Summer School Tutor

Henry Fairs is Professor of Organ at the Universität der Künste Berlin. He enjoys a recital career that takes him to instruments and festivals throughout the world.
Performances in the U.K. have included recitals in the Grand Organ Festival at Westminster Cathedral, Celebrity Organ Series at St Paul's Cathedral and Summer Organ Festival at Westminster Abbey.

Notable recent appearances have included recitals at the Silbermann-Tage (DE), Merseburger Orgeltage (DE), Orgelfeierstunden Cologne Cathedral (DE), Bachfest Leipzig (DE), Hildebrandt-Tage (DE), Internationale Meisterorganisten Innsbruck (AT), Roskilde Summer Festival (DK), Vestjysk Orgelfestival (DK), Soirées estivals de Chartres (FR), Festival Organistico Internazionale di Schio (IT), Bach in Bogota (CO), Calgary Organ Festival (CA), Bach-Fest Yekaterinburg (RU), Leipzig Gewandhaus (DE) and Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (JP).

He is regularly invited to serve as a jury member for international competitions (Odense & Wadden Sea Competitions [DK], Silbermann-Orgelwettbewerb [DE], Concours 'Pierre de Manchicourt' [FR]) and a guest tutor and speaker (Europäische Orgelakademie Leipzig [DE], 'YAGA' Glogerfestspillene (NO), Eastman School [USA] ). His students include prize-winners at competitions in the UK, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and the USA.

Broadcasts include a live performance of the Poulenc Organ Concerto and works by Duruflé (Odense Symphony Orchestra/Danish Radio), a recital from the Internationale Orgelwoche Nürnberg (Bayerische Rundfunk) and an historical recreation of the 1856 'Festkonzert' from Merseburg Cathedral (DE) in which Liszt's 'B-A-C-H' was first performed (Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk).

Henry was a prize-winner in numerous international organ competitions, including First Prize & Special Prize in Odense (DK), Prix Maurice Duruflé in Chartres (FR), Concerto Gold Medal in Paris (FR). His teachers included David Saint, Thierry Mechler, Susan Landale, David Sanger and Michael Radulescu.

From 2005-2020 he taught at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (U.K), and was a Visiting Professor at the Musikhochschule Leipzig from 2018-2020. He has been an Honorary Professor of Organ at the University of St Andrews since 2014.
He enjoys playing and teaching a broad, eclectic repertory: currently with a strong focus on the organ output of JS Bach (in a project involving research and performance of the organ works) and the chorale fantasias of Max Reger. In addition, he has in recent years been occupied with the performance of 19th- and 20th-century music, including complete performances of organ music by Jehan Alain (2011), Liszt (the three great works -2011), Reubke, Olivier Messiaen (2008) and Maurice Duruflé and has premiered several works by the Austrian composer & organist, Franz Danksagmüller.

At the start of the winter semester 2020/2021 Henry moved to Berlin to take up the position of Professor of Organ at the Universität der Künste. In October 2023 he took on the additional position of Adjunct Professor of Organ at the Suddanskmusikkonservatorium in Esbjerg, Denmark.