Kay Johannsen
Kay Johannsen has earned renown in several different realms: as an organist, a choral conductor, and a composer. Based at a Stuttgart church, he has made appearances around Germany, in Austria, and in other countires.
Johannsen was born in Germany on October 1, 1961. He studied conducting and organ in the city of Freiburg and also in Boston. A first prize at the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in Bonn in 1988 confirmed his choice of music as a career, and in 1994 he was appointed cantor and music director at the Stiftskirche Stuttgart, a major regional Lutheran institution. In 1998 he added music director to his titles there. Since then, Johannsen has become internationally recognized as an organist, has built a variety of choral organizations in Stuttgart, and has composed both sacred and secular music. He has played major organ concertos and organ-and-orchestra works including those by Handel, Saint-Saëns, and Poulenc, and appeared at festivals in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and South Africa. Johannsen has also furnished continuo parts on organ and harpsichord for performances of Baroque works by modern orchestras (including the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado) and Baroque groups. In Stuttgart, in addition to his regular work with choristers at the Stiftskirche, he has founded three other ensembles: the Stuttgarter Kantorei, Ensemble 94, and the solistenensemble stiftkunst. The latter group, whose name is written lowercase, was founded in 2003 for a series of Bach cantata performances, but has continued to perform repertory of various kinds. The solistenensemble stiftkunst has in particular performed Johannsen's own choral works and recorded a selection of them on the album Rejoice!, which appeared on the Carus label in 2019. He has also written secular pieces, including the substantial stage fantasy Nachtbus, which had its premiere at the Musikfest Stuttgart in 2010. As an organist, Johannsen has recorded for Carus and, prior to that, for the Haenssler label, again focusing on Bach's music. In 2018 he received the Staufer Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography
19 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Josef Gabriel Rheinberger: Ave Maria (Musica Sacra X)
Lydia Teuscher, Christine Muller, Annette Markert, Gotz Payer, Kay Johannsen
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lieder zu Advent und Weihnachten (Orgelimprovisationen)
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 jan. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Passion - Lieder zu Passion und Ostern
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 jan. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Queen of Instruments: Selected Organ Works, Vol. 1
Klassiek - Released by haenssler CLASSIC on 1 okt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kay Johannsen: Sunrise
Kay Johannsen, Julie Stewart, Stuttgart Stiftsphilharmonie, Mihhail Gerts
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 22 aug. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Noël. Weihnachtskantaten
Ensemble 94, Solistenensemble Stimmkunst, Kay Johannsen
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 aug. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: 6 Orgelsonaten, Op. 65
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 jan. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Die großen Orgelwerke
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 mrt. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rejoice. Kay Johannsen: Vocal Music
Solistenensemble Stimmkunst, Kay Johannsen
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 28 nov. 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alle Jahre wieder. Melodien für die Weihnachtszeit
Christine Busch, Kay Johannsen
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 okt. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
CHRISTMAS CANTATAS (Ensemble 94, Johannssen) (Marc-Antoine Charpentier - Anonymous)
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 jan. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vierne: 24 Pièces de fantaisie, Op. 53 & 55
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 jul. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vierne: 24 Pièces de fantaisie, Op. 51 & 54
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 okt. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
CHRISTMAS. Improvisations on International Christmas Songs
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 sep. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Georg Philipp Telemann: Göttlichs Kind. Advents- und Weihnachtsmusik
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 jan. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: 6 Sonate per Violino e Cembalo BWV 1014 - 1019
Christine Busch, Kay Johannsen
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 1 okt. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rejoice. Kay Johannsen: Vocal Music
Solistenensemble Stimmkunst, Kay Johannsen
Klassiek - Released by Carus on 28 nov. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Credo in Deum (An Oratory on the Apostolicum and Words from Martin Luther)
Kay Johannsen, Stuttgarter Kantorei, Stiftsphilharmonie Stuttgart
Klassiek - Released by Animato on 19 jul. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo