Orgelfest zur Wiedereinweihung der Orgeln in St. Nikolai - Orgelkonzert III
It is done – the general renovation of the Great Organ and Choir Organ is completed. Both instruments have been freed from dust, dirt, and mold, and especially the Great Organ has undergone a very successful re-tuning. The electrical and electronic components have been upgraded and renewed, and fire protection has been adjusted to meet the current regulations. The missing register Bordun 16' has been re-ordered and installed for the main work of the Great Organ, which noticeably improves the gravity and sound foundation of the instrument. Now we can celebrate! We will do so in five ways: with the special concert "Interstellar" on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 7 PM, the inauguration of the organs during the service on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 10 AM, and the three organ concerts on Sunday, March 15, Friday, March 20, and Sunday, March 29, 2026. Celebrate with us – you are cordially invited!
Your KMD Volkmar Zehner
Christian Skobowsky, Organ (Cathedral of Ratzeburg)
Works by Purcell, de Grigny, Franck,
Howells, and Messiaën
Christian Skobowsky's enthusiasm for organ play and choral music was awakened at the Church of the Redeemer in his hometown of Potsdam. Accordingly, he studied church music in Dresden and Halle under Hansjürgen Scholze and Volker Bräutigam. His first position was at the St. Paul’s Church in Schwerin with its Friese organ from 1869, the restoration of which he initiated. Here he founded the Schwerin Vocal Ensemble. Since 2002, Christian Skobowsky has lived in Freiberg, where he performed on the Silbermann organs of the cathedral and directed the choirs and Freiberg Cathedral Music. Recordings on Silbermann organs document his engagement with the music of Froberger, Biber, J. S. Bach, and North German composers. The artistic direction of the 82nd Bach Festival of the New Bach Society opened up a unique opportunity for him to express and share his affinity in a sounding compendium.
Since 2007, the Ratzeburg Cathedral has offered Christian Skobowsky the opportunity to turn to new tasks alongside his beloved activities in the field of Early Music. He is responsible for the liturgical design of the cathedral services, teaches at the preacher seminar, oversees three organs, and the events of Ratzeburg Cathedral Music, in which he has performed works by Schütz and Bach, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Cathedral Music by William Boyce, Haydn’s Creation, the oratorios of Mendelssohn, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, the Requiems of Mozart, Brahms, Fauré, and Duruflé, Distler’s Christmas Story, and De profundis by Marcel Dupré with the cathedral choir. In 2023, he played English organ music in two concerts of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Choir, and in 2024 he undertook a pilgrimage to the instruments of the organ-building family Friese in Mecklenburg with the Mendelssohn sonatas and major works of César Franck. In 2025, he worked with Heide Müller as an accompanist for the Schleswig-Holstein State Youth Choir.
Christian Skobowsky prefers to perform – but not only – on old organs and with young musicians, from whom his orchestra of Cathedral Music is also composed, and from whom he receives valuable performance practice suggestions. His heart beats the highest when he can accompany people while singing.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
Tivadar Nemesi
