Vita

Samuel Kummer was born in Stuttgart in 1968. He studied church music at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart. In the organ classes of Christoph Bossert, Werner Jacob and Ludger Lohmann he acquired a broad repertoire of music, which is complemented by his ability in the field of organ improvisation He studied improvisation with Willibald Bezler, Wolfgang Seifen and Hans Martin Corrinth. During his studies he took part in many master classes. Upon his graduation in 1997 he received an award for organ improvisation.

Since 1988 Samuel Kummer has given organ recitals in many European countries, Russia, the USA, Central America and Japan. He was invited to the most famous cathedrals such as Versailles, Brüssel, Riga, Köln, Regensburg and concert halls such as Tschaikowsky Conservatory, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Mormon Tabernakle in Salt Lake City and Tokyo (Opera City, Suntory Hall, Lilia Hall). He has performed at renowned festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, the Styriarte Festival and the Hildebrandt-Tage Naumburg. As a soloist Samuel Kummer appeared with Russian State Philharmonic, the Dresden State Orchestra and the Dresden Philharmonic.

Samuel Kummer is a prizewinner at international organ competitions. In 1996 he won the 1st prize at the "Concours L'Europe et L'Orgue" at Maastricht.

After seven years as organist and District Choirmaster at the Martinskirche in Kirchheim/ Teck, Samuel Kummer was appointed organist of the Dresden Frauenkirche in 2005. He is initiator of the "Dresden Organ Cycle", a joint organ recital series presented at the Kreuzkirche, Hofkirche and Frauenkirche in Dresden, as well as the „Bach Cycle“, „Literary Organ night“ with organ improvisation and „Organ night music by candlelight“.

Since 2007, Samuel Kummer teaches organ playing and organ improvisation at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik Dresden. He worked as a juror in the competition of the ION in 2016 and 2018. His CD of organ works by Bach and Duruflé (first CD of the rebuilt Frauenkirche in 2005) was rated in the classical charts soon after its release. Also the CD with Louis Vierne Symphonie Nr. 3 and 5 (Diapason d‘ Or 2008) earned him unanimous praise from the international specialist press. The cooperation with the radio stations WDR, BR, MDR complements his work at the Frauenkirche.