On June 23rd 2019, at the International ‚Olivier Messiaen’ Organ Competition in Lyon (17 candidates), Yanis Dubois is awarded the Third Prize and ‘Prize for the best interpretation of the new work’.