Laurent Bouis was born on 1967.

After crowned with the musical baccalaureate studies, he prepares a musicology diploma at the University of Sorbonne in Paris.

Then, he enters the Schola Cantorum of Paris in the class of André Fleury, where he successively gets the virtuosity diploma, with distinction, and the concert diploma. He also studies composition.

He later works at the “Conservatoire national de Région” of Lille in the classes of Jean Boyer and Aude Heurtematte.

In 1987, Laurent Bouis was unanimously prize-winner with jury congratulations of the U.F.A.M. international organ competition, Paris.

After being organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Cathedral of Orleans, he was named at the age of 24 years assistant organist of the Chartres Cathedral.

He performs in Europe, South America, USA.

Laurent BOUIS  – Chartres

Gotthard ARNER, born April 21, 1913 in Arby, died July 27, 2002.

Organist of the Cathedral of Växjö (Växjö domkyrka) in Kronoberg in Sweden and the Stockholm Cathedral.

Professor at the School of Music in Stockholm. Member of the Royal Academy of Music.

A native of Britanny (France), Coralie Amedjkane was born in 1988. She begins her musical training at six with piano and choir lessons at the Ecole de Musique of Vannes. She started learning organ under Jean-Pierre Maudet at twelve. After a few years practicing, she enrolled in the class of Marie-Louise Langlais at the Conservatoire de Paris, where she graduated with an award in 2006. The following year, she is received unanimously in Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard’s class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSMDP). Since 2009, she is the organist of St Nicolas St Marc church in Ville d’Avray, playing on an Abbey organ.

In septembre 2010, she was appointed 13th resident of Sapporo Concert Hall (Japan) and recorded a CD: “Voyage franco-allemand…de Bruhns à Messiaen”.

Coralie is now organ teacher at the Melody 7 School in Paris.

http://www.coralieamedjkane.fr/

Coralie Amedjkane – Chartres 2013

Considered one of the most promising young musician in Canada, Vincent Boucher studied with harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour and organist Bernard Lagacé before entering the Montreal Conservatory as a student of Mireille Lagacé. He obtained Premier Prix diplomas in both harpsichord and organ on unanimous decisions of the jury. He completed his studies in Vienna with Michael Gailit (organ) and Gordon Murray (harpsichord), and in Paris with Pierre Pincemaille (improvisation). He has attended several academies and masterclasses with leading figures such as Kenneth Gilbert, Ton Koopman, James David Christie and Marie-Claire Alain.

In November 2000, Vincent Boucher won First Prize at the John Robb Competition organized by the Royal Canadian College of Organists, the oldest organ competition in Canada. In June 2002, he was awarded the prestigious Prix d’Europe prize by the Académie de musique du Québec, after taking part in the competition which is the oldest in Canada open to both singers and instrumentalists. He was the first organist to win the prize in 34 years.

For four years, Vincent Boucher was the titular organist of the Sainte-Cécile cathedral in Valleyfield, Québec, where he recorded a CD for the Fonovox label. He gave recitals in Canada, France and Austria, and regularly heard on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Vincent Boucher is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and works as a financial analyst at the National Bank of Canada. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Montréal Business School, where he is currently completing a postgraduate course in e-commerce.

http://www.atmaclassique.com/Fr/Artistes/ArtisteInfo.aspx?ArtisteID=290

Jacques Boucher studied the organ with Antoine Bouchard at the School of Music of the University Laval in Quebec City.

He went on to work with the French musician Antoine Reboulot.

In 1994. he was awarded a professional development grant by the Conseil des Arts du Quebec.

Jacques Boucher is both a musician and a broadcaster. He has been a driving force in the world of the organ in Quebec, producing over 1500 recitals for Radio-Canada, where he has been a producer sine 1972.

In 1984, he was named to a three-year position as director of musical programmes for Radio-Canada’s radio network.

Since September 1991, he has chaired the music commission for the Communauté des Radios Publiques de Langue Française.

Jacques Boucher has served as artistic director for more than 100 recordings. The collection entitled ‘Les orgues anciens du Québec’, recipient of the Grand Prix du Disque du Canada, was produced under his direction. For this release, he played the Mitchell organ in the church at Saint André de Kamouraska.

Jacques Boucher’s discography bears witness to the vitality of his performing career. On his mort recent recording he brings to life the organ music of Titelouze, Dupré and Daveluy on the Cavaillé-Coll in the church at Mortagne-au-Perche, the Norman village where his ancestor Pierre Boucher lived before emigrating to Canada in 1634. In July 1991, Jacques Boucher participated as organist in the eighth Congres international de la Federation des Amis de l’Orgue field in Quebec.

In September 1992, he was asked to perform in the church of the Madeleine in Paris, and at the Sanctuaire St- Bonaventure in Lyon. In the fall of 1994, he was invited on a concert tour of France, which took him to the Basilique-Cathedral of St-Denis near Paris, the Cathedral at Versailles and the Cathedral at Laon.

His next musical project will include performances in the USA. and Europe. where he will also pursue his interest in organ-building and writings about the organ.

Since 1986, Jacques Boucher has been the resident organist at the great Casavant organ in the Eglise Saint Jean-Baptiste in Montréal, presiding over the vibrant cultural life of the church.

Jacques BOUCHER – Chartres 2006

http://jacquesboucher.org/

Antoine (Rodrigue Albert) Bouchard. Organist, teacher, b St-Philippe-de-Néri, near Quebec City, 22 Mar 1932; BA (Laval) 1952, L TH (Laval) 1956.

