“If the organ is the ‘king of instruments,’ then the king’s consort must be Isabelle Demers, one of North America’s most sought-after organists.” (The Union, Grass Valley CA, 2011)
"Stunning...breathtaking...the young organist performed it in an absolutely grandiose way without ever losing sight of the principal theme. But it was pure madness to add anything to such a dazzle. I therefore left during the small encore because I decided to keep with me the impression left by the Ad nos."
(La Presse, Montreal)
"Demers's technical and musical dexterity proved that the next generation of organists is well capable of carrying the profession forward."
(The American Organist)
"Vehement virtuosity."(La Presse, Montreal)
"Consummate musicianship."(The Diapason)
"Daring and fresh...interpreted with infinite poetry...mind-blowing Toccata confirmed her tremendous talent. With her idiomatic style and her solid technique, Isabelle Demers is an artist outside the norms, or dare I say, beyond any competition."
(Les Amis de l'orgue, Quebec City)
"The concert was superb! We were riveted! Isabelle Demers-integrity, virtuosity, and charm." (Suzanne T. Purtee, Church of the Nativity, Huntsville AL, presenter)
"Great virtuosity, panache, and musical sensibility." (Lehigh Valley Chapter AGO, Russell Jackson, presenter)
“Powerful, moving…elegant…vibrant…thunderous applause.” (Pipelines, RCCO Ottawa Center, Joshua Zentner-Barrett, 2010)
"Her virtuosic performance combined bold rhythmic drive with the sensitivity of a refined musicianship and a passionate, colorful interpretation of the music. She is an engaging and impressive young talent who is destined for a brilliant career." (Suffolk NY Chapter AGO, Deanna Muro, presenter)
"I don't believe I have enough superlatives to describe Isabelle's performance...What a great afternoon! Marvelous playing; superb, judicious registration of the vast tonal resources, rubato in the right places. This was a concert that would make the audience want to return for another." (Neil Carlson, audience member in Newark NJ, 2009)
"A dizzying display, but spellbinding...a brilliantly played program. Demers has my ear, and she should have yours too." (FANFARE, Jerry Dubins)
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Isabelle Demers
concert organist
Isabelle Demers at the organ is a force of nature-a "diminutive dynamo" to whom La Presse in Montreal attributed "vehement virtuosity." A native of Québec, she is rapidly becoming recognized as one of North America's most virtuosic organists.
She began piano study at age six and at age 11 began piano and organ study at the Montréal Conservatory of Music. After graduation in 2003 she studied on scholarship for a year in Paris at the École Normale de Paris-Alfred Cortot. She received her Master's and Doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City, where she studied with Paul Jacobs. Her dissertation - an analysis of Bach's St. John Passion - was awarded the Richard French Prize for best dissertation at commencement.
Isabelle Demers was a featured performer at the 2008 national convention of the American Guild of Organists, in Minneapolis, and her performance was later broadcast to a national radio audience. She was a featured artist at the 2009 national convention of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, in Toronto, and was a featured artist at the 2010 national convention of the American Guild of Organists, in Washington, D.C. She was also a featured artist at the 2010 joint convention of American Institute of Organbuilders and International Society of Organbuilders held in Montréal. She has been a prize-winner and finalist in several international performance competitions in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and performs widely in the United States and Canada. Highlights of her upcoming 2011-2012 season include her UK debut at Birmingham Town Hall in October 2011, as well as her Davies Hall and Disney Hall debuts in March 2012.
Her recent debut recording on British label Acis was met with critical acclaim. On a recent broadcast of Pipedreams, presenter Michael Barone featured the Fugue from Reger's Op. 73, describing it as, "a masterful score, here masterfully played," and Isabelle Demers as, "definitely a talent to watch, to hear…." The RSCM's Church Music Quarterly awarded the "exciting, expressive and successful" recording its highest recommendation for its "profound and searching" performances. Fanfare Magazine proclaimed the "superbly produced" and "clear, tightly focused recording" with its "brilliantly played program." Her second disc, which features the organ works of Rachel Laurin, was released in June 2011. Currently in production is a recording of Max Reger's seven Chorale Fantasies, funded by a grant from the Theodore Presser Foundation.
"A fine organist with solid technique who is not afraid to tackle music of great difficulty." (FANFARE, Carson Cooman)
“The virtuosic fingers and feet of Isabelle Demers, a terrific organist.” (Chicago Tribune)
“All played with bracing virtuosity by organist Isabelle Demers.” (Chicago Classical Review)
“Demers’s supreme musicianship makes her performance thoroughly convincing….virtuosic.” (Choir & Organ, London, 2010)
“The excellent Isabelle Demers.” (The New York Times)
“Exciting, expressive and successful…profound and searching, and demonstrate the depth and breath of Isabelle Demers’ musicianship. I should like to hear more of her playing.” (Church Music Quarterly, England, 2010)