REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2016 Casavant Frères

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1 REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2016 Casavant Frères 2016 has been a remarkable year at Casavant! This year was marked by the completion of a number of important projects, both new organs and significant restorative work on existing instruments. We are grateful indeed for the numerous commissions we continue to receive. To the people who put their confidence in our abilities, we extend our heartfelt thanks. We continue to actively recruit new people to join our team, both in the workshops and in the office, and to promote some members of our personnel to higher responsibilities. All of them are subjected to a very exacting training program. Over the years this commitment to prepare for succession in key positions has always insured a brilliant future for our firm. 2 Achievements St. Michael s Catholic Cathedral, Toronto, Ontario Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College, Holland, Michigan After extensive building restoration and embellishment over the last five years, St. Michael s Catholic Cathedral in Toronto, Ontario, blessed its rebuilt cathedral and its new organ (III-56/76; in collaboration with Alan T. Jackson Company) on the Feast of St. Michael, on September 29 th. The instrument, which is installed in a newly built back gallery, frames a large stained glass window that had not been visible since The new organ at the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts on the campus of Hope College in Holland, Michigan (III- 44/54), was inaugurated in a series of recitals by Hope College organist, Dr. Huw Lewis, as well as David Baskeyfield, and Clive Driskill-Smith, and in concerts with orchestra. Two nine-rank and one seven-rank Inspiration organs were installed in Beijing, China this fall, at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (West Church, or XiTang), at Saint Joseph Church (East Church, or DongTang), and at Saint Michael's Church (Dongjiaoming Street Church). 4

2 Bansuk Jeonwon Presbyterian Church in Daejeon, South Korea (II-40/17), dedicated its new organ in August with a recital by Prof. So-In Park, Professor of Organ at the PUTS (Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary) in Seoul. The dedication service was played by Dr. Eunsung Kim, Assistant Professor of Organ at the PUTS. This is our second installation in South Korea. Bansuk Jeonwon Presbyterian Church, Daejeon, South Korea We completed the relocation of the thoroughly rebuilt Aeolian-Skinner organ (originally from Trinity Church, Wall Street, in New York City) at Johns Creek United Methodist Church in Johns Creek, Georgia (IV-66/92). The instrument was formally dedicated in a special service on December 4. The inaugural concert featuring present and former church musicians, along with the church choir, will be held on Sunday, January 29. Famed organist Diane Bish will play a special recital on Sunday, March 19. On October 30, Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, celebrated its new organ (III-30/38) in a special dedication service. Dr. Scott Atchison, who served as the adviser on the project, was the guest organist for the occasion. The 1987 Casavant organ at St. Mark s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington, Ohio (III-35/41), was enlarged and completed this year. The project included the addition of a second expressive division, a new three-manual console and tonal modifications. Extensive restorative work has been done on the Lawrence Phelps & Associates organ at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa (II-25/35, 1976; in collaboration with Carroll Hanson and Patrick Budelier). We have relocated the existing Casavant organ of St. John s Lutheran Church in Bennington, Nebraska, in their new larger sanctuary (II-18/23, 1998; in collaboration with Patrick Budelier). Shallowford Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia The Casavant mechanical-action organ (II-9/11, 1962) of Concordia University in Montreal was relocated at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, where it will be used as a teaching and practice instrument. Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto, Ontario, home of one of the largest Casavant organs in this city, will have a new 15-rank Antiphonal organ completed on time for Christmas (in collaboration with Alan T. Jackson Company). Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Toronto, Ontario 2

