At the age of 21, Gregor Engelhardt is already a great talent in organ improvisation.
Gregor Engelhardt (born in 2004) comes from Weiler an de Zaber near Heilbronn.
How did you get started with organ playing and improvisation?
When I started taking organ lessons at the end of 2019 and also began playing regularly in church services, I found great pleasure in finding my own harmonies to chorales. And when I played without sheet music, I was also able to test out the sounds of different organs much better. During my high school graduation exams, I was often allowed to practice at the Deutschordensmünster Heilbronn and enjoy the large French Romantic Seifert organ there.
I also got a lot of inspiration from recordings by other organists, especially when they used a second camera on YouTube to show the pedal—that way I could quickly recognize what kind of harmonies they were. Now I can improvise entire fugues and sonatas, and I try to pass on my knowledge through my own recordings.
What happened next for you?
I first completed the C course (internal) at the HfK Rottenburg and then began studying church music there. During this time, I also attended many master classes in organ improvisation and maintained contact with students from other universities.
I am currently spending the 2025/26 winter semester in Groningen (NL) to enjoy the historic organs there and deepen my improvisation skills. After that, I will continue my studies at the Stuttgart University of Music.
But your studies involve more than just improvisation, don't they?
Of course, in addition to my focus on improvisation, there is much more to discover in church music studies. For example, organ literature lessons give me the inspiration I need for improvisation, as well as the necessary technique. Choir conducting, ensemble playing, and music theory are also incredibly important; they all enrich each other. I am very grateful for such a varied and diverse course of study.
