Hellmuth Wolff (organ builder)

Hellmuth Wolff (born September 3, 1937) is a Canadian organ builder and the founder of the firm Wolff & Associés. Under his guidance the firm set new standards in Canada for historical organ building. [1]

Life

Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Wolff apprenticed to Metzler & Söhne in nearby Dietikon. He then worked for Rieger Orgelbau of Schwarzach, Vorarlberg, and Charles Fisk of Gloucester, Massachusetts, before emigrating to Canada in 1963 to be a designer in the new mechanical action department of Casavant Frères of St-Hyacinthe, Quebec. He worked briefly with Karl Wilhelm before establishing his own firm in 1968 in Laval, Quebec. By 1997, he had built 40 organs, ranging in size from of 1 stop to 50 stops. Wolff's largest organ to date is of 61 stops, 85 ranks, which was installed in Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, British Columbia in 2005.

References

  1. ^ Raudsepp, Karl J.. "Hellmuth Wolff", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed December 29 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).