German organist, harpsichordist, conductor and choir-master, Kay Johannsen studied in Freiburg and Boston through scholarships awarded to him by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation, New York. He has won a number of prizes at national and international organ competitions, but winning first prize at the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in 1988 was decisive for his career.
Since 1994 Kay Johannsen has been the choir-master and organist at the Stiftskirche of Stuttgart, where he founded the Stuttgarter Kantorei and Ensemble 94. He also founded the solistenensemble stimmkunst in 2003.
Kay Johannsen has performed as an organist at festivals in Europe, Asia, South America, South Africa and the USA. As a continuo player he has performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado, the Wiener Philharmoniker under Trevor Pinnock, or with Berliner Barock Solisten.
In addition to broadcast recordings, Kay Johannsen has recorded numerous CD's, many of which have received awards. These include works by Bach, Boëly, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt, Franck, Max Reger, Widor, and Förtig.
