Felix Hell

Felix Hell is a world renowned organist born on September 14, 1985 in Frankenthal/Pfalz, Germany. He is perhaps best known for his technical accuracy, combined with his young age. [http://www.felix-hell.com/curriculum.shtml"Felix Hell Biography"] Official page of Felix Hell. Retrieved on September 29 2007.]

Childhood

Beginning piano lessons at the age of seven, inspired by Bach's C-Major Prelude, his remarkable ability became increasingly apparent. It was only eight months later he decided to undertake organ lessons.

On Easter, during the year he was eight years old, he was on duty in his first service as a liturgical organist, playing the organ at a Roman Catholic High Mass.

Competitions

1994

"Jugend musiziert" (Federal German competition for young musicians)
*Two first prizes in organ playing

1996

"Jugend musiziert"
*Two first prizes in piano playing

1997

"Jugend musiziert"
*Two first prizes in organ playing

1999

"Jugend musiziert"
*Two first prizes in piano playing

Education

From the very beginning, Felix's piano teacher has been Prof. Siegbert Panzer, German State Academy of Music, Mannheim.Felix has been formally educated by Eckard Mayer, at the Evangelical University of Church Music in Heidelberg, Germany, with Johannes Michel focusing in organ literature, and Prof. Christiane Michel focusing on improvisation. In this period of his education, he received additional training courses from Professors Martin Lücker, Frankfurt; Pieter van Dijk, Amsterdam; Oleg Yantchenko, Moscow; Wolfgang Rübsam, Chicago; Leo Krämer, Speyer; Franz Lehrndorfer, Munich; Robert Griffith, Delaware/Ohio.

In September 1999 Felix enrolled at the Juilliard School, New York, where he had been awarded a merit-based full tuition scholarship, studying organ with Matthew Lewis and piano with Frank Levy. From 2001 to 2004 Felix has been studying, again under full tuition scholarship, at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he graduated in May 2004. Additional coaching while studying at Curtis by Martin Jean (Yale University), Donald Sutherland (Peabody Conservatory) and Marie-Claire Alain, Paris.

Since September 2004 Felix Hell is enrolled in both the Master of Music and the Artist Diploma programs at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, studying under the guidance of Donald Sutherland, attending additional courses held by Joan Lippincott, Princeton University, and Gillian Weir, London. Besides his native German, Hell speaks perfect and unaccented English.

Performance Schedule

Felix maintains a rigorous schedule comprising performances all across the globe. While in Germany, he averages approximately 7 performances/recitals per month, and while in the U.S., about 12.

Felix has performed more than 500 recitals in Germany and abroad: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea, Spain, France, Italy, Russia, Latvia, Iceland, Norway, Jamaica, and the USA, where he had given more than 350 concerts in 42 states.

Discography

Felix Hell 1

Grandes Orgues Th. Kuhn, St. Justinus, Frankfurt a. M.-Höchst

Orgelgiganten

Great Schantz Organ, Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Felix Hell 2

Grandes Orgues Klais, Saint Peter's Church, New York City

Felix Hell - live in concert

Great Schantz Organ, Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey, USA
*Bach, Pachelbel, Bruhns, Karg-Elert, Mendelssohn, Rheinberger

Organ Sensation

Schoenstein-Organ at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
*Liszt, Vierne, Guilmant, Rheinberger [http://www.felix-hell.com/cds.shtml"Discography"] Official page of Felix Hell. Retrieved on September 30 2007.]

Mendelssohn at Methuen

Walcker Organ, Op. 200, Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Methuen, Massachusetts, USA

Felix Hell Plays the RIEGER-KLOSS Organ

The Rieger-Kloss Organ, Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia, USA

Notable Performance Venues

*Passau Cathedral (Hoher Dom zu Passau), Germany
*Ulm Cathedral (Ulmer Muenster), Germany
*Cathedral of Hildesheim (Hoher Dom zu Hildesheim), Germany
*Cathedral of St. Mauritius and St. Katharina, Magdeburg, Germany
*Cathedral of St. Peter, Worms, Germany
*University of Bochum, Auditorium Maximum, Germany
*Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York
*National Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Washington D.C.
*Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C.
*First Congregational Church, Los Angeles
*Broadway Baptist Church, Ft. Worth, Texas
*Spivey Hall, Morrow (Atlanta), Georgia
*Spreckels Organ at Balboa Park, San Diego
*Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts (Alice Tully Hall), New York
*Boston Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
*Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Methuen, Massachusetts
*Salt Lake Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah
*Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, Portland, Maine
*Irvine Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania
*Wanamaker Organ, Philadelphia
*Tschaikovskiy Concert Hall, St. Petersburg
*Great Philharmonic Hall, St. Petersburg, Russia
*Dome Cathedral, Riga, Latvia
*Melbourne Town Hall, Australia
*Sydney Opera House, Australia
*Sydney Townhall, Australia
*Adelaide Town Hall, Australia
*Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway
*Bergen Cathedral, Norway

References