Alexander Straus-Fausto

Working on his master’s degree in organ performance at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Alexander Straus-Fausto, from Kitchener, Ontario, is thrilled to be studying under the direction of Dr. Martin Jean and playing on Yale’s Newberry Memorial Organ. At Yale, Alex is Co-Organist and Choir Director at the Berkeley Divinity School. He completed his Bachelor of Music at McGill University Schulich School of Music and his secondary school studies at Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy. While still a teenager, Straus-Fausto undertook a Canada Council-funded summer 2019 concert tour of the UK, playing in historic churches and cathedrals. From 2019-2022, he was Titular Organist at Église du Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus in Montréal, whose Casavant organ is acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest. He 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. This summer he will be one of ten finalists at the Longwood International Organ Competition, where he will compete for the largest cash prize of any organ competition in the world.