Organisten - Porträts

Guy Bovet

A versatile, many-sided artist, Guy Bovet has become one of the most respected personalities in today's international organ world. A busy concert schedule of about 70 recitals a year brings him to the great instruments of five continents, and press as well as public recognize his unique blend of musicianship and scholarship, often spiced with a zest of humour.

Mr. Bovet has made more than 45 commercial recordings, usually featuring important historical instruments all over the world, and he appears on radio and TV shows in many of the countries where he performs or teaches.

His class at the Music Academy of the City of Basle, Switzerland, attracts outstanding students from all over the globe. He also holds regularly classes at the University of Salamanca, Spain, and at the Elsner music school in Warsaw, Poland. Besides that, he is often invited to teach for academies, festivals and universities throughout the world. He has held temporary positions in the USA (University of Oregon, Southern Methodist University, Conservatory of Cincinnati etc.), in Canada (University of Western Ontario), and in France (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon). His teaching topics go from general organ repertoire to the most specialized subjects like Gothic organ music (French Organist Federation Convention 1994) or early Spanish organ music (University of Salamanca since 1979), the works of Franck, Widor, Vierne and Alain (Haarlem summer Academy for Organists, 1992 and 1994), reflecting the broad range of his interests and knowledge.

Mr. Bovet's main field of study and investigation has been the Hispanic organ culture. He has lead over 15 research expeditions in Mexico and Brasil and declined a similar offer from the government of Guatemala. He has published articles on these and other topics in most of the professional organ magazines, and is chief editor of the French Swiss periodical "La Tribune de l'Orgue".

Mr. Bovet serves as a judge in many prestigious international organ competitions (Haarlem, Tokyo, Saint-Omer, St. Albans, Calgary, etc.). His experience in organ design has brought him responsibilities in planning major instruments in Europa, America and the Far East. As a composer, he has written over 100 scores for screen or stage, and all kinds of vocal and instrumental music, amongst which also some for the organ.

At home, Mr. Bovet ist City and Collegiate Church Organist at Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and artistic director of two important concert societies, of the Swiss Organ Competition and the summer organ academy held yearly in his home village of Romainmôtier. This former Cistercian monastery has also, thanks to his efforts and the help of many others, become the home of the restored Alain family organ (built by Albert Alain, father of Jehan and Marie-Claire Alain), originally located at Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris.

Guy Bovet has been for 12 years the President of the French Swiss Organist's Association. He is on the board of directors of the German Gesellschaft der Orgelfreunde and of the French Federation of Organ Societies (FFAO). He speaks about ten languages and is a friend of beaches, swimming and fishing.