Classically trained guitarist, Sylvain Lemay has founded in 1986 the publishing house Les Productions d’OZ, one of today's leading publisher for classical guitar music. At the same time, he has been very busy as a music engraver, working for many publishing houses and organizations in America and Europe. His work has been acknowledged and hailed by the critics. Since 1992, he was responsible of the music typesetting for Doberman-Yppan, and since 2008 of the complete management of the inventory, printing and administration of the company. This expertise has made him the natural successor of Paul Gerrits at the head of Doberman-Yppan, as well as ensuring continuity and long-term development.
The founders
Active as a performer and professor at Laval University in Quebec City (lute, guitar, chamber music, and the music industry), Paul Gerrits (1935-2010) founded Les Éditions Doberman-Yppan in 1977. His studies with the renowned lutenist, Walter Gerwig in Germany, allowed him to become closely acquainted with a vast repertoire of exceedingly high quality, many of these works formerly unpublished, which he would then go on to share with the guitar world. Mr. Gerrits also introduced the concept of guitar ensemble playing to Canada. His interest in contemporary music led him to observe the difficulties of marketing this music, be it for solo instruments or for orchestra. Because of this, he went on to collaborate with the Quebec Government in order to develop a strategy to publish and promote music by composers of contemporary music of the province of Quebec. From the onset of this endeavour, he has collaborated with Marie Lévesque, also from Laval University, where she taught guitar, and was also in charge of workshops given in analysis, harmony and counterpoint. She was Doberman’s editor in chief for all manuscripts and editions.
Les Éditions Doberman-Yppan was quickly to become known as a place of honour for contemporary composers to be published, accepting manuscripts from the world over. Works accepted by us are reviewed in close collaboration with the composer. They are subsequently sent to our engraver (this being highly unusual in the early seventies for scores of contemporary music, which were then mostly offered only in manuscript form). The marketing strategy was to change as well, concentrating less on the sale of sheet music as it would on the distribution of recorded versions of contemporary works. Doberman-Yppan inaugurated this practice of producing recordings, often in collaboration with the CBC. In fact, the very first CD of contemporary music released in Canada was issued on the Doberman-Yppan Label.
Paul Gerrits was born in the Netherlands. He studied lute, guitar, violin and pedagogy in Sweden and Germany. In 1967 he was invited to join the faculty of Laval University in Quebec City in order to establish a guitar curriculum at the School of Music. He became the first full professor of guitar on this continent at a time when only a few music faculties offered the possibility of even studying the guitar. He founded the Laval Guitar Trio with which he has concertized extensively. He is a founding member of the Guitar Foundation of America and has organized the GFA's Annual Convention in Canada four times. The GFA bestowed him with their highest honour, naming him to the GFA Hall of Fame in 2008.
Marie Lévesque was born in Quebec, Canada. She studied guitar with Duo Presti-Lagoya as well as analysis and harmony with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. She has concertized extensively with the Prevel Guitar Duo. In 1971 she was invited to join the Music Faculty of Laval University in Quebec City.
Classically trained guitarist, Sylvain Lemay has founded in 1986 the publishing house Les Productions d’OZ, one of today's leading publisher for classical guitar music. At the same time, he has been very busy as a music engraver, working for many publishing houses and organizations in America and Europe. His work has been acknowledged and hailed by the critics. Since 1992, he was responsible of the music typesetting for Doberman-Yppan, and since 2008 of the complete management of the inventory, printing and administration of the company. This expertise has made him the natural successor of Paul Gerrits at the head of Doberman-Yppan, as well as ensuring continuity and long-term development.
Active as a performer and professor at Laval University in Quebec City (lute, guitar, chamber music, and the music industry), Paul Gerrits (1935-2010) founded Les Éditions Doberman-Yppan in 1977. His studies with the renowned lutenist, Walter Gerwig in Germany, allowed him to become closely acquainted with a vast repertoire of exceedingly high quality, many of these works formerly unpublished, which he would then go on to share with the guitar world. Mr. Gerrits also introduced the concept of guitar ensemble playing to Canada. His interest in contemporary music led him to observe the difficulties of marketing this music, be it for solo instruments or for orchestra. Because of this, he went on to collaborate with the Quebec Government in order to develop a strategy to publish and promote music by composers of contemporary music of the province of Quebec. From the onset of this endeavour, he has collaborated with Marie Lévesque, also from Laval University, where she taught guitar, and was also in charge of workshops given in analysis, harmony and counterpoint. She was Doberman’s editor in chief for all manuscripts and editions.
