| Vincent Boucher, organ |
| Vincent Boucher is considered as one of the most promising
Canadian organists of his generation. A native of Montreal, he began his
studies with harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour and organist Bernard Lagacé.
Subsequently, he continued at the Conservatory of Music of Quebec in Montreal
in Mireille Lagacé's class. There he won two First Prizes with a
unanimous jury for the organ and the harpsichord. He has participated in
several academies and master classes given by, amongst others: Kenneth Gilbert,
Ton Koopman, James David Christie and Marie-Claire Alain.
In November 2000, Vincent Boucher won the First Prize at the John-Robb Competition of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, the oldest organ competition of its kind in Canada. In addition, he also won the prestigious European Prize from the Academy of Music of Quebec. This prize, being the crown for Canada's oldest competition open to all singers and instrumentalists, has not been awarded to an organist for 34 years. During his four years as a trained organist at the St. Cécile
Cathedral in Valleyfield, he recorded his first disc under the label Fonovox
at age 19, and also founded two concert series. In 1998, he left for Austria
to perfect his art with Gordon Murray for the harpsichord and with Michael
Gailit for the organ. He has toured in Canada, France, and Austria and
has been heard several times on the airwaves of Radio-Canada. With the
European Prize under his belt, he has recently been able to work with
Pierre Pincemaille in Paris on improvisation and composition. He is currently
the joint Casavant organist at the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in Montreal.
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