Denis Bédard

Denis Bédard (born 1950 in Quebec City, Quebec) is a Canadian composer of organ works (solo, duet, and with other instruments) and choral pieces (a cappella, with organ, and with piano). He founded Éditions Cheldar, which publishes his works.^[1]

Bédard was trained at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec where he obtained a deuxième prix harmony in 1966, a premier prix counterpoint in 1970, a premier prix fugue in 1971, premier prix organ in 1972, and a premier prix harpsichord and premier prix chamber music in 1973. Among his teachers at the conservatoire were Tania Krieger (piano), Claude Lavoie (organ), André Mérineau (harmony), Magdeleine Martin (counterpoint and fugue), and Donald Thomson (harpsichord). A series of grants from the Canada Council enabled him to pursue studies in Paris with André Isoir (organ) and Laurence Boulay (harpsichord and figured bass realization) and in Montreal with Bernard Lagacé (organ and harpsichord) between 1973-1975. After winning the Prix d'Europe in 1975 for his harpsichord performance, he studied piano, harpsichord, and organ with Gustav Leonhardt in the Netherlands from 1975-1977.^[1]