Biography
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- Titular organist of the Grand Organ of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, Daniel Roth is widely acclaimed as one of the leading French organ virtuosos and has held several prestigious positions as both pertormer and teacher. At the age of twenty he made his debut at the organ of the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre-Paris, as assistant of his teacher, Madame Rolande Falcinelli. He later succeded her as titular organist, a post which he held until 1985 when he was appointed titular organist at St-Sulpice, the famous Paris church where his predecessors were Charles-Marie Widor, Marcel Dupré and Jean-Jacques Grunenwald. A former student at the Paris Conservatory, Daniel Roth's teachers have included Marie-Claire Alain and Maurice Durufé. He has won several competitions, among them the Grand Prix de Chartres 1971, interpretation and improvisation.
After teaching positions at the Conservatories of Marseille, Strasbourg and the Saarbrücken Musikhochschule, he was Professor of organ at the Musikhochschule in Frankfurt am Main from 1995 to 2007. Daniel Roth has been also Artist-in residence at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and chairman of the organ department at Catholic University in Washington D.C..
He is invited to play concerts as a soloist and with famous orchestras. Furthermore he teaches masterclasses and participates on juries for organ competitions throughout the world.
On the 11th November 2005 he has played the dedication of the new Karl Schuke (Berlin) Organ of the Concet Hall "Grand Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte" in Luxembourg for the construction of which he has been artistic advisor.
A composer as well as performer, Daniel Roth has several works for organ, for flute and organ, choir and organ. The City of Ludwigshafen (Germany) commissionned him an orchestra piece. "Licht im Dunkel" first performed in this town in may 2005 and in Paris, St Etienne du Mont in april 2006 conducted by his son François-Xavier Roth. The work published by Schott has since become a triptyque with the title "Licht im Dunkel" 1rst movement L'espérance, 2nd L'Amour, 3rd La Joie.
For his compositions he received the Florent Schmitt prize awarded by the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Institut de France).
Daniel Roth is also well known for his brillant improvisations which are regularly included in his concerts programs. He has many recordings to his credit covering pieces of the XVIIth century to the present time. Several of them were rewarded by the critics.
He is Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Officier des Arts et Lettres, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and in 2020 he received the RCO Medal (London). In 2006 he received the European Prize of European sacred music from the Schwäbisch Gmünd Festival (Germany). He is Member of Honor of the German Society of Organ Friends. He was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Grand Cross for services to Art during the European Organ Academy in Königsfeld, Germany in 2009.
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