Joachim Dorfmüller

Joachim Dorfmüller was born in Wuppertal in 1938. Following instruction from his father Ewald Dorfmüller, he studied organ at the Music Academy in Cologne with Hans Klotz and Wolfgang Stockmeier as well as musicology, ancient philology, geography, pedagogy and philosophy at the universities of Cologne and Marburg. Following examinations in church music, music education, graduation under Heinrich Hüschen and receiving his organ diploma under Wolfgang Stockmeier, he taught music, Latin and mathematics at the Städtisches Gymnasium Wuppertal-Barmen, finally as Senior Assistant Master. In 1978 he went for qualification as a university lecturer to Norbert Linke at the University of Duisburg, transferring in 1984 to the University of Münster as Professor und Director of Studies. Since 1959 he has been organist at the Lutherkirche Wuppertal and Director of Church Music there since 1991. In 1995 he founded the German Edvard Grieg Society and has been its President since then. He has given nearly 3000 concerts as organist and pianist in almost all the European countries, the USA, Japan and Iceland. He has recorded 52 LPs and CDs as well as many broadcasts, written seven books and over 500 specialist articles. He has received the Rheinland cultural prize, was elected a member of the Council of the Humboldt Society and of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences. In 2004 he was honoured with the Federal Cross of Merit.