The twelve semi-finalists of the 1st International Jehan Crinon / ECHO International Organ Competition 2026 have been announced!
The competition takes place on two remarkable instruments in Leuven: the historic Goltfuss organ in St John the Baptist Church at the Great Beguinage, and the spectacular Contius organ in St Michael’s Church.
No fewer than 38 candidates from 14 countries entered the preselection round, submitting recordings of a set repertoire performed on an organ of their choice. On 17 March, the preselection jury — Bernard Foccroulle, Francesca Ajossa, Luc Ponet and Wim Winters — selected twelve outstanding semi-finalists.
The selected candidates are:
* Stan Van Rompay (Belgium)
* Rina Ishii (Japan)
* Yu Suhyeon (South Korea)
* Andoni Andrada (Spain)
* Pierre Ouihon (France)
* Nadal Roig Serralta (Spain)
* Sebastiano Franz (Italy)
* Kohei Takeoka (Japan)
* Anna Spirina (Russia)
* Johannes Opfermann (Germany)
* Sheika Andrei (Russia)
* Rafael Mirensky (France)
The jury was highly impressed by the consistently high technical level, as well as the thoughtful, informed and inspired musicianship demonstrated by these young organists.
From 8 to 11 July 2026, the semi-finalists will perform live in Leuven in a second selection round. Up to six finalists will then be chosen to compete in the grand final, performing repertoire ranging from the 16th century to the present day.
An international jury led by Bernard Foccroulle will evaluate the performances, with a strong focus on technique, artistic vision and programming coherence.
Stay tuned — an exciting summer of exceptional organ music lies ahead!
