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Bertin Nadeau,
owner of Casavant Frères, completed a doctorate in business
administration from Indiana University Business School. He started
his career as a University professor at l'École des Hautes
Études Commerciales de Montréal (HEC). In 1976, the
year he left teaching to become a full-time business leader, he bought
Casavant Frères. From 1982 until 1994, he was Chairman and
CEO of Unigesco Inc., and from 1989 until 1993, Chairman and CEO of
Provigo Inc., one of Unigesco's affiliates. Since 1994, he is Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of GescoLynx Inc. In 1997, Mr. Nadeau
renewed teaching at HEC in Montréal where he is an adjunct
professor. In addition to being Chairman of the Board of Casavant
Frères and Breuvages Kiri, Mr. Nadeau is a member of the Board
of Directors of Sun Life Financial Inc., Sun Life Assurance Company
of Canada and is a Board Member of the Montréal General Hospital
Foundation. He has received much recognition for his work including
the Academy of Alumni Fellows Award of Indiana University plus Awards
of Distinction from the Québec Acadian Federation and the Faculty
of Commerce and Administration of Concordia University. He has received
honorary doctorate degrees from Queen's University, Moncton University,
Sainte-Anne University and Bishop's University. His artistic interests
include serving on the Board of Governors of the Banff Centre from
1996 until 2002 as well as seeking new ways to increase public awareness
and interest in the pipe organ. Mr Nadeau is a Director
and a supporter of the Canadian International Organ Competition
(CIOC). |
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Casavant’s
President and Chief Operating Officer, Jean-Claude Roy, C.A.,
studied at Concordia and
McGill
Universities
in
Montreal
and is a member of The Quebec Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Throughout his career, he has held various management positions for
manufacturing companies and has been active as a consultant for a
number of accounting firms. In 2007, Jean-Claude Roy joined
Casavant Frères
as Vice-President for Finance and Administration and he was named the
company’s President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2009. In
addition to his professional responsibilities, Mr Roy is a member of
several boards of directors. |
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Vice President Simon
Couture joined Casavant Frères in 1992. He studied
organ at the University of Laval in Québec City, where
he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music History and the
Master’s Degree in Musicology. He has played in many churches
in Québec City, among which are Saint-Roch, Très
Saint-Sacrement and the Université Laval Chapel. In addition
to his work at Casavant Frères he regularly publishes
articles, a listing of which may be found in the Published Articles
section of the website. His most recent contribution is the text
of the entry on the Casavant brothers for the Dictionary of Canadian
Biography. He also is frequently asked to give lectures on the
history of music in Canada and on the history of Casavant Frères.
During the Organ Historical Society’s convention in Montréal
he was one of the featured lecturers and also assisted with the
researching of information for the convention program. His life
long interest and passion for the organ and its history gives
him an encyclopedic knowledge about older instruments, in particular
those built by Casavant Frères. |
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Tonal Director Jacquelin
Rochette is a native of St-Augustin, Québec. He acquired
his musical training at Université Laval in Québec
where he earned his Master's Degree in organ performance under the
direction of Antoine Bouchard. He also studied with Antoine Reboulot.
In 1979 he served as interim organist at the Québec Basilica
while the organist was on a study leave. Shortly thereafter, he became
the Musical Assistant Director of Les Petits Chanteurs de la Maîtrise
du Chapitre de Québec. From 1980 to 1987 he was Music
Director of Chalmers-Wesley United Church in Québec City. He
has performed numerous times on the CBC and recorded Vierne's Sixth
Symphony, Dupré's Stations of the Cross, and the Fifth and
Sixth Symphonies of Widor. He frequently appears as a lecturer and
recitalist in Canada and the United States. He joined Casavant in
1984, first working with Jean-Louis Coignet and later serving as Associate
Tonal Director before taking on the mantle of Tonal Director. His
background as a trained professional organist provides him with the
experience and knowledge of the organ, its repertoire and use in performance
and worship to be especially effective in directing the team of voicers
and in understanding the musical requirements of each situation. |
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Associate Technical Director, Pierre
Beaulac joined Casavant in 2003, following a career of almost
twenty-five years with the organ building firm of Guilbault-Thérien.
