Jacques Boucher

Boucher, Jacques

Jacques (Jean-Charles) Boucher. Organist, producer, b Saint-Pascal, near Rivière-du-Loup, Que, 14 Aug 1945. Licence organ (Laval) 1973. He completed his classical studies at the Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière (1958-66) where he studied piano with Pierre Bouchard, and organ with Antoine Bouchard. At Laval University he also worked (1966-73) with the latter and with Jeanne Landry, Jacques Hétu, Claude Lagacé, Alain Gagnon and Chantal Masson, receiving further training under Antoine Reboulot in Montreal. In the meantime, he held the post of organist and choir director at the church in his native village. In 1971-2, he attended the Institut de musicologie and the Institut de musique sacrée in Paris where he also trained in broadcasting at the Services musicaux of ORTF.

Boucher's calling for radio broadcasting originated in 1963 at the CHGB-FM station in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, where he worked successively as producer, host, sound engineer and programme director. He became a producer for the CBC in Montreal in 1972. A specialist of organ music, he produced the broadcast recordings of over 800 recitals devoted to this instrument. As head of radio music programmes, he promoted live broadcasting and furthered the role of radio on the music scene, providing over 30 composers with the opportunity to write a work intended for radio broadcast.

As record producer, Boucher is responsible for over 75 releases. Of these, the series Les Orgues anciens du Québec, for which he himself recorded works (vol 7) by Pachelbel, Dandrieu, Weckmann and Telemann (1980, Alpec A-81035 and 7-RCI 538) was awarded a prize by the Canadian Music Council in 1983. On various organs from Quebec, he has also recorded works by Vierne (1987, 2-REM 11047, CD) and Tournemire (1989, REM 311131). Principal organist at the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes church in Verdun [Montreal] from 1975 to 1986, he was appointed organist of the St-Jean-Baptiste church in Montreal in 1986.