Jürgen Essl

Jürgen Essl is one of the foremost organists and composers in today’s European musical scene. He performs regularly in the most prestigious venues around the globe including venues such as the Notre Dame de Paris, Kölner Dom, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Smetana Hall Prague, Konzerthaus Wien, Philharmonic Hall Moscow, as well as Amsterdam, Lissabon, Milano, Tokyo, and the USA. He frequently appears on television and radio as both organist and conductor. 

Mr. Essl has recorded with several recording labels such as Carus, IFO, Organ Promotion, Kirche+Leben Edition, Audite and Veneto Musica. His critically acclaimed 1995 recording of the entire Jean Francaix’s oeuvre for the organ appeared on the Audite recording label. Jean Francaix himself wrote with excitement about this recording project, describing it as an ‘excellent collaboration’ between the composer and the organist. 

A special expertise of Maestro Essl is his inexhaustible flair and fantasy for free improvisation on the organ. In fact, the Organ Promotion recording label has dedicated a full CD to Mr. Essl’s improvisation in the Brussels Cathedral. On this recorded improvisation, the famous French organist Olivier Latry commented: ‘I love especially the invention of the most contemporary improvisation like the one with crescendo on the fifth – What an effect! Bravo!’ 

As a composer, Mr. Essl’s works have been performed by some of the leading choirs and orchestras. Most renowned are his motets and oratorias, which have been performed by leading choirs such as the Darmstädter Kantorei and the Regensburger Domspatzen. Jürgen Essl’s music has been published by Doblinger, Carus-Verlag, and Schott Verlag. 

Jürgen Essl studied organ in Germany and France with Ludger Lohmann and Francis Chapelet, later completing his studies in Vienna with Michael Radulescu. A Professor at The Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (www.mh-stuttgart.de) since 2003, Jürgen Essl has also served as Professor for Organ at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and an organist at the Castle Church of Sigmaringen. In 2008 he led the international ‘Kongress der Kirchenmusik’ in Stuttgart, one of the largest meetings on sacred music in the world. He is a co-founder of the International Summer Academy of Music - ISAM in Ochsenhausen, Germany.