Organum Imperiale with Johan Hermans & Kathleen Beliën (soprano)

Johan Hermans is an internationally active organist with an impressive concert career. He has performed in cathedrals, monasteries, and concert halls in world cities such as Paris, New York, Melbourne, London, Hong Kong, Brussels, Adelaide, Erfurt, Osaka, Rio de Janeiro, Seattle, Singapore, Saint Petersburg, Sydney, and Washington D.C., reinforcing his reputation as a leading musician. He regularly combines his concert tours with masterclasses and lectures at universities, as well as with radio and television recordings worldwide. Hermans has an exceptionally broad repertoire and has provided world premieres of numerous new organ works, several of which were composed especially for him. He studied at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven and the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Luik. He concluded his education with a thesis on Rhetoric and affects in the music of J. S. Bach and the "Diplôme Supérieur" in organ playing. Zowel de Vlaamse and the Walloon government granted him scholarships to participate in international masterclasses with renowned organists in France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy. At the Stedelijk Conservatorium van Hasselt (now Knst.Podium) and the Stedelijke Academie van Genk GavoorKunst, he teaches organ, piano, chamber music, and accompaniment practice. In his hometown of Hasselt, he has been cathedral organist of the Saint-Quintinus Cathedral since October 2006, and also city organist since January 2009. In addition, he is the founder and artistic director of several organ concert series in the region. He is also chairman (Dean) of the European Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO). Johan Hermans has been honored twice by the Société académique Arts – Sciences – Lettres in Paris. Kathleen Beliën is a teacher of Dutch, French, and Spanish, and also a legal translator. In addition, she makes music as a soprano. Kathleen completed a degree in clarinet and chamber music at the North Limburgse Muziekacademie. During that period, she played as first clarinetist in the Koninklijke Harmonie van Peer. After her training as a Licentiaat Vertaler, she started singing lessons at the Muziekacademie van Borgerhout with Greetje Anthoni. Afterwards, she took private singing lessons in Brussels with vocal pedagogue Paule Daloze. Later she received private lessons from Martine Vanden Bulcke in Mol. She was successively a member of various choirs and currently sings as a soprano in the vocal ladies' ensemble Quintina, attached to the Saint-Quintinus Cathedral of Hasselt. She also regularly makes music together with her husband Johan Hermans. For example, they have already performed together in Brussels and Ghent, during the Virga-Jesse festivities in Hasselt, and provided, among other things, the closing concert of the Limburgs Orgelfestival 2024 in Meerssen (NL). Program: music by, among others: Charles Gounod, William Goméz, J.S. Bach and John Stanley