Vita | Henry Fairs

Short biography

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2019 included a tour to Japan, teaching at the at the Tokyo University of the Arts, the European Organ Academy in Leipzig, Esbjerg Conservatory, Denmark and recitals on historic instruments at the Merseburger Orgeltage and Hildebrand-Tage, Germany

2018 included performances in South America, Grand Organ Festival at Westminster Cathedral, Nikolaikirche Leipzig, Cathedrals of Cologne, Freiburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Zagreb, Hereford, Gloucester, St Davids & concerts in France and Denmark.

2017 included serving on juries at the International Freiberg Silbermann Competition in Germany and Esbjerg International Competition, Denmark and tour to Russia.

2016 included performances in Westminster Abbey's Summer Organ Festival, London Organ Day, International Organ Summer, Kongsberg, Norway, a trip to the USA and leading a celebration of the music of Max Reger in Birmingham

2015 included a visit to the Eastman School of Music in USA, a short trip to perform in Tokyo, Bach recitals on historic instruments (including Freiberg, Naumburg, Merseburg) in Germany and the RCO Organ Forum on the music of Nicolaus Bruhns in Birmingham with Lorenzo Ghielmi

2014 included a return visit to the Leipzig Gewandhaus for a second solo recital (including Elgar's two Organ Sonatas), Bach programmes at St Paul's Cathedral and recitals in Denmark and Germany

British organist, Henry Fairs combines positions at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, universities of Birmingham and St Andrews (UK) and the Musikhochschule Leipzig (Germany) with a recital career. He has won ten prizes in international organ competitions, including the Prix Maurice Duruflé, Chartres; Concerto Gold Medal, Paris; First Prize & Special Prize, Odense. Henry has appeared in festivals throughout Europe and in North America, Canada, Russia and Japan, performing solo recitals, broadcasts (BBC, BR, MDR, Danish Radio) and concertos on both historic and modern instruments. He is regularly invited to serve as a jury member (Odense and Wadden Sea competitions, Denmark; Silbermann Wettbewerb, Germany), examiner, guest tutor and speaker. His students include a number of prize-winners in international competitions.

Born in Hereford in 1976, Henry received his earliest musical training as a chorister at Leominster Priory and studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire, where he graduated with First Class Honours and was a prize-winner at the Fellowship diploma of the Royal College of Organists. A scholarship from the Countess of Munster Trust enabled postgraduate studies in Paris, Cologne and Vienna. Important teachers and influences have included David Saint, Susan Landale, Thierry Mechler, David Sanger and Michael Radulescu. He enjoys playing and teaching a broad, eclectic repertory:currently with a strong focus on the organ output of JS Bach (in a project involving research and performance of the organ works) and the chorale fantasias of Max Reger. In addition, he has in recent years been occupied with the performance of 19th- and 20th-century music, including complete performances of organ music by Jehan Alain (2011), Liszt (the three great works -2011), Reubke, Olivier Messiaen (2008) and Maurice Duruflé ( Naxos 8.557924) and has premiered several works by the Austrian composer & organist, Franz Danksagmüller.

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Deutsch

Henry Fairs ist an der Musikhochschule Birmingham tätig, ist Universitätsorganist an der University of Birmingham und Gastprofessor für Orgel der University of St Andrews in Schottland. Der mehrfache Preisträger internationaler Orgelwettbewerbe gibt Konzerte in den Zentren für Orgelmusik Europas, Amerikas, Asien und ist dabei sowohl an historischen als auch modernen Instrumenten zu erleben.

Fairs wurde 1976 in Hereford (England) geboren, erhielt seine erste musikalische Ausbildung als Chorknabe, studierte an der Musikhochschule in Birmingham, später in Paris, Köln und Wien. Als Interpret, Lehrer und Forscher befasst sich Henry Fairs mit einem vielfältigen Repertoire. Neben Bach, schließt es das Gesamtwerk von Alain, Messiaen und Duruflé ein. Er ist als Referent und Leiter von Meisterklassen ebenso gefragt wie als Juror, wirkte und wirkt in dieser Funktion u.a. in Eastman School of Music (USA), Musikhochschulen in Oslo, Kopenhagen, Esbjerg, Stuttgart sowie bei Wettbewerben in Odense, Wadden Sea und beim Silbermann-Orgelwettbewerb, Freiberg.

Seit April 2018, ist Fairs als Gastprofessor für Orgel an der Musikhochschule Leipzig tätig.

Henry Fairs | Organist

Short biography