3 Earlier in the year, we restored and relocated a 1889/1941 Casavant organ at the parish church of Saint-Damase, Quebec (II-21/23), a quaint village located near Saint-Hyacinthe, and we completed the thorough rebuild of the 1982 Guilbault-Thérien mechanical-action organ (II-11/15) at Saint-Jérôme Parish in Shippagan, New Brunswick. Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Church of the Assumption, Edmonton, Alberta Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania After many years of planning, we completed a comprehensive refurbishment, along with some tonal enhancements, of the 1925 Casavant organ at First Presbyterian Church in Statesville, North Carolina (III-30/35). An organ blessing service was held on November 20. Dr. Joby Bell, Professor of Organ at Appalachian State University, will play the dedicatory recital on February 19. The last stages of the refurbishment projects were completed on the Casavant organs at the Church of the Assumption in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (in collaboration with David Storey), and at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Edmonton, Alberta (in collaboration with Stephen Miller/Pipework). Saint-Jérôme Parish, Shippagan, New Brunswick Saint-Damase Parish, Québec A new four-manual console was provided for the 1930 Steinmeyer organ at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton, Ontario (IV-60/83; in collaboration with Alan T. Jackson Company). The original organ consoles of the Casavant organs at Rye Presbyterian Church in Rye, New York, and at Christ Church, United Methodist, in New York City were upgraded (in collaboration with Donald Du Laney). Restorative tonal work has been done on the 1967 Casavant organ at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and the instrument at Hanover Street Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware, has been extensively revoiced (in collaboration with David Storey). First Presbyterian Church, Statesville, North Carolina 3

4 The New Year Review Of The Year 2016 Christ Church, Washington Parish, Washington, D.C. Strait Cultural Arts Center, Fuzhou, China (in collaboration with PES-Architects) St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church, Park Ridge, Illinois (in Casavant workshop) Recently we were commissioned to build a new mechanical-action organ for the Strait Cultural Arts Center in Fuzhou, China (IV-42/52). This will be our third installation in a Chinese concert hall. The design of the organ façade has been developed in close collaboration with PES-Architects. The organ will be completed in the hall in We are completing the historic restoration of a 1928 Casavant organ we have rescued from a decommissioned church in the Canadian Maritimes. St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in Park Ridge, Illinois, will be the new home of this fine instrument (III-28/30; in collaboration with JL Weiler). Early next year we will complete a joint project with Renaissance Pipe Organ Company, for an extensive refurbishment and tonal enhancements of the 1926 Casavant organ at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Davison, Michigan (III-36/40). We will complete the reinstallation of the 1958 Casavant organ at St. Mary s Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island (III-25/29). The project includes new Gothic-style organ casework, rebuilding the original console with solid-state systems and tonal modifications. In August we will install a new organ at the historic Christ Church, Washington Parish, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (II-35/17). First Lutheran Church in Bemidji, Minnesota, has commissioned us to build a new organ (II-19/25) that will be completed in time for the 500 th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, in October A new organ is in the making for Forest Lake Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina (II-22/27), for completion in the church scheduled for Christmas We will releather the organ and rebuild the original console of the 1956 Casavant organ at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church in Waco, Texas (in collaboration with Alden Organ Services). The original console of the 1959 Casavant organ at Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will be rebuilt with solid-state systems (in collaboration with Hayes Pipe Organ Service). St. Mary s Catholic Church, Newport, Rhode Island 4

5 Major restorative work will be done on the 1920 Casavant organ at Saint Basil Catholic Church in Toronto, Ontario (III-57/74; in collaboration with Alan T. Jackson Company). Our 2002 organ at First Presbyterian Church in Newton, North Carolina, will be completed with the addition of eight new ranks of pipes (in collaboration with Lincoln Pipe Organs). Work continues on the new mechanical-action organ to be installed in 2018 in the new 2700-seat sanctuary of Saemoonan Presbyterian Church in Seoul (III-63/79), the mother church of Presbyterians in South Korea. A recording was made on the Inspiration Organ at Immaculate Conception Church in Port Perry, Ontario, with William O Meara, to demonstrate the versatility and the colors of the instrument. Please scan the QR code below for listening. Saemoonan Presbyterian Church, Seoul, South Korea The Northeast Region of the American Guild of Organists and the Royal Canadian College of Organists, in collaboration with the Canadian International Organ Competition, will have a joint convention in Montreal on July 1-7, Many well-known Casavant instruments, including the new organ at the Maison symphonique and the venerable organ at Notre-Dame Basilica, will be featured. We hope to see many of you there! For additional information: We are also working on a number of very promising projects that should come to fruition in the near future. We invite you to subscribe to our Facebook page ( and to visit our website ( regularly. These are the best sources of current information about Casavant! We extend our very best wishes for a prosperous and happy New Year! Bertin F. Nadeau Chairman of the Board Jean-Christian Céré President 900 Girouard Est St-Hyacinthe, QC (Canada) J2S 2Y2 Jacquelin Rochette Artistic Director Simon Couture Vice President Jean-Luc Hébert Vice President 5