[2][3] In 1952, while still studying, Guillou played the premiere of his organ transcription of The Musical Offering by Johann Sebastian Bach at Erskine and American United Church in Montreal, Canada.

[9] On 22 April 1966 Guillou gave his debut concert at the Berliner Philharmonie, where he played Max Reger's Phantasia and Fugue on BACH op.

[10] On 6 October 1966 Guillou played the world premiere of his organ work Pour le Tombeau de Colbert at the Berliner Philharmonie.

In addition, he has issued more than 100 recordings (Philips, Dorian, Festivo, Decca, Augure among others) including the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Robert Schumann,[6] numerous improvisations (e.g., Visions Cosmiques (December 1968), or Jeux d'orgue (20 October 1969), both re-edited in 2010 by Universal-Decca), as well as most of his own organ compositions on a series of seven CDs (2010) for the Universal-Decca label.

Among his pupils are Zsuzsa Elekes, Francesco Filidei, Bernhard Haas, Jean Jacques Kasel, Yanka Hekimova, Jean-Paul Imbert [fr], Leonid Karev, Livia Mazzanti, Zuzana Ferjenčíková and Jean-Baptiste Monnot.

In March 2018, Guillou was honored by the Royal College of Organists at Southwark Cathedral in London with the RCO Medal, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ playing and composition.

[13] In May 2018, he travelled to Koper, Slovenia, where he served as consultant for the former organ at Tonhalle Zürich, to be transferred to Assumption Cathedral, and the re-dedication scheduled for 2020.

[16] The obituary by his publisher Schott summarized his achievements: As a performer he revolutionized the art of organ playing, as an improviser he fascinated whole generations of concert-goers, as a composer he opened the repertoire of the 'king of instruments' to areas which had been considered to be unimaginable before.

[1]Adolph, Wolfram: "Editorial zum Tod von Jean Guillou", in Organ – Journal für die Orgel 22, no.