ITALIAN MAXIMILIAN HALLER WINS NORTHERN IRELAND INTERNATIONAL ORGAN COMPETITION 2025

Maximilian Haller, 19, from South Tyrol, Italy, has won the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, which took place in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh on 11 and 12 August.

A student at the University of Music and Theatre Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in Leipzig, Germany, Haller played a programme consisting of the movement Hermes from Jean Guillou’s suite Hyperion, or ‘The Rhetoric of Fire’; two movements from J S Bach’s Organ Concerto in D minor BWV 596 ‘After Vivaldi’, and Reger’s Fantasia in D minor OP. 135b. As first prize winner, he receives £4,000 awarded by The John Pilling Trust and a trophy awarded by Neiland and Creane Organ Builders of Kilinick, Co Wexford, together with public recitals hosted by St Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York; Westminster Abbey; King’s College, Cambridge; St Michael’s Church, Dún Laoghaire; and St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.

Maximilian Haller also won the Dame Gillian Weir Medal, plus £300 donated by Wilson Auctions, for the stand-out performance of a single work, the Reger Fantasia.

Commenting on the competition experience, he said: ‘It is such a great honour to win first prize at the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition. For me, the main focus was to give my very best while still letting the music breathe and speak. Performing pieces from the German Romantic tradition, which I truly love, made the whole experience even more special. The audience was so warm and appreciative, and it was a real joy to share this music with them. I also really enjoyed the atmosphere of the competition and the chance to meet everyone involved – it’s a wonderful experience that goes beyond just the prize.’

Second Prize in the Senior category of the competition went to Jukka Geisler, 19, a student at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich, Germany, who receives the David McElderry Memorial Award of £1,000 and public recitals hosted by St Paul’s Cathedral, London, Trinity College, Cambridge and The Portico of Ards, Co Down, He played Duruflé’s transcription of Charles Tournemire’s Improvisation sur le ‘Te Deum’; a movement from J S Bach’s Trio Sonata No 4 in D minor BWV 596; and Guillou’s Toccata, Op. 9. Geisler also won the Bach Prize of £300, donated by Mrs Elizabeth Bicker MBE.

The third prize was won by Daniel Carroll, 20, from the USA, a student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He receives £300 sponsored by Wells-Kennedy organ builders and public recitals at St George’s, Hanover Square, London; Glasgow Cathedral; and Galway Cathedral.

Highly Commended Awards were given to Pascal Bachmann (18, UK) and Julien Landers (20, Luxembourg). 

Nathan Whitley, 18, from Ireland, won The John Pilling Trust First Prize of £500 in the Intermediate category of the competition, held on the afternoon of Tuesday 12 August. He played works by Karg-Elert, J S Bach and Gigout.

Second Prize and £300, presented by the Pipe Organ Preservation Co., went to Chamberlain Ofosu (15, UK). Third Prize and £200 – also presented by the Pipe Organ Preservation Company – went to Gavin Lawrence (17, Ireland).

Rafael Estrella (14, UK) was awarded The John Pilling Trust First Prize of £300 at the Junior Competition held in St. Malachy’s Church, Armagh. 

The competition jury was chaired by Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin, organist of the Great Organ of Saint Sulpice in Paris, who was joined by Simon Harden, lecturer in organ performance at the TU Dublin Conservatoire and Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford, and by David Hill MBE, artistic director of the Bach Choir, London, the Yale Schola Cantorum, Connecticut and of the Charles Wood Summer School, which runs concurrently with the organ competition.

NIIOC’s principal funder is the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through its National Lottery programme. The Senior Competition took place on Monday 11 August and the Intermediate and Junior Competitions on Tuesday 12 August.

Commenting on the experience of her first visit to Armagh, Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin said: ‘I’m so happy to be here at the invitation of Richard Yarr, who has created this competition which is so important for young people, to give them a chance to perform and stimulate them to prepare for a competition. I have never seen anything like this in France; it's such a great idea, and the organisation is perfect. My colleagues and I judged performances [in the Senior competition] by 13 young men aged between 17 and 21, who have all worked very, very hard. I would just say that I hope the next time to see some young women [in the final], but it was spectacular to see and hear this young generation who will perhaps be the organists of the future.’

Competition chair Richard Yarr MBE DL said: ‘We are delighted to have once again welcomed so many brilliant young organists from so many countries to Armagh, some of them travelling immense distances to take part.  We have a very worthy winner in Maximilian Haller, and I am sure that he and our other prize-winners will go on to have very distinguished careers. I am particularly pleased that in addition to valuing the performance opportunity and the feedback they have received from our eminent jury led by Sophie-Véronique, the competitors are all telling us how much they enjoyed the whole experience of meeting one another, hearing fantastic performances and having the chance to build an international network of friendships and professional relationships.’