Dirk Elsemann (* 18.8.1977 in Rhede/ Westphalia)
received his first organ lessons at the age of 7 years from the church musician Alfred Heinzel/ Bocholt. 1989 - 1992 he was the organist of the protestant Christ Church/ Bocholt. 1992 - 1993 interim organist of the cath. Parish Our Lady/ Bocholt during the vacancy of the A position. 1993 - 1994 organist of the cath. Parish of Heart of Jesus/ Bocholt. 1994 - 2000 organist of the cath. Parish Holy cross/ Bocholt. In 1994 Elsemann was the first prize winner (organ improvisation) in the national competition Jugend musiziert/ Leipzig. He attended various masterclasses and seminars in the subjects of artistic organ playing and improvisation with Anders Bondeman/ Stockholm, Helmut Deutsch/ Saarbrücken, Jon Laukvik/ Oslo, Peter Planyavsky/ Vienna, Jan Raas/ Utrecht and Daniel Roth/ Paris. 1995 - 1997 the basilica organist Wolfgang Seifen/ Kevelaer instructed him in organ, piano and singing. 1997 - 2004 Elsemann studied at the Robert Schumann University in Düsseldorf and the University of the Arts Berlin cath. Church music with the completion of the A-diploma. His teachers included Stefan Schmidt, Leo van Doeselaar, Erwin Wiersinga, Paolo Crivellaro, Wolfgang Seifen, Raimund Wippermann and Uwe Gronostay. In 1999 he won the Gottfried Schreuer Prize for artistic organ playing and improvisation in Düsseldorf. In 2001 Elsemann received a scholarship from the Alfred Sittard Foundation within the framework of the scholarship for the gifted. Since 2001 he has been a church musician of the cath. Church Holy cross/ Berlin-Wilmersdorf. He leads numerous advanced training events for improvisation. Since the winter semester 2003 Elsemann has been a lecturer in liturgical organ playing and improvisation at the Berlin University of the Arts. 2004 - 2008 he reconstructed and expanded the romantic Steinmeyer organ of the cath. Church of the Holy Cross / Berlin-Wilmersdorf. In 2005 he passed the concert exam for organ improvisation with distinction. From 2008 to 2013 Elsemann was a lecturer for organ playing in church services at the church music seminar of the Ev. Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Schlesische Oberlausitz at the Berlin University of the Arts. In 2014 the Archbishop of Berlin Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki appointed him to the Archbishopric Church Music Commission Berlin. Since 2016 he has also been teaching organ improvisation at the HMTM in Hanover. From October 2021 appointment as professor on behalf for liturgical organ playing and improvisation at the Berlin University of the Arts. His musical work is rounded off by a Europe-wide concert activity as well as radio and CD recordings.