New artistic director brings spirit of adventure to opera job

Manitoba Opera’s new artistic director is bringing his baton home.

The company announced the appointment of Gordon Gerrard, a Manitoba-born pianist and conductor, on Thursday following a year-long search. He will begin a five-year term in September, taking over from outgoing general director and CEO Larry Desrochers.

It’s a full-circle moment for Gerrard, 48, who grew up on a grain and cattle farm north of Brandon and saw his first opera, a Manitoba Opera production of Hansel and Gretel, at the Centennial Concert Hall as a University of Manitoba music student.

“Little did I know that a couple of decades later, I’d be leading the artistic side of the company,” Gerrard says over the phone, adding he’s excited to live closer to family and rediscover Winnipeg after years living elsewhere.

He comes to Manitoba Opera from the Regina Symphony Orchestra, where he was music director for 10 years and has been designated conductor emeritus. Gerrard has been artistic director of City Opera Vancouver since 2023 and will continue that work in tandem with his new role.

Local opera-goers can expect a mix of classics and new works under Gerrard’s direction.

“We’re not going to abandon the greatest hits,” he says. “But I think there’s a sense of adventure that we can embrace in finding some pieces that people don’t know yet.”

Attracting new audiences and presenting more diverse stories has been a priority for Manitoba Opera in recent years, with such productions as 2023’s Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North and this fall’s season-opener, Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining.

“This is a historic moment for Manitoba Opera as we look ahead to new artistic possibilities and ways that we can continue to deepen our engagement with our community, and Gordon will play a vital role in the shaping of all of this,” board of trustees chairwoman Lori Yorke said in a release.

Gerrard also hopes to widen the net by connecting with Winnipeg’s indie opera scene and adding smaller shows in different venues to the company’s annual schedule. It’s an approach he says has worked well for City Opera Vancouver, a professional chamber opera focused on contemporary repertoire.

“I think there’s an opportunity to bring some of that kind of programming to Winnipeg,” he says.

Fostering up-and-coming Canadian opera talent is another priority.

Gerrard visited Winnipeg last fall for Tosca and made his Manitoba Opera debut this spring as the conductor for Marriage of Figaro. He was struck by the audience’s enthusiasm during the largely sold-out performances.

“There’s so much love in the community for the company, which is really a beautiful thing to see … It’s exciting to see where we can go with that,” he says.

Gerrard was raised in a musical household and became enthralled with the piano at seven years old, setting his alarm at 6 a.m. to practise before the school bus came — a routine his brother was less than fond of.

During his undergrad, Gerrard began performing with singers, which ignited a passion for collaboration and led him to pursue a master’s in vocal accompaniment at the Manhattan School of Music. That spark eventually led him to the Canadian opera world.

“When you learn to play the piano, you spend a lot of time in a little room by yourself. So the act of making music together … was a different kind of excitement and that’s really where it all started,” he says.

His resumé boasts guest performances with opera companies and symphonies across the country and internationally, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. Gerrard was previously resident conductor of the Calgary Opera and associate conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, where he was mentored by the celebrated late composer and conductor Bramwell Tovey, who led the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra from 1989-2001.

Desrochers retires this summer after more than 25 years with Manitoba Opera. His leadership role has been split in two, with Gerrard taking over artistic development of the company and Michael Blais promoted last year to executive director.

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