Raul Prieto Ramirez

Bethel University is pleased to present concert organist Raúl Prieto Ramirez. With words such as “sizzling” and “transcendent” used to describe his performances, Raúl Prieto Ramírez is the first Spanish organist in recent times to establish himself among the elite of the international pipe organ scene. His global schedule takes him to major music festivals, churches and cathedrals, and concert halls (from Russia to major venues throughout Europe and the U.S.), to universities such as Indiana University and the Moscow Conservatory as a lecturer, and to international competitions as a jury member.

After studies in Spain, Mr. Ramírez moved to Stuttgart to study organ with Ludger Lohmann and, concurrently, piano with Leonid Sintsev at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg. He also studied organ under Marie-Claire Alain, Guy Bovet, Eric Lebrun, Lionel Rogg, and Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini. His compositions for chamber ensemble, pipe organ, and solo instruments have been broadcast throughout Spain, and his concerto for organ and orchestra premiered in Barcelona. His transcriptions of Liszt’s piano études and Mephisto Waltz and his interpretations of the music of Buxtehude, Bach, Franck, and Reger have been highly praised by audiences and critics alike.

In September 2013, Mr. Ramírez was appointed the organist-in-residence at Sursa Concert Hall and the professor of organ at Ball State University, Indiana. He continues as the artistic director of the annual summer International Organ Festival in Barcelona. In June 2016, Mr. Ramirez and his wife, Spanish pianist Maria Teresa Sierra, were featured duo artists at the American Guild of Organists’ national convention in Houston.

American Public Media’s PIPEDREAMS broadcast host Michael Barone will serve as master-of-ceremonies and interview Mr. Ramirez at the conclusion of the program’s intermission.