The festival is held under a kind financial support of the Ministry of Culture and the City of Prague,
under the auspices of the Archbishop of Prague and the Primate of the Czech Republic, Mons. Jan Graubner,
the Provincial of the Order of Minorites in the Czech Republic, F. Piotr Pawlik, and
the Chairman of the Committee for Culture of the City Council of Prague, Mr. Jan Wolf.
The dramaturgy of the 30th International Organ Festival is formed by many rare works by world and Czech composers and improvisational art, too. Each festival concert is also in memory of individual artists who have performed in the Basilica in the past thirty years but are no longer alive. The festival will take place from 7 August to 25 September 2025, always on Thursdays at 7 pm and tickets can already be purchased in usual pre-sales.
The largest organ in the Czech Republic will sound under the hands and feet of exceptional interpreters from France, the USA, Italy, Spain, Hungary and of course of Czech organists, too. At the opening concert we will hear the already well-known organist and pilot, Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard. Being a titular organist of the prestigious Church of St. Eustache in Paris, he will primarily present French music and his masterful art of improvisation.
“Each artist has included one composition by J. S. Bach, whose 340th birth anniversary we commemorate this year. In addition, we can expect a lot of remarkable music, including improvisations on Biblical texts, psalms, songs or themes from the audience,” says Irena Chřibková, the festival director and titular organist of St. James´ Basilica.
A great treat will certainly be the concert of David Cassan, the titular organist of the Church of St. Étienne du Mont in Paris, who has thrilled our listeners with his art more than once and now we can look forward to an exquisite programme again. Likewise, the American Stephen Tharp is performing in the Basilica for the third time and will leave no one in doubt about his virtuosity and natural musicality. In addition to Irena Chřibková, the final concert will feature the Notre-Dame Choir, the violinist Věra Eretová and the drummer Martin Opršál.
“The audience also has the opportunity to visit one of the most remarkable churches in Prague, the Basilica of St. James, with its extraordinary interior and renowned acoustics. Art touches the human soul and its essential need for beauty and harmony” concludes Irena Chřibková.
During every concert, a video projection takes place, thanks to which the audience can watch the organist´s play on a screen.
Ticket available:
Ticketportal, www.pragueticketoffice.cz, www.bellprague.cz.
