NIIOC 2025 SENIOR COMPETITION SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

12 competitors from 3 continents have been shortlisted as senior finalists in this year’s Northern Ireland International Organ Competition. The 13th edition will take place in Armagh between Monday 11 and Wednesday 13 August 2025.

The 12 competitors, drawn from a substantial longlist, are:

Pascal Bachmann (UK)

Miquel Carr (Spain) 

Daniel Carroll (USA)

Jukka Geisler (Germany)

Jakob Gierok (Germany)

Maximilian Haller (Germany)

Oskars Kalnins (Latvia)

Julien Landers (Luxembourg)

Jannik Raeker (Germany)

Áron Sipos (Canada)

Timothy Stewart (UK)                                                                                                                                        

Wenhao Zhao (China)

Each will perform on the organ of St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, in front of a jury chaired by Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin – Titular organist of the Great Organ of Saint Sulpice in Paris. They will compete for awards including a £4,000 first prize funded by the John Pilling Trust; a Bach Prize; international recitals at venues such as Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, and Westminster Abbey; and the coveted Dame Gillian Weir Medal.

Last year the Senior competition was won by the outstanding young German organist, Jan Liebermann.

The Junior and Intermediate competitions will run on Tuesday 12 August, along with a masterclass given by Sophie-Véronique. She will also run a workshop for players of all standards on Wednesday 13 August. Full information is at https://www.niioc.com/2025competition.