André Bolduc, President

Born in Montreal in 1947, André Bolduc attended Académie Roussin and initially considered a career in the armed forces. He studied English at CFB Borden in Ontario with further studies at Royal Military College Saint-Jean. His interest in aviation led him to take flying lessons, and he obtained his commercial pilot’s license in 1969.

Additional studies in management and procedures resulted in André leading large work teams at Sicard Machinerie, Canadian Buttons, and Thibault Furniture of Sainte-Thérèse. During the recession of 1970, he took up a career as a police officer with the Sûreté du Québec, living in Quebec City until 1978 when he was transferred to Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce. He also became a qualified cabinetmaker and was listed in the Quebec Ministry of Cultural Affairs’ Directory of Environmental Arts Creators. 

His wife’s piano playing got him interested in the functioning and construction of the piano. His curiosity led him to study this field. In 1980, he received a diploma with distinction from the Aubrey Willis School of Piano Tuning and Repairing in Orlando, Florida.

He began receiving invitations to give seminars on various aspects of piano repair at international conferences, particularly on the subject of veneers. He then added classes on various cabinetry glues before launching an ambitious plan: the development of a top-of-the-line quarter-sawn maple pinblock, which became the BolducBlock. The new pinblock was quickly embraced by the industry and is now exported to the United States and internationally.

In 1990, André began producing soundboards made of white spruce from the Beauce and other parts of Quebec. While continuing to give seminars for the Piano Technicians Guild, he built himself a solid reputation as a piano component manufacturer. His growing international reputation helped promote his high quality piano components. He became known as an expert on wood and is regularly consulted by piano technicians and manufacturers throughout the world.

The accumulated wisdom of these last 30 years have made André known around the world as a piano authority . Always on top of the latest developments, he makes research and development a priority in the production of superior components, using local woods in an environmentally responsible manner.

Michelle Lord, General Manager

In 1978 and newly arrived in Beauce after the transfer of her husband André Bolduc, Michelle was unable to find a decent piano tuner to work on her piano, so André decided to master piano tuning and repair to help out. So began the glorious adventure of Pianos André Bolduc. 

Michelle took part in the company's founding in 1978 and collaborated closely in operations, dealing particularly with the management side. Thanks to her training as a pianist, she could also perform at events to promote the company’s services.

To provide Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce and neighbouring communities with top-level musical instruction, Michelle founded the Arquemuse Music School in 1990. Recently a second school teaching popular music, Centre de la Beauce Music School, was opened, with Michelle as director. These two nonprofit organizations provide piano, violin, singing, and guitar lessons. Michelle also plays a key role in concerts at the schools by providing piano accompaniment for the students. 

In 2007, with the generous assistance of the Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce parish council, the Concerts Arquemuse series was launched. The series features three top-level classical music concerts as well as one popular or jazz performance each year in the beautiful sacristy of Saint-Joseph-de Beauce Church.

Michelle currently holds the position of CEO in charge of the company in Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce and Montreal. Together with André, she oversees the Montreal store, which opened in September 2008, steering it through its critical early years. With an excellent selection of fine pianos such as Bösendorfer, Sauter, Pramberger, and Heintzman,  Pianos André Bolduc provides Montreal customers with tremendous variety. Many of these pianos, incidentally, use Bolduc components made from Quebec and other Canadian woods.

Christian Bolduc, Factory Superintendent

Christian showed an interest in working with wood while still a child. He often accompanied his father to the woodworking shop, learning to wield wood chisels and other tools at an early age. But it was while pressing pinblocks with his sister Danièle during summer vacations that his passion for working with his hands in the shop really took off. After finishing high school in 1993, Christian enrolled in cabinetmaking at the National Furniture School in Victoriaville. On returning to Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, he apprenticed in piano restoration with his father, then continued his studies in piano production at the Schimmel piano factory in Braunschweig, Germany. A visit to the Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg rounded off his time in Europe.

On his return, Christian began assisting his father at Piano Technicians Guild seminars in the United States, teaching pinblock and soundboard replacement. 

