The Competitors 2009

The preselection of Kotka International Organ Competition 2009 was held in December 2008. The following organists were chosen as competitors:
 

 

Ryan Enright (Canada, b. 1979) hails from Montreal, where he began studying the organ at age thirteen with Marc-André Doran, then with Gaston Arel and Jean LeBuis. He received the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees as well as the Artist Diploma in organ performance from McGill University, the first two under John Grew and the last under William Porter. Enright is enthusiastic about organ improvisation, which he has studied in master classes with Hancock, Escaich, Brandmüller, and, more regularly, William Porter. Enright received first prizes in the RCCO National Organ Playing Competition (2007), the Quebec Organ Competition (2004) and the Canadian Music Competition in the category “19 years and under” (1998) and competed in the Dublin’s Pipeworks International Organ Competition (2008). Since 2007, Enright is pursuing the Doctorate of Musical Arts with William Porter at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY. He plays continuo for the Collegium Musicum and is organist of Gates Presbyterian Church.

Matthias Havinga (The Netherlands, b. 1983) studied organ at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jacques van Oortmerssen. He acquired his Master of Music degree “cum laude” and with highest possible distinction by playing a concert at the Müller-organ (1738) of the St Bavo, Haarlem. In addition he holds a triple Bachelor of Music degree in organ, piano and church music studies. He participated in master classes by outstanding organists such as Gustav Leonhardt, Jean Boyer, Kevin Bowyer, Joris Verdin and Edoardo Bellotti. Havinga was awarded prices and stipendia at various international competitions. He regularly performs at major historical organs throughout the Netherlands. At present he is appointed cantor-organist at the Lutheran Augustana church in Amsterdam.

Andrea Kobi (Switzerland, b. 1985) took her first piano lessons when she was nine years old with Emanuele Jannibelli and later with Carl Rütti at the Konservatorium Zürich. Between 2004 and 2007 she studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Zürich in the organ class of Stefan Johannes Bleicher and successfully finished her studies there with a Lehrdiplom. Currently she is studying with Jacques van Oortmerssen at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In the spring of 2005 Kobi won the first prize in the Schweizerischer Jugendmusikwettbewerb and the Prix Suisse for her interpretation of a contemporary piece. In 2006 and 2007 she won a scholarship of the Ernst Göhner-Stiftung and the Migros-Genossenschaftsbund. In the season of 2007 and 2008 she was the organist of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra and played several concerts with them in the Zurich Tonhalle.

Ilpo Laspas (Finland, b. 1984) started his piano lessons at the age of nine, and organ and harpsichord studies in 1999. After studies in organ (Sirkka-Liisa Jussila-Gripentrog) and harpsichord (Elina Mustonen) in the Sibelius Academy Youth Department he was admitted in the Soloist Department in each of his three instruments. He took the harpsichord diploma with excellence in 2006 and is currently preparing his organ diploma with Kari Jussila. Laspas has attended master classes by Ludger Lohmann, Jacques van Oortmerssen, Olivier Latry, Hans-Ola Ericsson, Hans Fagius, Jan Lehtola, Henrico Stewen, Kati Hämäläinen, Olli Porthan, and Kari Vuola. In 2003 Laspas took a prize in the Leevi Madetoja piano competition in Finland. He was granted the second prize and the audience prize in the harpsichord competition of the Leipzig Bach Competition in 2006. Two years later he won the first prize in the organ category of the same competition. In Finland he is active as soloist as well as chamber musician. Abroad he has performed in France, Estonia, and Germany.

Ghislain Leroy (France, b. 1982) carried out his secondary education in piano, organ, as well as composition. In the fifth Concours International d'Orgue de la Ville de Paris, he was awarded the First Price for organ interpretation, at the age of twenty-two. Since then, he has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, as well as Russia. Leroy has made several recordings for the radio. His discography includes music from the seventeenth century to the present day. Keen to promote contemporary music, he regularly includes recent works in his concert performances. In 2006, Leroy was appointed to the post of resident organist at the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, in Japan, and performed in several concerts around the country (Tokyo, Nagoya, Kanazawa, etc.). In addition, he played with many orchestras, under the guidance of Andredi Boreyko, Charles Dutoit, and Tadaaki Otaka. Since 2008, he is organist of the Quoirin organ in Le Touquet in France.

Davide Mariano (Italy, b.1988) began his musical studies with his uncle, and then attended the Musical Academy of Campobasso, Italy. He studied organ at the Conservatory of Music "Lorenzo Perosi" in Campobasso with Francesco Di Lernia, and in 2007 acquired the organ diploma “cum laude”. Mariano was awarded the second prize in piano at the 8th National Music Competition "City of Ortona", Italy, in 2002 and the first prize at the 4th International Organ Competition of Fano Adriano, Italy, in 2008. He attended courses and seminars with several organists, particularly Wolfgang Zerer and Míchael Radulescu. Mariano performs in various Italian cities both as soloist and in diverse groups. He is currently attending the finishing two-year soloist class of the harpsichord.

