To honor several decades of commitment to music, transmission, and local heritage, Mayor Gilles Bayart presented Xavier Eustache with the City's medal. "It was important to be present today to simply say thank you. Your journey is intimately linked to that of Étampes, both through the Conservatory and with the town's organs," stated the mayor, recalling the career of a recognized professor and organist.
Arriving in Étampes in 1980, Xavier Eustache built a career deeply connected to the cultural life of the commune. At the Conservatory, he guided many students in learning the organ and helped train a new generation of musicians. As the titular organist of Notre-Dame, Saint-Basile, and Saint-Gilles churches, he worked to preserve and promote the local musical heritage.
Co-founder of the association Orgues d’Étampes, Xavier Eustache organized for several decades a summer workshop dedicated to early music, welcoming organists and musicians from across Europe. He also played a major role in the restoration of the Saint-Gilles organ.
Municipal councilor for Heritage, Marie-Aline Mulard, also paid tribute to his work, highlighting his role in training successors and passionately protecting Étampes' heritage, making it known beyond its borders by inviting organists from all over Europe. She humorously compared the organist to his instruments, describing him as 'an instrument full of contrasts where notes can be very soft or recall the rumble of thunder'.
Surrounded by loved ones, including Fathers Gilles Droin and Frédéric Gâtineau, and councilor Laura Hourman, Xavier Eustache recalled memorable moments in Étampes, from concerts to the efforts made to preserve the instruments he holds dear.
The City's medal, presented on this occasion, honors a career where teaching, musical practice, and heritage defense were closely intertwined. While marking a new chapter, music will continue to resonate in Étampes, as Xavier Eustache remains the town's organist.
