Seven Eight Artists

Olivier

Vernet

Titular Organist of the
Cathedral of Monaco

Booking Inquiries

"Olivier Vernet, a name previously unknown to me though he has made many CDs, is truly a master organist. In playing these works, he brings out all of their color, power, and mystery through perfect register blending as well as elasticity of phrasing and tempo. I kneel before his genius. By transcending this music, he brings the listener into a higher plane as well. This is that rarity, a true Zen experience. Vernet knows how to communicate, and he manages to make Widor communicate to us as well."

- Fanfare

BACH: Organ Works, all--and then some

Olivier Vernet / Ligia 104190

"(...) To be sure, he has technique to burn, and some of his tempos are blistering; but his virtuosity always seem to be at the service of a mature and coherent artistic vision. His interpretations are bold and imaginative, but he brings to his readings a youthful exuberance rather than an adolescent brashness. He will often play a piece differently than I would, but instead of seeming wrong to me, his interpretation may prompt a reconsideration of the piece and perhaps the recognition of a hitherto neglected dimension of it. (...) No recording of the collected organ works of Bach can ever be definitive, but this one offers thought-provoking insights and is a set one can live with over the long haul. Consider it seriously."

- Gatens (American Record Guide)

HAYDN: 4 Concertinos; 6 Pieces for Clockwork Organ; Partita in F

Ensemble in Ore Mel/ Olivier Vernet/ Cédric Meckler / Ligia 104192

"The performance came across with a seemingly effortless aplomb. I have long admired Olivier Vernet as a solo organist and as a director and participant in ensemble music. He seems to have a rare knack for finding repertory that is out-of-the-way yet delightfully engaging and delivering performances that present such music to the greatest advantage."

- Gatens (American Record Guide)

Download Artist Press Kit

Renowned as a brilliant representative of the French school of organ performance, OLIVIER VERNET enjoys an international career concertizing at some of the world's most prestigious music festivals. Vernet's auspicious rise began with numerous awards he received during his studies with Gaston Litaize, Marie-Claire Alain, and Michel Chapuis, culminating in the first prize award for organ at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. After unanimously winning First Prize with honours at the international competition arranged by the U.F.A.M. in Paris in 1984, Vernet earned further acclaim with First Prize in 1991 at the International Organ Competition in Bordeaux. Vernet has also received awards from the foundations of Aram Khachaturian, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet pour la Vocation, Marcelle and Robert de Lacour, and Yehudi Menuhin. To date, Vernet has recorded 110 CDs, which have received several distinguished awards including the Diapason d'Or, the Choch du Monde de la Musique, and the ffff from Télérama. Other awards include 10 de Répertoire, Joker from Crescendo, and Recommandé by Classica. Additionally, Vernet has won five of the most sought-after honors bestowed by the French musical press: Le Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque for his complete works of Buxtehude, the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros, the Grand Prix de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts, the 2000 Diapason d'Or for his complete works of Bach, and the 2016 Choc Classica for his recording of the complete organ works of Bruhns, Hanff, and Kneller. Vernet is the titular organist of the Cathedral of Monaco, in which role he performed for the royal wedding in 2011. The Artistic Director for both the Monaco International Organ Festival and the Mougins Organ Festival, Vernet also teaches at the Académie de Musique Prince Rainier III in Monaco and at the Conservatoire National à Rayonnement Régional de Musique in Nice. Olivier Vernet holds the title Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Olivier Vernet is represented by Seven Eight Artists.

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Events

Montréal Bach Festival

November 10, 2019, 3:30 PM
Oratoire Saint-Joseph
Montréal, Québec