Bálint Karosi

Bálint Karosi plays Concerto in C Major, BWV 594, after Vivaldi, by J. S. Bach, on The Craighead-Saunders Organ at Christ Church, Rochester, New York, which was designed according to the specifications of an instrument built by Adam Gottlob Casparini in 1776 for the Church of the Dominicans in Vilnius, Lithuania.

An international reference group of organ builders was formed for this project including five of the foremost American builders working in this style: Steven Dieck, Paul Fritts, Bruce Fowkes, Martin Pasi, and George Taylor; the organ builders and instrument researchers at the Göteborg Organ Art Center in Sweden led by Mats Arvidsson, Joel Speerstra, and Munetaka Yokota; Eastman faculty including Hans Davidsson, David Higgs, Stephen Kennedy, William Porter, and Kerala J Snyder; and the consultant, Harald Vogel. 

Dr. Karosi is the recipient numerous first prizes in organ competitions; the J. S. Bach competition in Leipzig, the International Organ Competition in Miami, and the Dublin International Organ competition that he won at age 22. He currently serves as Cantor at Saint Peter’s Church in New York City, where he is artistic director of the Saint Peter’s Bach Collegium, which he founded in 2015 for annual performances of J. S. Bach’s Passions, cantatas, and to commission and premier new sacred repertoire. From 2007 to 2015, Dr. Karosi served as Minister of Music at the First Lutheran Church of Boston, where he established a Bach Cantata Vespers, raised funds for the completion of the Richards Fowkes Opus 10 pipe organ, and he founded the church’s successful annual Boston Bach Birthday in 2008, which has since developed into the most popular organ-related event in Boston.

See his artist spotlight: https://www.thediapason.com/artists/balint-karosi

For information: www.karosi.org

Bálint Karosi is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com 

Balint Karosi plays "Vision in Flames" by Japanese composer Akira Nishimura (1953–2023) at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, June 26, 2024.

Since winning the International Bach Competition in Leipzig in 2008, Dr. Karosi has been recognized as one of the leading interpreters of the music of J. S. Bach worldwide. In 2020, he embarked on recording the complete organ works of J. S. Bach in fourteen recitals on different organs in the U.S. and Europe. He has five recorded albums that have been received with critical acclaim.

He has given solo organ concerts in concert halls in Budapest, Leipzig, Osaka, Yokohama, and Geneva, and on some of the world’s most significant historic organs in Lübeck, Leipzig, Norden, Leer, Paris, Freiberg, Merseburg, and Naumburg, among others. He has given masterclasses in improvisation at Eastman School of Music, Yale, Oberlin, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Seoul, South Korea, and the Cuneo Conservatory in Italy. 

Dr. Karosi is the recipient numerous first prizes in organ competitions; the J. S. Bach competition in Leipzig, the International Organ Competition in Miami, and the Dublin International Organ competition that he won at age 22. He was appointed as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia in May 2024. Previously he served as Cantor at Saint Peter’s Church in New York City, where he was artistic director of the Saint Peter’s Bach Collegium, which he founded in 2015 for annual performances of J. S. Bach’s Passions, cantatas, and to commission and premier new sacred repertoire. 

For information: https://karosi.org/

Bálint Karosi is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com

Peter Richard Conte plays the Adagio in E Major by Frank Bridge on the Wanamaker Organ at Macy's, Center City, Philadelphia.

Peter Richard Conte was appointed Wanamaker Grand Court Organist in 1989  ̶  the fourth person to hold that title since the organ first played in 1911 – where he presides over the world’s largest fully-functioning musical instrument, at over 29,000 pipes, located at the Macy’s Department Store in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. The organ is heard in recital twice daily, six days per week, with Mr. Conte playing a majority of those recitals.  

He is also Principal Organist at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, and since 1991, has served as Choirmaster and Organist of Saint Clement’s Church, Philadelphia, where he directs a professional choir in an extensive music program firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. He is also a frequent collaborator and soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a guest artist with the Philly Pops for their annual Christmas Spectacular.

Peter Richard Conte is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com 

See his artist spotlight at https://www.thediapason.com/artists/peter-richard-conte

Joshua Stafford plays Nearer, My God, to Thee, by Karg-Elert, on the Massey Memorial Organ, Chautauqua Institution.

In April 2021, Joshua Stafford was installed as the Director of Music Ministries and Organist at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Prior to his Jacksonville appointment, he was director of music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey, from 2013–early 2021. In 2020, he was named Director of Sacred Music and the Jared Jacobsen Chair Organist of the Chautauqua Institution in western New York State.

A native of Jamestown, New York, Mr. Stafford received the Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2010 as a scholarship student of Alan Morrison. In 2012 he received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music as a student of Thomas Murray (organ performance) and Jeffrey Brillhart (organ improvisation). Joshua was the recipient of both a full-tuition scholarship and the Robert Baker Award, given to a first year organ student who exhibits exceptional promise and achievement in their field of study.

See his artist spotlight: https://www.thediapason.com/artists/joshua-stafford

Joshua Stafford is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com