Denis Regnaud

Denis Regnaud

Denis Regnaud. Organist, harpsichordist, teacher, radio producer, b St-Hyacinthe, Que, 6 Jan 1945, d Montréal 14 Jun 2006; B MUS (Montréal) 1966, M MUS harpsichord (Vienna Academy) 1971, M MUS organ (Vienna Academy) 1972, D MUS harpsichord (Montréal) 1986. Regnaud was visually impaired therefore he studied violin and then organ and harmony at the Institut Nazareth, a Montréal school established for the blind and visually impaired. He continued his studies 1963-6 at the University of Montreal, chiefly with Bernard Lagacé. He was awarded a scholarship in 1967 by the Montréal Austrian Society and worked until 1972 at the Vienna Academy with Isolde Ahlgrimm (harpsichord) and Anton Heiller (organ). He returned to Montréal briefly in 1970 to participate in the Ars Organi festival. In 1971 he played in a series of recitals on Bruckner's organ in St-Florian, Austria, appeared later that year at the International Festival of Young Organists in Biel, Switzerland, and gave four organ recitals for schools in the French département of Jura. In December 1972 he performed on the 18th-century organ of San Jacopo Church in Florence. He taught 1972-80 at the University of Montréal, where he was responsible for the baroque music workshop. He also taught 1972-3 at the University of Ottawa, at the St-Laurent Cegep (Montréal), and 1983-4 at the University of Moncton.

In 1980 he became CBC radio producer of music programs, first in Moncton and then in 1984, in Montréal. In 1987 he was named director of CBC radio music, in which capacity he became in 1989 president of the music commission of the Communauté des radios publiques de langue française. He was organist 1976-9 at St Patrick's Church, Montréal and in 1986 was named organist at the church of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Verdun (Montréal). He gave organ and harpsichord recitals on CBC radio and in several towns in Quebec and Ontario. Regnaud has recorded works by Tallis, Byrd, Stanley and Muffat in vol 5 of the collection Les Orgues anciens du Québec (1979, Alpec A-81033/7-RCI 538), and Vierne's Symphony No. 4 (1987, REM 11047 CD).