Sheet music by Matthias Giesen

Matthias Giesen was born in 1973 in Boppard/Rhein and following high school graduation studied organ, theory and ear training (pedagogy) between the years 1993 and 2001 at the music academies in Cologne and Stuttgart. His professors in organ performance were Clemens Ganz, Johannes Geffert and Berhnard Haas, in music theory they were Johannes Schild and Friedrich Jaecker and in choir and orchestra conducting it was Henning Frederichs. Advanced studies in music theory led him to the Vienna University of Music where he completed the course of studies in "form and analysis according Heinrich Schenker" with Martin Eybl. Advanced organ study took place with Marie-Claire Alain, Guy Bovet, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Jean-Claude Zehnder, and Michael Radulescu. In 1998 he won first prize at the organ competition sponsored by the Professional Academy in Bayreuth, Germany.

After a number of activities as church musician in Cologne Matthias Giesen became Abby organist at the St. Florian Augustine Convent in Upper Austria where the famous Bruckner organ is located. He has been the convent music conductor and director of the the Schola Floriana, the convent choir St. Florian and the Altomone Orchestra since 2003.

After teaching at the Cologne Conservatory of music and the University of Vienna, Giesen was appointed lecturer in the subjects music theory, analysis, and ear training at the Vienna University of Music.

In addition to radio and television recordings Giesen has performed concerts in almost all European lands, in North America and Israel, as well as in Australia. Matthias Giesen has published several studies on organ composition by composers such as Jean Guillou, Leos Janacek, Max Reger, and Arnold Schönberg and has lectured in Germany, Austria and in the Netherlands on organ performance and music theory.

He has been the curator of the organ concerts at the Bruckner Festival in Linz and organizer of the International Anton Bruckner Organ Competition of Linz/St. Florian since 2005. He has been the artistic director of the Bruckner Festival in St. Florian since 2006.