Johannes Krahl
Biography Johannes Krahl
Johannes Krahl
is widely considered to be one of Germany’s leading young organists. His repertoire extends far beyond the usual standard significant works of organ literature. He is an exceptionally gifted interpreter of early organ works and also demonstrates quite a unique interpretation of the contemporary organ repertoire.
Johannes Krahl has gained wide recognition of his skills. In the very recent past he has won first prizes at the 6th International Eberhard Friedrich Walcker Competition in Schramberg, at the 3rd International Kurt Boßler Organ Competition in Freiburg, at the 22nd International Bach Competition in Wiesbaden, at the 3rd International Odoyevsky Organ Competition in Moscow, at the 8th Northern Ireland International Organ Competition in Armagh and at the 8th International Gottfried Silbermann Organ Competition in Freiberg. He received further awards at the Organ Competition in Mannheim, at the German Music Competition in Bonn, at the 4th International Rheinberger Competition in Vaduz, at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in Berlin and at the 32nd International Organ Competition in St Albans. Johannes Krahl holds a scholarship from the German Academic Schloarship Foundation.
As an internationally acclaimed concert organist he is greatly influenced musically by his Professors Martin Schmeding and Matthias Foremny. He has taken part in Master Classes with Masaaki Suzuki, Ben van Oosten, Daniel Roth, Olivier Latry and others consequently expanding his own sensitivity as he deals with a variety of instruments and styles.
Johannes Krahl has performed at significant International Festivals including the Bachfest Leipzig, the Silbermann-Tage, Freiberg, the Heinrich-Schütz-Musikfest, the Merseburger Orgeltage, and the Hildebrandt-Tage Naumburg. He has also played instruments in Leipzig St Thomas Church, in Naumburg Wencel’s Church, in Freiberg Cathedral, in Merseburg Cathedral, in Paderborn Cathedral, in Ulm Cathedral, at London Westminster Abbey, in Cambridge King’s College, and Rome St Peter’s Basilica.
In March 2023, his debut CD "Elements of Bach" has been released on the ARS Produktion label, followed by the complete recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's organ concerto arrangements on the Gottfried Silbermann organ in Dresden Cathedral.
Since the 2024/25 academic year, Johannes Krahl has been teaching as a lecturer at the Institute for Church Music and Musicology at the University of Greifswald. Born in Bautzen, he studies Organ Music and Orchestral Conducting at the “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig.
