Maison Symphonique Pipe Organ Inauguration

Two-and-a-half years after the opening of the Maison Symphonique de Montreal, also designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the concert hall inaugurates Jack Diamond's first pipe organ commission. Having designed the organ façade – the configuration of pipes above the stage – Diamond said: "This is an exuberant organ, built into the room as part of the architecture, not just an insert. Too many organs simply look like radiators."

The organ, handcrafted by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been handcrafting organs since 1879, the organ consists of four mechanical action keyboards, 109 registers, 83 stops, 116 ranks and 6,489 pipes. Christened Grand Orgue Pierre Béique, it is named after the founder and first general manager of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.