Jean Leduc

Leduc, Jean
Jean Leduc. Pianist, organist, teacher, b Montreal 14 Jun 1910, brother of Roland Leduc, first cousin of Pierre Rolland. After piano studies 1922-7 with Victoria Cartier and Romain-Octave Pelletier, he studied 1927-30 in Paris with Paul Loyonnet and Marcel Dupré (organ) and 1930-2 in Hollywood with the French pianist and noted teacher E. Robert Schmitz. At 13 he became organist at Ste-Thérèse Church near Montreal. Leduc was official pianist 1935-40 of the CSM and performed as soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician, frequently playing compositions by Lavallée, Contant, Renaud, Champagne, and Mathieu. He, his brother, and his sister-in-law Annette Lasalle-Leduc performed for a while as the Trio Leduc. He was a frequent guest with the Jean Lallemand Quartet (Montreal) and the Hart House String Quartet (Toronto). Returning to California, he performed in competitions and appeared with other leading string quartets (Budapest, Pro Arte, San Francisco, etc) and with Darius Milhaud 1940-2. He also was co-director 1940-56 of the E. Robert Schmitz Piano School and taught 1945-52 at San Francisco State College. In 1950 he began to teach at the École normale de musique, and in 1956 he settled permanently in Montreal. He taught piano 1961-76 at the CMM and 1976-80 at the UQAM. He married Monique Schmitz (musicologist, b Paris 11 Aug 1917, daughter of E. Robert Schmitz). A substantial collection of E. Robert Schmitz' papers was kept by the couple until 1990, when it was deposited at Yale U. In Montreal, Monique Leduc was co-ordinator of music education 1965-77 for elementary and secondary schools for the Catholic School Commission. She supervised secondary-school teachers' training 1978-83 at UQAM.

Not to be confused with the above is another Jean Leduc, organist, Prix d'Europe 1957, active in Canada, in the USA, and in Paris, where he performed the complete organ works of Bach. He recorded organ works by Froberger, Pachelbel, Leduc, Cabezón, and Oxinagas in 1967 (CBC Expo-9/RCI 253).

Author Nadia Turbide