Prior to joining Casavant, where he is responsible for all refurbishing
projects, Mr. Beaulac acquired vast expertise in all aspects of organ
building while working extensively on the maintenance and refurbishing
of older Casavant instruments. |
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Technical Director Denis Blain is in charge of service
work as well as research and development. With Casavant since 1986,
Mr. Blain developed his considerable knowledge through years of practical
experience in virtually all areas of organ building. Mr. Blain consults
regularly with service personnel throughout North America advising
them on technical questions related to Casavant organs of all action
types and vintages.
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Chief Architect
Pierre Drouin holds a Bachelor of Architecture Degree
from the Université Laval in Québec City. He introduced
Computer Assisted Drafting to Casavant and personally supervises the
design and layout of every organ. Mr. Drouin works directly with architects
and contractors to coordinate the preparations and installation of
each instrument. |
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Mechanical Action Workshop Director Didier Grassin
holds a Master of Science in Sound and Vibration from Southampton
University in England and a Diplôme d'Ingénieur in Mechanical
Engineering from the Université de Compiègne in France.
While working for major European workshops, he acquired wide experience
in all facets of the craft of organ building from pipemaking to installation,
which led him to being in charge of the drawing office of one of the
leading firms in the UK. During the past ten years, he has concentrated
on the design and building of mechanical action organs that can be
found in England, France, Japan, Canada and the USA. He is also an
active member of the International Society of Organbuilders (ISO)
and the Institute of British Organbuilding (IBO), having served on
the editorial boards of both organizations. |
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Project Director Jean-Luc
Hébert holds an electrical engineering degree from McGill University in
Montréal and acquired a solid musical training with organists
Madeleine Lalonde and Raymond Daveluy. As an active musician, Jean-Luc
works extensively as a keyboardist, choir director, and arranger,
as well as church musician. Also, he has developed MIDI systems and
software, and has worked on many digital audio recording sessions.
For many years, he has served as Music Director of numerous fund
raising events for the Granby Hospital Foundation. After 16 years
working as a system engineer and manager for IBM, Jean-Luc now combines
his various passions in directing new organ and refurbishing projects
at Casavant. |
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Vice President of Operations, Daniel
Lupien joined Casavant in 1998 and was named to his current
position in 2000. A Chartered Accountant by training with a Bachelor's
Degree from the Université du Québec, he decided
early on in his career to focus on production management and he brought
to Casavant more than twenty years of experience. Mr. Lupien supervises
the overall operation of the workshop and is responsible for the hiring
of all new Casavant artisans. |
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Victor Morin is
Casavant's Vice President of Finance and Administration and he has
held this position since 1987. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Administration
and Finance from the University of Ottawa in addition to post-graduate
studies at McGill University. Prior to joining Casavant, Mr. Morin
had extensive international experience with several multinational
corporations. |
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Vice-President Emeritus Stanley
Scheer earned degrees in organ performance from Westminster
Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where he was a student of Eugene
Roan, George Markey and Alexander McCurdy. He became Vice-President
of Casavant Frères in 1988, and during his eighteen-year tenure
was actively engaged in the design, layout and testing of virtually
every organ built in the workshop. In addition, he was responsible
for the organization of the monumental Casavant archives and was the
leading force behind the new Casavant web site that was launched to
great acclaim in 2005. Widely recognized across North American for
his expertise in church music and organ design, Stanley Scheer remains
a close collaborator of Casavant Frères while enjoying retirement.
Before joining Casavant in 1984, he taught for twenty-one years at
Pfeiffer University in North Carolina where he was Professor of Music
and Head of the Department of Fine Arts. |
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Tonal Director Emeritus, Jean-Louis
Coignet joined Casavant in 1981. By professional training
a physiologist with a Doctorate from the Sorbonne, he is an accomplished
musician with an acute sense of hearing who has had a life-long passion
for organ building. From 1981 until 2005 he served as the Expert-Organier
(organ expert) for the City of Paris and is the most knowledgeable
authority on the work of Cavaillé-Coll in the world today.
