Marceau & Associates Pipe Organ Builders began its life as a small tuning and maintenance company in 1980. The service route started out in Portland only, but has expanded to include the Willamette Valley, Central & Eastern Oregon, the Seattle Metropolitan area, Central and Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. We maintain about 200 pipe organs, and this number continues to grow. These pipe organs constitute a wide variety of builders and styles, and this experience has been quite invaluable in the design and construction of our own instruments.

In the Fall of 1985, we were contacted to build a significant three manual and pedal pipe organ for a Church in Portland, Oregon. Negotiations resulted in our first organ building contract for St. Michael's Lutheran Church. There is a significant difference between general tuning and maintenance and the building of pipe organs. In order to accomplish this, we found shop space to handle all of the construction and assembly aspects of organ building, and have been able to employ additional staff. The varied skills and experience of workers in the shop allow for simple to highly complex projects to be undertaken with good results. We have completed over twenty major projects through Opus XXIV, with Opus XXV now underway for St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral Helena, Montana.

While it is difficult to state one's philosophy on organ building in a brief statement, our goal is to build an instrument that will faithfully serve the needs of the Church, and be a source of inspiration for those who are moved by its music and visual relationship to the room.

René A. Marceau, president and tonal director of Marceau & Associates, holds degrees in Music and Organ Performance from Loyola University and the University of Southern California. He has been involved in organbuilding since 1971 and has worked for shops in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland. René has been a member of the American Guild of Organists since 1972, involved with both the Seattle and Portland Chapters, and has also been a regular member of the American Institute of Organ Builders for 18 years where he is Past President. He holds the Fellow and Service certificates and was the General Chairman of the 1992 annual convention held in Portland, Oregon. He has given workshops on the pipe organ to AGO Chapters in Moscow (ID), Portland, Salem and Seattle as well as the 1993 AGO Regional Convention in Yakima, WA. His shop activities include the initial design and layout of each instrument, in-shop production, and all tonal work including on-site voicing.

Other staff members include:
G. Thomas Skyler, Service Technician
Richard F. Wrye, Office Manager
Dan Wolken, Construction
Sean M. Haley, Apprentice & Webmaster

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