Easing off the pedal: cathedral organist steps down after 20 years

Holy Rosary Cathedral has long been known for its excellent organ, choir, and musical direction, which is only fitting for a metropolitan cathedral church – it sets a high standard for all Catholic parishes in the area.

Because the liturgy is where the transcendent mysteries take place, sacred music in the liturgy must have a distinctive voice; it must be identifiably different and distinct from the rest of secular culture. 

Organ music has been called a remedy for contemporary man’s search for meaning in music – soothing and stirring the human heart with its soul-piercing charm.

Denis  Bedard, who was born in Quebec City in 1950, has been the organist and music director at Holy Rosary Cathedral in downtown Vancouver since September 2001. 

At the end of August 2021, Denis retired as the organist and music director of the cathedral after exactly 20 years. As the cathedral community wishes him well in his new endeavours, his departure represents a major loss locally.

Denis, who comes from a musical family, is a multi-talented musician trained on a variety of musical instruments. His accomplishments over the years stand out as organist, composer, and professor of organ music. 

While his favourite genre is certainly classical music, as an organist he likes to play music from all periods, from the 16th through 21st centuries, as each period has its particular flavour. 

He also feels it’s important to hear varied sacred music from many centuries performed in church and – if possible – to have contemporary music from time to time when it meets liturgical criteria. 

Over the years he has written more than 150 works and received countless commissions that have been performed in dozens of countries all over the world. The works include chamber music, orchestral and choral music, and countless compositions for organ. 

Earlier this year on Pentecost Sunday, Denis was overjoyed when his organ Toccata on “Veni Creator” was played as the postlude for the High Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica.

His Messe Saint-Léon-le-Grand was performed at the opening Mass of the International Eucharistic Convention in Quebec City in 2008 for a large audience. In 1993 he founded Éditions Cheldar, a music publishing firm that has published his organ and choral compositions.

Denis’ music background began at a young age. Growing up in Quebec City, he started to study piano and musical theory in elementary school at the age of 7. He attended the Petit Seminaire, founded in 1668 located next to the Cathedral-Basilica in Quebec City. In those years nearly all the teachers were priests. 

The young student showed great promise. When he was 11, he entered the Conservatory of Music in Quebec City as a piano student.

He had his first contact with the organ at the same Quebec City church where his father was organist for more than 50 years. Having learned the piano, he recalls playing piano repertoire on the organ after Mass. 

Around age 16, Denis began to compose music, and at 18 he found himself at a crossroads when he decided to drop piano and instead study organ and harpsichord. 

He studied music at the Quebec Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1973 with first class honours in organ, harpsichord, chamber music, counterpoint and fugue. He later studied in Paris, Amsterdam and Montreal and was organist at various Quebec City churches.

His professional career as a composer took off in 1981 with his Sonate for saxophone and piano, and he has since had an active international career as a recitalist, giving concerts across Canada and around the world. 

He has recorded frequently for Radio-Canada and the CBC and in 1996 he recorded his first CD of his organ compositions. In 2006 he recorded a second CD and in 2016-17 a third, this time including works for organ and saxophone, organ and trumpet, and organ duet. 

When Denis assumed his position at Holy Rosary in Vancouver in 2001, he felt blessed to play such an exceptional organ. The organ at Holy Rosary Cathedral was built in 1900 by the Karn Warren Company, based in Ontario, and was rebuilt in 2000 by Casavant & Freres of Quebec. It is considered one of the finest symphonic organs on the West Coast.

This makes it perfect for playing romantic and symphonic organ music, especially the French repertoire of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bringing to mind the iconic music of Franck, Widor, Guilmant, etc. The generous acoustics of the cathedral sync perfectly well the resounding echo of the organ. 

One of the most important contributions that Denis made over the years at Holy Rosary Cathedral was his cathedral concert series. The concerts were a hit and became an important part of his work over the years, bringing a love for the organ to the public. At his invitation some of the top organists in the world came to visit Vancouver and played in the series of four to five concerts a year. 

He also struck an arrangement with the French Consulate in Vancouver for several years, allowing him to invite top French organists such as Olivier Latry (the organist at Notre-Dame in Paris), Naji Hakim, Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin, Thierry Escaich, and Pierre Pincemaille.

He also had Paul Jacobs (the organ professor at the Juilliard School of Music) and Jens Kondoerfer from the U.S, Hans Uwe Hielscher from Germany, and some great organists from Canada, while also giving Vancouver organists a chance to be heard. 

Denis played every year in the concert series, often as a soloist, sometimes with his wife Rachel Alflatt (with organ duets), and sometimes with other musicians (such as trumpet and organ, saxophone and organ, or voice and organ).

The series also included a concert each year with all the choirs of Holy Rosary Cathedral, each of them offering a short performance. 

May God bless and reward Denis for his many years of service to the Archdiocese of Vancouver and our beloved cathedral. He will be remembered for his professionalism, leadership, and excellent selection of sacred music, all of which contributed to the decorum and splendor of the liturgical ceremony, adding a sanctity and goodness of form that will long be remembered.