Wolff & Associés Ltée

Wolff & Associés Ltée

Wolff & Associés Ltée. Organ manufacturer in Laval, Que. This firm began operations in 1968 under the name of its founder, Hellmuth Wolff (b Zurich 3 Sep 1937, naturalized Canadian 1970). After apprenticing in Switzerland with Metzler and receiving additional training in Europe and the USA he worked for Casavant Frères, then with Karl Wilhelm, before opening his own business, where James Louder became his associate in 1986. Wolff organs are found mainly in the Montreal, New York, and Great Lakes regions. Drawing his inspiration from the French or German classical traditions in the main, Wolff has produced instruments which are sometimes distinctly historical, even similar to one another (eg, McGill University and University of Toronto), but at other times more versatile (Trinity Cathedral, Davenport, Ia) or even eclectic (Christ Church Cathedral, Indianopolis). The design and sound of his instruments have earned them an established position in contemporary organ building. In 1990 Wolff produced, as his 33rd instrument, his 10th large-scale organ completed within tenor years.