Simon Rivard Appointed Music Director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra

Dean Artists is thrilled to announce that the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra has appointed conductor Simon Rivard as their next Music Director!

Simon was one of the four finalists in the NSO’s search process, visiting St. John’s to conduct their Masterworks 1 in September 2024, and Sinfonia 2 in January 2025.

Born in Montréal, Simon Rivard studied violin performance and orchestral conducting at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and McGill University. He is the Music Director of the Edmonton Opera, and he has conducted orchestras across North America and Europe, such as Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Opéra de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra (Switzerland), and the Göteborgs Symfoniker (Sweden). He has collaborated with artists such as Barbara Hannigan, Kerson Leong, Daniel Lozakovich, Matt Haimovitz, Charles Richard-Hamelin, and Julie Boulianne, among others. From 2018 to 2022, he was the Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where he was mentored by Gustavo Gimeno and Sir Andrew Davis.

Learn more about Simon on our website, and his appointment with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra on their website here.