Competition 2011
7-16 July
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Media
Partner Our Media Partner is  |
A network of International Ambassadors
| These distinguished organists, teachers and concert artists are happy to act as points of reference for any competitor considering entering either of the competitions. Each of the ambassadors has first-hand knowledge of the competitions in St Albans and is happy to answer questions and give other guidance to prospective competitors if required. Initial contact may be made through the Competitions Secretary. |
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| Susan Landale writes about how winning the St Albans International Organ Competition helped her professional career as an international organist: | ||
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Susan Landale was the
winner of the First Prize at St Albans in 1963, |
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In
the 1960s there were few international organ competitions and to be
a winner probably conferred an even greater aura upon one then than it
does today. For me, as a virtually unknown aspiring organist, the
bonuses were tremendous: recognition at home and abroad, a number of
recitals, the start of a long collaboration with the BBC, and - as a
young professional in a foreign country (I was married the same year
and settled in France) - an invaluable means of compensating for local
studies that I had not done (the Paris conservatoire etc). Thanks to St
Albans I found myself on a more or less even footing with my French
colleagues, and this has been important to me throughout my career. For
a teacher, I believe it is also extremely important to have had some
personal experience of performance in concert and in competitions, in
order to prepare one's own students adequately. I shall always be
grateful to St Albans and to the jury of that first competition for
their decision, which put me in the right starting block and gave me
such a boost at the beginning of my career.