During his tenure at Casavant Frères he trained and built a
strong team of voicers working to emphasize musical values and shaping
a solid tonal ensemble, which is a hallmark of Casavant organs. |
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Gilles Angers joined Casavant in 1994 and is the
head of the small parts department. A wood worker by training, Gilles
is responsible for making the innumerable parts that are essential
to the working of every organ from unseen parts of the playing action
to the engraving of the names on the drawknobs. Gilles especially
enjoys working on the refurbishment of old Casavant instruments where
he can appreciate their diversity and the quality of the work of his
predecessors. In his spare time, Gilles likes to play the flute and
to be outdoors. |
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Yves
Champagne is Casavant’s senior voicer, having joined
the firm in 1974 after completing his music training. In addition
to his voicing apprenticeship at Casavant, Yves had the opportunity
to train in Switzerland where he worked with Georges L'Hôte.
Yves is an accomplished pianist who often can be found practicing
at night after a full day of work in a church or a concert hall. He
takes special pride in being part of the creative process that goes
into the voicing of an instrument as well as interacting with the
organists he works with while completing the tonal finishing on site. |
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André
Fortier is the head of the windchest department. Originally
trained to build furniture, André came to Casavant in 1989
where he has been making windchests ever since. One of the aspects
he likes most about his job is the challenge of finding solutions
for complex situations. When not building windchests, André
likes to go camping and watch hockey. |
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Alex
Gadbois is the specialist in pipe racking so his work involves
not only making sure that the pipes will stand securely for decades,
but also that they do so in a discrete and aesthetic way. He joined
Casavant in 1988. In his spare time, Alex enjoys fishing, reading,
and spending time with his family. |
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Stéphane Graveline is in charge of millwork and has been
with Casavant since 1997. He is the person who carefully selects
and prepares the wood for his fellow artisans in the workshop.
Stéphane has a passion for wood even outside of the
workshop, as he is personally involved in taking care of forests.
He enjoys spending time in nature. |
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Réal Huard is the individual responsible for the wiring of
every Casavant organ including the verification of the solid-state
electronic combination actions and coupling-switching systems that are
incorporated in organs. Réal, who taught shoemaking before joining
Casavant in 1989, is a graduate of a wood working school and built
windchests and consoles at Casavant before assuming his present role.
Réal is also a professional arts photographer whose work has been
exhibited in area galleries. |
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Marco Laferrière has worked at
Casavant Frères since 1994 and has been involved in over 50 organ
installations throughout North America and in Australia. He is in
charge of the montage of the instruments at Casavant, making sure that
every organ is carefully assembled and tested in the workshop before
being dismantled and shipped to its final destination. Marco is
interested in several sports. |
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Michel
Lapointe, who is the head of the paint shop, came to Casavant
in 1986. He enjoys seeing the end result of his detailed work. Michel’s
hobbies include fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities. |
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Francois Masse joined Casavant
in 2000 and is the head of the cabinet making workshop. He makes sure
every detail is met in order to achieve the highest visual quality
possible. He has been devoted to wood working since his youth. When
not making beautiful pipe organs, Francois enjoys camping and
furniture building. |
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Claude
Pelletier joined Casavant in 1977 and is the head of the
console department. Like most of his colleagues, Claude completed
an apprenticeship program where he trained with experienced artisans
many of whom retired after more than forty years with the firm. His
scope of expertise covers the complete process of console building
for both mechanical and electric action organs. In his spare time,
Claude likes to play the guitar, to do wood carving and to coach amateur
sports teams. |
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Simon
Richard, who joined Casavant Frères in 1989, is the
head of the pipeshop. With many years of experience in making organ
pipes, he is not only at ease with the fabrication of new flue and
reed pipes but is also involved with the refurbishment of old pipework.
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