Orgelsommer #9, Gabriele Agrimonti, Paris

Gabriele Agrimonti is one of the most prominent Italian organists of his generation. Since September 2022, he has been the titular organist and artistic director of the historic Joseph Merklin organ (1881) at the National Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.

Born in 1995, he began his musical studies at the age of 10, and at just 13, he was appointed co-titular organist of the Magistral Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma, his hometown, holding one of the most prestigious positions in the area and collaborating with organist Ugo Leoni. After graduating with top honors, distinction, and honorable mention in the organ and organ composition class from the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma, he moved to Paris to continue his studies in improvisation, harmony, polyphony, fugue, and orchestration at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, benefiting from the teachings of prominent figures in the international scene, including Thierry Escaich, Laszlo Fassang, Thomas Ospital, and Thomas Lacôte.

He receives numerous awards in international improvisation competitions, including those in Haarlem (unanimously awarded by the jury), St Albans, Strasbourg, and Paris, establishing himself as the first Italian improviser ever to receive these recognitions. He also wins the first prize and the audience award at the Xavier Darasse Interpretation Competition in Toulouse (in the "symphonic organ" category), as well as the audience award and the internet users' award at the Saint-Sulpice 2021 Composition Competition in Paris. He has an increasingly dense career as an international concert performer, leading him to perform in cathedrals, churches, and concert halls throughout Europe. His repertoire ranges from Renaissance to contemporary music, leaving ample space for the art of improvisation, integrated and associated with extra-musical fields such as cinema, literature, comedy, visual arts, and dance

Internationaler Orgelsommer 2024 an der Gedächtniskirche  

Unter der künstlerischen Leitung des Organisten der Gedächtniskirche, Sebastian Heindl, findet in diesem Sommer erstmals der „Internationale Orgelsommer“ an der Gedächtniskirche statt. In elf Konzerten von Anfang Juli bis Mitte September, jeweils samstags um 18 Uhr, stellen sich interessante Organistinnen und Organisten aus Deutschland, Frankreich, Italien, Spanien, den USA und China musikalisch an der Schuke-Orgel der Gedächtniskirche vor.

Die Konzertprogramme der eingeladenen Musikerinnen und Musiker nehmen Bezug auf die musikalischen Tradition ihrer Heimatländer, bieten aber auch neue Interpretationen des klassischen Orgelrepertoires von Bach bis zur Moderne. Zu Gast sind u.a. Loreto Aramendi (Spanien), Livia Mazzanti (Italien), Gabriele Agrimonti (Frankreich), Catherine Rodland (USA) und Wenying Wu (China). Details zu den Konzerten sind im Veranstaltungskalender zu finden.