Gabriele Marinoni (Italy, b. 1987) took his bachelor’s degree in organ in 2007, having studied under the supervision of Stefano Molardi at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica “G. Verdi” in Como, Italy. During his studies he worked with G. Togni (harpsichord), P. Beschi (chamber music), and A. E. Negri (composition). He has taken part in master classes with teachers of international fame, i.e., L. Lohmann, L. F. Tagliavini, M.-C. Alain and R. Antonello. Marinoni lives today in Stuttgart and studies in the master course at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in the organ class of Ludger Lohmann, Jürgen Essl in improvisation, and Andrzej Ratusinski in piano. Since 2008 he also attends the master course in harpsichord with Jon Laukvik. Recently he has performed at important international festivals, like "Le voci della città" in Milan and "Concerti di Primavera" in Cucciago, Como.

Christopher Petit (USA, b. 1977) is currently a doctoral student of David Higgs at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. From Akron, Ohio, he earned a BA in Art History from the College of Wooster. At Wooster, he was awarded a grant to travel to France for his thesis on the labyrinth at Chartres cathedral, and began organ studies with John Russell. After several years working as a tennis instructor in Ohio, Petit went to Eastman for his Master's degree in organ performance. He was awarded third prize in the 2008 Dublin International Organ Competition, and was a recipient of Eastman's Barnes Award for pipe organ performance. Currently he teaches secondary organ lessons, is Director of Music at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Pittsford, and is a member of Christ Church Episcopal’s Schola Cantorum.

Elena Rikkonen-Rolland (Russia/France, b. 1979) started her musical studies with the piano at age six at the children’s art school in St Petersburg, and her organ lessons privately when she was fifteen. She was then appointed organist of the Finnish parish of Hatsina in St Petersburg. In 1996 she started studies at the Musorgski music school in St Petersburg and graduated from there with excellent grades in 2000, majoring in music theory, history, and piano. Since 2002 she has studied organ at the Sibelius Academy with Kari Jussila, and will shortly graduate as Master of Music. She already holds there the diploma in piano (teacher Margit Rahkonen). From 2008 she has studied the organ in Paris, with Marie-Louise Langlais. In 2009 she is going to finish her studies also at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire graduating from the musicology department with a final thesis on the music of Maurice Duruflé. Rikkonen-Rolland has been employed as cantor in many Finnish parishes. She has performed in London, Paris, and St Petersburg.

Eun-Young Seo (South Korea, b. 1978) studied church music in 1997-2001 at the Keimyung University in Daegu, South-Korea, with Un-Soo Kwon, Sun-Hee Kang, Mi-Hae Lee, and Sang-Kyung Lee. In 2001 she was awarded the Bachelor of Music degree in organ. Thereafter she continued her studies at the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, with In-Suk Park in organ, and took her master’s in 2004. She received the Diploma of Organist in 2008 from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, Germany, after studies in organ (with Stefan Engels), improvisation, piano, and harpsichord. She continues there her organ studies in the Künstlerisches Aufbaustudium. She has also participated in master classes of Ludger Lohman, Johannes Geffert, Günther Rost, Hans Davidsson, Wolfgang Ruebsam, Wolfgang Zerer, Martin Sander, Michael Radulescu, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Istvan Rubbert, and Björn F. Boysen.

Katri Vesanen (Finland, b. 1981) started her musical studies at the age of seven and took up the organ in 1997. She studied church music at the Pirkanmaa Polytechnic in Tampere (Finland), the University of Debrecen (Hungary), and Sibelius Academy with organ teachers Anne Nietosvaara, Deszö Karasszon and Olli Porthan, respectively. She is currently finishing her studies for the MMus at the Sibelius Academy in the Department of Music Performance under Olli Porthan. Vesanen has attended many master classes in Finland and abroad, i.e., with Jacques van Oortmerssen, Hans Fagius, Kati Hämäläinen, and Frédéric Blanc, among others. Vesanen has performed as chamber musician and soloist in Finland, Sweden, and Hungary. At present she is substituting the cantor of the Evangelical-Lutheran parish of Alppila in Helsinki.

Marina Viaizia (Russia, b. 1977) graduated in 1999 from the St Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Music College from the piano class of Michail Lebed. She is the honoured graduate of St Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire, from the organ class of Tatiana Chausova and the harpsichord class of Ivan Rozanov. She also graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki from the organ class of Olli Porthan. At the St Petersburg State Conservatoire she finished her post-graduate studies in 2006 and holds there, since 2005, a teaching position at the chair of organ and harpsichord. Since 2003 she is also a teacher of music in the Theological Seminary of the Church of Ingria. Viaizia has participated in master classes by Kari Jussila, Ludger Lohmann, Jon Laukvik, Jean Wolfs, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Pieter van Dijk, and Wolfgang Zerer. Since 1991 she has been organist and choir director of The Lutheran Church of St George. She gives regularly solo recitals in Russia and abroad. She was awarded special prizes at the Third and Fourth Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad, Russia.