He also had the opportunity to pursue private studies with Peter Mohr, president of New England Classic Piano Restoration in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he honed his skills in the art of soundboard replacement on Steinway & Sons pianos.  

In 2000, Christian and his father taught an intensive course at the University of Brandon, Manitoba. This tremendously popular course was a breakthrough for Bolduc products across Canada.

Christian regularly provides training seminars for piano technicians in North America and Europe, teaching soundboard and pinblock replacement to professionals. Concentrating on a specific, concrete service has served the company well. In December 2008, Christian was invited to lead a two-day workshop in Ludwigsburg, Germany for members of BDK (Bund Deutscher Klavierbauer), Germany’s association of certified piano technicians.

Christian jointly manages the company’s piano restoration department with his sister Catherine and supervises production at the Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce factory. He takes a special interest in the structural aspects of instruments, polyester finish repair, and cabinetry repair and finishing. He has even created special tools and equipment that simplify technicians’ work.

Christian is also responsible for evaluating and managing the pricing of manufactured products. He meets regularly with manufacturers from all over the world, signing contracts with the great piano makers of our time.

Catherine Bolduc, Tuner/Technician and Sales Director, Beauce

Following technical and piano-tuning studies in Toronto in 1995, Catherine continued her studies at the Schimmel Piano Technicians School, adjacent to the Schimmel piano factory in Braunschweig, Germany. She also paid a visit to the Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg.

In 1998, she and her brother Christian took a course on QRS MIDI system installation at the Story & Clark factory in Seneca, Pennsylvania. That same year, Catherine gave a class on the Dampp-Chaser system for a Piano Technicians Guild conference in Rhode Island.

In 1999, she undertook private studies with Rick Baldassin, a leading international expert in the field. In 2001, she honed her skills in concert voicing and regulation of Steinway & Sons pianos with Peter Mohr of New England Classic Piano Restorations in Manchester, New Hampshire. FAIRE CORRIGER DANS LA VERSION FRANÇAISE SVP

Catherine excels in concert piano voicing and preparation. An accredited member of the Piano Technicians Guild since 2003, she received her accreditation certificate with distinction, attaining a near-perfect score in piano tuning. Previous musical training undoubtedly contributed to her fine ear—Catherine studied both violin and piano at the Quebec Conservatory of Music.

In 2003, Catherine continued her education in concert piano voicing and regulation at the SAUTER factory in Spaichingen, Germany. To further develop her skills, she regularly visits various North American and European manufacturers. These trips are an important part of mastering the piano craft—Germany remains today the worldwide piano-manufacturing benchmark. 

As a tuner-technician and sales manager at the Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce store, Catherine is in charge of customer service as well as overseeing the piano repair and finishing department. With her enviable experience in all things piano, Catherine also travels regularly in Asia to provide consulting services at the Beijing factory of Heintzman, a Canadian company founded in Toronto in 1866. Featuring Bolduc soundboards, Röslau strings, Mapes bass strings, and Renner hammers, Heintzman pianos currently represent one of the world’s best piano values.

Morand Roy, Managing Director of the Montreal Store

Morand Roy has extensive experience that has proven invaluable in preparing and opening the Montreal outlet. He is eminently qualified to guide customers in their purchases and help them find just the right instrument. Here are some of the highlights of his career so far:

• Manager, Dominique Boulet Hammond Organ Studio, 1959 to 1966
• Sales Manager, Langelier Valiquette, 1967 to 1974
• Sales Manager, Au Diapason Piano and Organ, 1975 to 1983
• General Manager, Maison Roger Larose, 1984 to 1992
• General Manager, Bouthillier Musique, 1993 to 2008
• Sales Manager, Pianos André Bolduc, Montreal, 2008–

Kathleen Swinford, Shipping and Receiving Manager

A member of the team since 2002, Kathleen is in charge of shipping and receiving for the Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce factory and Montreal store. She handles most piano component orders for North American and European customers. With her fluent English and French, she also supervises the receipt of pianos imported from the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her many administrative and actuarial responsibilities include regularly updating the online components catalogue.

Kathleen is actively involved with the factory staff. Her enthusiasm is contagious!