Dates     Born in 1960, he studied Music Theory and traverso at the Conservatoire in Luxembourg from the age of seven, studies that had been successfully achieved with two Premiers Prix. A fascinating  recital given 1977 by  famous virtuoso Jean Guillou  made him discover the challenging  and deeply expressive potential of the Organ as a concert instrument.

 
Diplomas     In 1978, after achieving his High School Diplomas, Jean Jacques Kasel took first lessons in piano and some monthes later already in organ, with  Me Albert Leblanc, titulaire at Luxembourg Cathedral.Three years later, he was accepted as a regular pupil at Konservatorium und Musikhochschule„ in Zurich, joining the class of Professeur Janine Lehmann-Girod. He worked amongst others, with  Johann Sonnleitner (Chamber Music), Bernhard Billeter (Pedagogy), Klaus Knall (choir direction), Joseph Haselbach(Fugue), Erich Vollenwyder and  Dr.Friedrich Jakob (organ building and History of the instrument and its repertoire), alltogether getting through  13 branches, each crowned with a diploma. The final diploma in Organ- Performing and Pedagogy was handed out  in June 1985. In parallel to his studies in Zurich, Jean Jacques Kasel was attending since 1980 the Master-Classes of Maître Jean Guillou, held in Paris, l‚Alpe-d‚Huez, Rotterdam and Zurich.


Dedication     Two monthes after coming back from  the Zurich studies in May 1985, Jean Jacques Kasel was asked to take over several organ pupils at the Conservatoire of Luxembourg, and was named Chargé de Cours d‚Orgue et d‚harmonisation/ improvisation à l‚orgue  in September 1985. A vacancy of the  organ head of department-chair made him be nominated as professor in 1991. His  actual organ class is composed by 25 students of 8 nations, and Jean Jacques Kasel is since 1994  preparing international students of the highest  level to the « Diplôme Interrégional de Concert », a diploma created and  inaugurated by 17 conservatories of France, Germany and Luxembourg.

Double career     Since 1986, Jean Jacques Kasel is performing in and outside Luxembourg as a solo-recitalist, together with orchestras such as 'Les Solistes Européens Luxembourg', the «Orchestre des Professeurs du Conservatoire» as well as the «Orchestre de Radio Luxembourg» (now OPL). He performed with famous choirs and  instrumental solists, among them Vaclav Nowak (duo organ-violin), Isabelle Kayser and Carine Forget (duo organ ˆflauto traverso) and had numerous solo-appearances throughout Luxembourg, France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium. Jean Jacques Kasel is currently invited to the most  important Organ Festivals (Echternach, Bridel, Vicenza, Abano, Paris „Quartier d‚Eté, Uster , Zug, St.Gallen (Switzerland), Wiltz (Luxembourg) and others. Press and Media reveal his outstanding abilities of colorist and stylistically unsubdued registration, analytic but also very personal approach, widespread repertoire as well as substantial virtuosity and technical skill. As a professor for Musical Analyses, Jean Jacques Kasel replaced for two years Prof. Claude Lenners at his chair  in the Conservatoire, himself preparing  his  « Prix de Rome ».

Discography     1983 was launched a first  LP with works of  Bach, Guillou and Vierne, a live-performance in concert at the 4 manuals Westenfelder-organ of  St.Joseph in Esch s.Alzette (Luxembourg). In 1987, a second LP came out, dedicated exclusively to Louis Vierne. In 1995, on initiative of Jean Jacques Kasel, was created the audiophile label  « JCH- Productions Jean Claude Hoffmann »  and a series of CD‚s featuring the 3 most known Guillou-designed instruments by  famous Kleuker organbuildingˆmanufactory, located in Bruxelles, Zurich and Villedomer as well as the J.J. Kasel designed last Kleuker in Bridel (L). Recently was  inaugurated another series of CD-productions, first is Volume 1 of «Organ Dramatics», recorded by Jean Jacques Kasel on the large Tamburini-Bonato organ of Abano Terme in Italy. Completing his activities as a recitalist, teacher, radio-broadcast producer, Jean Jacques Kasel is very active as an independant organbuilding expert. Several new instruments and also important restaurations of selective  instruments have been executed after his plans, recently the exciting project of  « The Invisible One », a large home-organ with avantgardistic design concerning console, keyboard-layout and stoplist (to be achieved fall 2004 in Luxembourg). Several Masterclasses and lectures about performing, the  Bach  and Vierne repertoire, the Art of Registration and organ-specific work-analyses brought his ideas to young advanced organists and recitalists. Jean Jacques Kasel is producing since almost ten years the  famous  'Chamades' organ-magazine at  'Radio 100,7'.