Stanislav ŠURIN

STANISLAV ŠURIN (Slovakia, 1971) studied organ at the State Conservatory in Bratislava, Diocesan Conservatory in Vienna, Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava under I. Sokol and privately with J.  Trummer in Graz. 

He participated in many broadcasted liturgical services (e.g., at inaugurations of the Slovak presidents since 1989 and on the occasion of visit of Pope John Paul II to Slovakia). He performed many times as soloist with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. At the premiere performance of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass in Taiwan in 2000, he performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan. He has given organ recitals in many European states, and has performed in Japan, the USA, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. 

Šurin recorded several organ solo CDs (Graz Cathedral, Schubertkirche in Vienna, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Trnava, etc.). In 2000, he organized an international musicological conference focused on the protection of historical organs. He was a chief editor of sacral music magazine Adoramus Te from 1999 to 2002. He is a founder and organizer of organ festivals in Trnava, Piešťany, Skalica and in the St. Martin Cathedral in Bratislava. From 2006 to 2008, he acted as the Diocesan Musician for the Bratislava-Trnava Archdiocese. 

He has been teaching organ at the Catholic University in Ružomberok since 2002. At the same time, he has been acting as an advisor for the restoration of historical organs and for the building of new instruments (Slovak Philharmonic, St. Martin Cathedral in Bratislava, etc.). 

Apart from concert activities, Šurin has been composing. He is the author of Trnava Mass published on CD in 2016 with Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, and several compositions based on ecclesiastical and liturgical texts. He composed music for a number of poems by Slovak and French poets. The Society of St Adalbert published his book of liturgical songs in 2011 and a CD called Antiphons and Spiritual Songs. At the beginning of 2013, the Celebrity Service Agency published his album of songs titled Lady on the Train based on Miroslav Valek’s poems. 

In 2009, he was awarded the Sebastian prize by the Slovak Ars Ante Portas association for extraordinary contribution to the dissemination of J. S. Bach’s musical heritage. He was also awarded the Fra Angelico prize by the Bishops’ Conference of Slovakia for contribution of Christian values to the art in Slovakia.