Alexander Straus-Fausto

Alexander Richard Straus-Fausto from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, is completing his Master’s degree in organ performance at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studies under the direction of Dr. Martin Jean. He received his Bachelor of Music at McGill University Schulich School of Music and his high school diploma at Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy. He has studied with James David Christie, Dr. Alcée Chriss, Hans-Ola Ericsson, Dr. Isabelle Demers, Dr. Jonathan Oldengarm, Christian Lane, Rachel Laurin, Tom Bara, Dr. Peter Nikiforuk, and Joe Carere. Straus-Fausto has further expanded the organ’s reach by creating more than 50 original transcriptions of major orchestral works, reflecting his passion for the symphonic organ as a virtually unlimited medium for artistic expression. He is a member of The Diapason’s “20 under 30 class of 2023,” which recognizes artists under the age of 30 who have made significant contributions to the fields of organ and harpsichord performance, organ building, carillon, and church music. In 2023, Straus-Fausto was one of ten semi-finalists in the Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition and a prizewinner in the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ Competition. Straus-Fausto undertook a Canada Council-funded summer 2019 concert tour of the UK, playing in historic churches and cathedrals. This August, he will return to play concerts at Coventry Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and Paris’s La Madeleine.