Franz Lehrndorfer, born August 10, 1928, in Salzburg, was a German organist, composer, and music educator. Raised in Kempten, he studied Catholic church music in Munich and later joined the faculty of the Munich Academy of Music, where he headed the Department of Catholic Church Music and Organ from 1969 to 1993. He also served as cathedral organist at Munich's Frauenkirche from 1969 to 2002. Renowned for his mastery of organ improvisation, Lehrndorfer performed extensively in Germany and abroad, with a repertoire ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach and Max Reger to Olivier Messiaen. He collaborated with leading conductors, premiered works by numerous contemporary composers, and contributed to the restoration of major pipe organs in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Lehrndorfer died on January 10, 2013.
