Balint Karosi plays "Vision in Flames" by Akira Nishimura

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 

Bálint Karosi demonstrates Taylor & Boody Organbuilders Opus 83 organ at Ancilla Domini Chapel, Mother House of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, Unites States Province, Plymouth, Indiana. He narrates and demonstrates every stop on the organ, and also performs Matthias Weckmann’s Magnificat Secundi Toni.

The new organ comprises 36 stops, 52 ranks, 2,486 pipes across two manuals and pedal.

The case of the organ is modeled after 17th- and 18th-century Dutch instruments. It is constructed of white oak and stands 34 feet tall to the top of the center spire. All of the case decoration is reflective of the sanctuary, and especially ornate high altar.  

The façade contains pipes from the Hauptwerk 16′ Principal, down to low F-sharp, as well as the Oberwerk 8′ Principal. Behind it, at impost level, sit the two large windchests of the Hauptwerk division. Located above that, in the center, are the Oberwerk windchests. The Pedal is housed in a separate, two-tiered open case that stands behind the main case.

The specification provides a variety of 16- and 8-foot stops in each division, as well as complete choruses and a plethora of flutes and mutations. The Oberwerk’s high-tin 8′ Principal in façade is modeled after 18th-century examples, and its instrumental speech is the perfect foil to the Hauptwerk’s hammered lead 8′ Octave, whose dark, vocale sounds recall an earlier era. The Hauptwerk is lent gravitas by its full-compass 16′ Principal. The 8′ Holzflöte of the Oberwerk is a tapered wooden stop that sings from its position high atop the organ. 
For information: 
https://www.taylorandboody.com/ https://www.taylorandboody.com/opus_pages/opus_83/organ_photo_gallery.html

The organ is featured on the cover of the January 2024 issue of The Diapason:
https://www.thediapason.com/content/cover-feature-klais-fisk-organ-saint-peters-church-new-york-city

Dr. Bálint Karosi has been Cantor and Director of Music at Saint Peter’s Church in Midtown Manhattan since 2015. After winning the 2008 Bach Prize in Leipzig, he has been in demand as a recitalist and clinician worldwide, known for the interpretation of Bach’s music and his Baroque-style improvisations. His recording portfolio includes three albums by Hungaroton, including his original orchestral works, and thirteen albums of the complete works for organ by J. S. Bach. In August 2023, he joined the faculty of the Organ Department at the University of Michigan, where he teaches organ literature, church music and improvisation. 

For information: https://karosi.org/

Bálint Karosi plays his Prelude and Fugue on “America” (My Country ‘Tis of Thee), on the Richards, Fowkes & Co. Opus 10 pipe organ at First Lutheran Church of Boston.

For information: https://karosi.org/

https://www.thediapason.com/artists/balint-karosi

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

Johann Vexo plays Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, recorded at the First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.

Johann Vexo is Professor of Organ at the Conservatory as well as the Superior Music Academy in Strasbourg. He has performed extensively throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia. He has appeared as a featured artist in numerous international music festivals and organ series in cities such as Atlanta, Auckland, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montréal, Munich, New York, Porto, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vienna. His performances have been in notable venues such as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia, Westminster Abbey in London, the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, the Moscow Conservatory, and the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. He has also performed with various orchestras and musical ensembles.

Johann Vexo has made several recordings of French classical and German romantic music on historic French organs. His most recent recording, performed on the great organ of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, was released on the JAV label. He has over 50 performance videos featured on YouTube.

Johann Vexo is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com 
E-mail:  [email protected] 
Phone: 860-560-7800 
10 Abbott Lane, Dearborn, MI 48120-1001