Vincent Boucher has been appointed titular organist at St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, Montreal, Quebec. Boucher will play both of the sanctuary’s organs, including the newly restored five-manual, 78-stop Beckerath instrument of 5,811 pipes, making it the largest purely mechanical-action organ in the country. He will also hold the position of artistic director, carrying on the tradition of Sunday organ concerts, now in its 55th season. His inaugural concert will take place on April 19 at 3:30 p.m.
Vincent Boucher’s career is in both music and finance. He has performed in England, Austria, and France, has been awarded some fifteen prizes and honors, including the Prix d’Europe in 2002, and his discography includes eleven recordings that have garnered critical praise. Boucher studied under Bernard Lagacé and, while in Mireille Lagacé’s class at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, was unanimously awarded a first prize for organ and harpsichord. He also completed a doctorate in performance at McGill University with John Grew and William Porter and furthered his studies in Vienna and later in Paris.
With over 21 years of experience as a liturgical organist, Boucher was the titular organist at Sainte-Cécile de Valleyfield Cathedral from 1996 to 2000 and is currently the assistant organist at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in Montreal since 1993. With a degree from Oxford University, he has worked in the financial industry for over 15 years and is currently an investment advisor at National Bank Financial.
(Photo credit Alain Lefort)