He studied 1942-3 with Yvette Michaud, 1944-9 and 1952-6 with Claude Lavoie, and 1950-2 with Father Léon Destroismaisons. After ordination as a priest in 1956 he continued his studies 1958-61 in Paris with Gaston Litaize, Antoine Reboulot, and Simone Plé-Caussade. Upon his return to Canada he taught at the Collège de Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and joined the staff at Laval University in 1961 where he was director 1977-80 of the School of Music. Bouchard has performed as an organist in the USA, France, and especially eastern and central Canada. In 1974 he took part in the recording of Hommage à Henri Gagnon on which he performed his own compositions Postlude and Messe de Requiem. Ostiguy published the latter piece (retitled In Paradisum) and a Prélude in the collection Le Tombeau de Henri Gagnon in 1987.

Bouchard was heard 1975-6 on the French network of the CBC in a series of concerts given on 20 historical organs in 6 European countries. A founder-member of the Amis de l’orgue de Québec, he wrote on the subject for numerous music journals, and helped re-establish the Canadian organ-building industry through his activities as a consultant in the construction of several organs in eastern Canada. He has written for EMC.

Reviewing his 1974 recording of French carols, Jacob Siskind wrote in the Montreal Gazette (11 Jun 1977) : ‘These are all by their very nature short pieces, few taking more than five minutes, and it is here that Bouchard is most effective. The charm of these folksy miniatures has been captured with great effectiveness and the variety of sound possible on the organ has been highlighted very cleverly‘.

Bouchard became a member of the board of the Canadian Music Council in 1978.

Daniel Boivin was born September 12, 1940 at TOURNAN-EN-BRIE (Seine-et-Marne). He initially began his musical studies with private teachers. Valerie SOUDERES, professor at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, made him work the piano and it’s at the Music Conservatory of Versailles he pursues the study with Paul BEDOUIN.

At the Conservatory of Versailles, he also studied traditional every musician disciplines (music theory, music history, harmony, etc …).

Military service, carried out in Algeria, forced him to a two-year break and on his return to civilian life in 1962, he became professor of music education in the schools of the City of Paris.

He began at the same time studying organ with Micheline LAGACHE at the Municipal Conservatory of the fourteenth district of Paris, then at the Conservatory of Nantes, where he obtained a first prize in 1972.

A few years later, Daniel Boivin began to improve the study of this instrument and enters the class Gaston LITAIZE the St. Maur National Conservatory where he won the Award of Excellence in 1980.

Daniel Boivin has given concerts in the provinces and in Paris, including St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Severin.

Hayo Boerema was born in Groningen (Netherlands) in 1972.

He studies at the La Haye Royal Conserva-tory where he obtains several diploma : diploma of sacred music (1995), the organ diploma in 1997 and the improvisation di-ploma (1999).

Afterwards, he continues his improvisation training with Naji Hakim in Paris.

Taking part in famous international compe-titions, he wins the following prizes :

– in 1998, he is one of the finalists in the Haarlem International Improvisation Com-petition ; and in Vienna he wins the 1rst prize at the International Anton Heiller Improvisation Competition.

– in 1999, at the International Improvisation Competition in Nuremberg, he wins the 1rst prize Johann Pachelbel as well as the prize of the public ; later, the city of Paris awards him the 1rst Prize of its 3rd International organ competition and he wins also the 2nd prize at the St. Albans’ international organ competition.

At the present time he is organist and choir master at St. Jacob’s Church in Winterswijk (Netherlands).

http://hayoboerema.com/en/bio/

François Bocquelet was born in Calais in 1949. After his studies at Calais (first prize in music theory, sight reading and piano, organ award of excellence, music room and bassoon), he entered the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Regional of Lille. He obtained a prize for piano, an organ and improvisation Excellence Award and a medal in harmony and counterpoint.

Two awards organ and counterpoint sanctioned his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.

After obtaining the Certificate in teaching, he teaches organ and piano at the Academy at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental from Calais.

Since 1989, after having held for 12 years of the Great Organ of the Cathedral of Arras, he became the owner of the Great Organs Cavaillé-Coll of Saint-Omer Cathedral, newly restored.

François Bocquelet played recitals in major galleries of France (Notre-Dame de Paris, Chartres Cathedral) and abroad : Germany, England, Quebec.

Since 1985, he led the Chorale Saint-Joseph-de-Calais, with which he has organized many trips (Quebec, Austria, Alsace) and recorded several CDs, including Christmas carols.

Born in the south-west of France, Frédéric Blanc began improvising on the piano and organ at a very age. He later decided to devote himself entirely to music.

After attending the conservatoires of Toulouse and Bordeaux, he furthered his studies and perfected his technique notably with Pierre Cogen, André Fleury, Marie-Claire Alain and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé.

He has won several international competitions (Chartres 1996, 2nd prize ; Paris 1997, 1st prize) and has given numerous recitals as a soloist or with orchestras. He is an experienced accompanist and has taken part in radio programs and conferences. He has directed masterclasses on French music and improvisations all over Europe and the United States (Royal Academy of Music, London). He has been invited by numerous festivals : Friedrichshafen, Bonn, Chartres, Roquevaire, Toulouse les Orgues, Rome, to name but a few.

Frédéric Blanc is a member of the Organ Commission of the City of Paris and the Organ Commission of the French Ministry of Culture.

His recordings for Motette, EMI, Aeolus and Baroque Notes have been hailed by critics who wiew him as one of the most gifted improvisers of the French school of organists.

He is the author of a critical study of the works of André Fleury (l’Orgue – Cahiers et Mémoires) and of the memoirs and writings of Maurice Duruflé (published by Séguier, Paris) as well as several reconstitutions of Pierre Cochereau’s improvisations (published by Butz).

He has been titular organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ at the church of Notre Dame d’Auteuil in Paris since January 1999 and is musical director for the Association Maurice et Marie-Madeleine Duruflé.

http://www.frederic-blanc.fr/