Johan Hermans  <j.h.o@skynet.be>
-------------

Johan Hermans, titular organist of the well preserved Cavaille-Coll
organ in Hasselt (Belgium), is considered one of the leading concert
organists of his generation.


He studied at the Lemmens Institute in Louvain and at the Royal
Conservatory of Liege (Belgium).  He took a master's degree in organ and
concluded his education with a thesis on "Rhetoric and Affects in the
music of J.S. Bach" and the "Diplome Superieur" (similar to the "DMA" or
"Performer's Diploma") in organ.  Due to his achievements as a young
organist, he was awarded the Golden State Medal by the Government of the
French Community.

Next, he was granted a scholarship several times to attend international
master classes in Toulouse, France; Germany (Dr. Harald Vogel); Haarlem,
Holland; and Italy (Accademia di Musica Italiana per Organo - Professor
Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini).

Johan is teaching at the Conservatory of Hasselt, where he also serves
as the artistic director of both the International Organ Festival and
the series of monthly organ recitals "Organ on Saturday" in the
cathedral.

Over the past years, he has developed into a frequently requested
soloist, both in his own country and abroad.  He has been invited as a
recitalist to music festivals in most European countries, as well as in
Japan, Russia, and the United States. He has played inaugural recitals
of new instruments and has given lectures and master classes at
universities in different parts of the world.  He has recordings to his
credit for Belgian, Dutch, German, Latvian, Austrian, Polish, and
Canadian broadcasting corporations and has made recordings on several
CD-labels.

His organ recitals will this season include performances in Argentina,
Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland,
Russia, Scotland, Uruguay, and the United States. He will be featured
twice as a soloist during the Orgeltagung (international convention) of
the German Society of Organists (GdO) 2005 and recently has been
honoured by the Academic Society "Arts, Sciences, Lettres" in Paris.