Northern Ireland International Organ Competition reveals winner

The Northern Ireland International Organ Competition (NIIOC) has announced that German competitor Jan Liebermann has won its 2024 edition. The competition final, which took place last month, saw 13 organists compete at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh

Liebermann triumphed in the Senior Category of the competition, aimed at post-Grade 8 players aged 21 and under. The 18-year-old organist wins a trophy presented by Neiland & Creane Organ Builders and a cash prize of £4,000 awarded by the John Pilling Trust, plus five international recitals.

Liebermann said: ‘It is such a great honour to be awarded the first prize at this wonderful competition. I experienced the competition as very open minded, and it was so great to have this cultivating exchange with all the different participants from all over the world, which is really enriching. I really like the organ, it's a great instrument in Armagh [Church of Ireland Cathedral] and of course it is also a great pleasure to meet the jury and to have their feedback.’

The £1,000 second prize was awarded to Daniel Colaner from the United States, who also won the Bach Prize and £300 for his performance of J S Bach’s Fugue in G minor, BWV 54 ii. Third Place of £500 and three public recitals went to Eben Eyers from the UK, while the Dame Gillian Weir Medal and £300 for the most outstanding performance of a single work was awarded to Adam Suk from the Czech Republic. Tingshuo Yang, Joseph Hyam and Miriam Reveley, all from the UK, were Highly Commended.

Ludwig Emanuel Haenchen from Germany won the £500 top prize in the Intermediate Category, for players of Grades 6-8 standard who have not yet gained an organ diploma, while Martin Droppa from the Czech Republic, won the £300 first prize in the Junior Category, for players of Grades 4-5 standard.

The organists performed for a competition jury chaired by the British organist Thomas Trotter; German organist and professor of organ at the Evangelische Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Halle Anna-Victoria Baltrusch; and David Hill, artistic director of the Bach Choir, London, the Yale Schola Cantorum, Connecticut and of the Charles Wood Summer School, which runs alongside the organ competition.