The city of Cesis and the association HanseVerein were also invited.
These five partners sent in an application to the Swedish Institute to get financial support for introducing organ music as part of the Hanseatic cultural activities. The project application consisted of two parts: a competition for composers from Hanseatic cities and the Hansa Organ Festival. The competition has ended, and a qualified jury has chosen the pieces to be printed in the Hansa Organ Book.
Now we start the preparations for the Hansa Organ Festival to be held during the Hanseatic Day 2025. Organists from Hanseatic cities are welcome to send in their applications to participate. The application should include a proposed concert program of 30 minutes and an Artistic Curriculum of the organist. The organist is free to propose the program but of course it would be of great interest if it in some way indicates a relation to the Hansa. Perhaps you have a composer worth enhancing that lived or worked in your city? Or do you have music composed for a special occasion in your city? Or do you prefer to propose a program that makes a geographical scope including several Hanseatic cities? There are also many famous composers from historic times, that in one way or another are related to Hanseatic cities.
The main venue of the festival is Visby Cathedral Sankta Maria with three different organs:
the 1599-Organ; the Main Organ from 1892; the St Mary – Organ from 1984. Some of our 92 medieval countryside churches will also be used where suitable organs are to be found.
Gotland is really “the Organ Island”!
The complete festival program will be presented in a publication.
The festival is organised by the Hansa Organ Project in cooperation with Visby Cathedral
Parish and appointed countryside parishes.