The winner of the Grand Prix d'ECHO 2012 Manuel Tomadin

The winners of Alkmaar 2011

from left: Annette Gfeller, Charlotte Marck and Manuel Tomadin

ECHO promotes young organists.

With the introduction of the honorary award of 'ECHO Young Organist of the Year', the ECHO organisation is providing a visible commitment to supporting the careers of the young prize winners at the member cities' competitions.  Unfortunately, the winning of an international competition no longer guarantees the laureate an international career. This is partly as a consequence of the sheer number of competitions which now exist. ECHO is providing, therefore, a new stimulus: the member cities will invite the 'Young Organist of the Year' to perform during their respective festivals and concert series, offering valuable experience of concert-giving on important European historic organs.

Manuel Tomadin «Young ECHO Organist of the Year 2012»

The Italian organist Manuel Tomadin won the ninth Internationaal Schnitger Orgelconcours during the Orgelfestival Holland in June 2011 in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. Tomadin received the Rabobank Prize for Culture, to the amount of 5.000 €. This meant he also won the fi rst Grand Prix d’ECHO and the title «Young ECHO Organist of the Year 2012», plus the opportunity to play concerts on the beautiful historical instruments in the various ECHO-cities. Manuel Tomadin also won the Izaäk Kingma-prize, awarded by the audience.

Manuel Tomadin (1977) studied piano, organ, composition and harpsichord, among others at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland), with Jean-Claude Zehnder and Andrea Marcon. He has won a number of prizes at national and international competitions, for example in Mittenwald (Germany) and Innsbruck (Austria). He made CD recordings on historical organs in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. He is the artistic leader of the Vivaldi Festival in Triest and of the Organ Festival in Udine.

Early music competitions for organists join forces

Three of the member cities of ECHO (European  Cities of Historic Organs) Akmaar, Freiberg, and Innsbruck, hold a bi- or tri-annual organ competition: Alkmaar (Internationaal Schnitger Orgelconcours), Freiberg (Gottfried Silbermann Wettbewerb) and Innsbruck (Paul Hofhaimer Competition). Partnership between them has been intensifi ed and adapted with the organization of the Grand Prix d’ECHO, which will take place once every three years. The first Grand Prix d’ECHO was held in Alkmaar in 2011; only the finalists of Alkmaar 2009, Freiberg 2009 and Innsbruck 2010 could take part.

The winner of this first Grand prix d'ECHO became Manuel Tomadin (see above)

The invited prizewinners were:

The 3 finalists of Alkmaar

The 5 finalists of Freiberg

The 3 finalists of Innsbruck