October 7, 1999

MARIE-MADELEINE DURUFLÉ DIES NEW YORK CITY — The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS (AGO) is very sad to announce the death of organist MARIE-MADELEINE DURUFLÉ in Paris on Tuesday, October 5 following a serious illness. She was 78. Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, born in Marseille, was named titular organist of the Cathedral of St. Veran de Cavaillon at age eleven, a year before she entered the Avignon Conservatoire. In 1946 she entered the Paris Conservatoire as a pupil of Marcel Dupré and won the first prize in organ. She was awarded the Grand Prix International Charles-Marie Widor for organ and improvisation in 1953. From that year until the death of Maurice Duruflé in 1986, she was co-titulaire organist with her husband at Saint Étienne-du-Mont in Paris, where she continued to play after his death. In addition to being a recitalist for French Radio, Mme. Duruflé gave many concerts in Paris and abroad. She toured for many years with her husband, performing throughout Europe and the USSR. In 1964 they made their first trip to the United States, appearing at the AGO National Convention in Philadelphia. Four subsequent transcontinental tours followed and she returned for a solo tour in 1974. A year later, serious injuries from an automobile accident ended Maurice Duruflé's concert career, but Marie-Madeleine Duruflé was able to resume playing for Sunday masses following extensive surgery. In the late 1980's she returned to concertizing and made her first visit to North America in 15 years in 1989 when she performed for the "Tribute to Duruflé" in New York City, the first complete retrospective of her husband's works. The year following, she was a featured artist at the AGO National Convention in Boston. Her last American recital was at the Church of the Ascension in New York City in November, 1993. The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, the AGO seeks to set and maintain high musical standards and to promote understanding and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. The mission of the AGO is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members. The Guild currently serves more than 20,000 members in 340 local chapters throughout the United States and abroad. This information is submitted by F. Anthony Thurman, Director of Development and Communications at the National Headquarters of the American Guild of Organists and the American Organist Magazine. For further information, please contact Dr. Thurman by TEL (212) 870-2310, FAX (212) 870-2163 or E-MAIL <fathurman@agohq.org.>