Education

While still at school, the organist and conductor from Fulda studied with Prof. Hans-Jürgen Kaiser at the University of Music in Mainz from 2014-2016 as an early student in the subjects of artistic organ playing and improvisation. From 2016-2021 he studied for his Bachelor of Church Music in Mainz in the organ classes of Prof. Gerhard Gnann (artistic organ playing) and Prof. Hans-Jürgen Kaiser (liturgical organ playing/improvisation), as well as in the conducting classes of Prof. Ralf Otto (choral conducting) and Prof. Wolfram Koloseus (orchestra conducting). From 2021-2023 he completed his Master of Church Music at the University of Music in Freiburg in the organ classes of Prof. Matthias Maierhofer (artistic organ playing), Prof. Vincent Dubois (artistic organ playing) and Prof. David Franke (liturgical organ playing/improvisation). To further his artistic skills, he also studied for his Masters in Organ Improvisation in the class of Prof. David Franke and Masters in Choral Conducting in the class of Prof. Frank Markowitsch. He is currently the first student at the University of Music in Freiburg to study the two concert exams in organ improvisation and artistic organ playing in the classes of Prof. David Franke and Prof. Matthias Maierhofer.

Awards

Niklas Jahn has won multiple prizes in internationally renowned organ competitions, such as the 32nd St. Albans International Organ Competition in the organ improvisation category (1st prize), and the 9th International Organ Competition Musashino-Tokyo (1st prize, combined with a record contract with the label ‘Naxos’), at the 53rd International Organ Improvisation Competition in Haarlem (finalist), and at the 13th International Organ Competition in Korschenbroich (1st prize).

He was awarded the Cultural Promotion Prize by the Rotary Club of Mainz for his outstanding artistic achievements and his commitment to studying and teaching. For his outstanding artistic achievements in the concert exam course, he received the prize from the ‘Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Hochschule für Musik Freiburg’. In addition he is a scholarship holder of the ‘Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes’ and the ‘Helene Rosenberg-Stiftung’.

Find all awards here.

Activities

In Mainz, Niklas Jahn was responsible for the liturgical organ playing at the Christuskirche during his studies and worked at the Liebfrauenkirche in Freiburg-Günterstal as a church musician and as artistic director of the concert series ‘Abendmusik zur Passionszeit’.

Various assistantships as an organist and conductor expanded his range of activities: For several years he served as assistant organist at Fulda Cathedral, Freiburg Cathedral and Mainz Cathedral and worked as a conducting assistant and accompanist for ensembles such as the Mainz Bach Choir, the Freiburg Bach Choir and the Camerata Vocale Freiburg.

He imparted his knowledge as part of a lectureship in organ literature and improvisation at the Episcopal Church Music Institute in Mainz and a tutorial in organ improvisation and choir conducting at the University of Music in Freiburg.

From 2023-2024 he was working as a lecturer in organ literature and liturgical organ playing/improvisation at the Saar University of Music in Saarbrücken. As part of a professorship representation, he is currently teaching the major subject of organ improvisation at the University of Music in Freiburg.

On December 1st, 2024, Niklas Jahn will take up his new position as organist of the world famous Frauenkirche in Dresden.

Concerts

Niklas Jahn has a busy international concert schedule, which has taken him to countries such as Japan, England, France, Holland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland. In his concert programs it is always important to him to focus on the special and the unforeseeable: the art of improvisation gives his concerts a special touch. He masters the balancing act between improvisation in all historical styles as well as in free form and style. In doing so, he exploits all creative sources of inspiration, such as silent films, poems, images, moods, topics from the audience, etc., offering the audience a special concert experience based on the art of interpretation and improvisation.

He follows his passion to share his love of music with his fellow human beings through meaningful and energetic concerts.