SIMON RIVARD APPOINTED MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE EDMONTON OPERA

Congratulations to Dean Artists conductor Simon Rivard on his appointment as Music Director of the Edmonton Opera - the first ever in the company's history!

Simon looks forward to conducting all three of EO's mainstage productions this season, following his success at the podium in their productions of Puccini's La Bohème and Tosca (both 2022).

To read more about Edmonton's exciting 23/24 season plans and Simon's directorship, head over to their website.

BASS ALAIN COULOMBE - 22/23 NOMINEE OF THE PAUL DE HUECK AND NORMAN WALFORD CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Congratulations to Dean Artists bass Alain Coulombe who is a 22/23 nominee for the Ontario Arts Council’s prestigious Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement award.

The awards recognizes established Canadian artists for their significant contributions, nationally and internationally, to the field of classical singing.

An incredible nomination to honour Alain's 30+ year performance career!

Click here to learn more about the award on the OAC’s website.

DEAN ARTISTS MANAGEMENT WELCOMES LILLIAN BROOKS (MEZZO SOPRANO)

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME MEZZO SOPRANO LILLIAN BROOKS TO THE DEAN ARTISTS MANAGEMENT ROSTER!

Canadian mezzo-soprano Lillian Brooks has been praised for her “lyric sound” (Ludwig van Toronto), “easy handling of coloratura” (Schmopera), and has been noted for her “wonderful sensitivity to story and the development of song,” (FYI Music). During the 2023 season, Lillian will appear with chamber ensemble InnerCHAMBER (Stratford, ON), for an intimate performance of Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder and returns to Chorus Niagara in March 2023 for Beethoven’s epic oratorio, Missa Solemnis. To close out the season, Lillian will be seen performing the role of Mrs. Anderssen in the Royal Conservatory Presents: A Little Night Music (Sondheim), alongside a star studded all-Canadian cast.

Lillian made her professional debut in 2015 singing Mozart’s Requiem with Chorus Niagara, under the baton of Robert Cooper. Her love of oratorio and concert works has continued to grow, as she performs as a soloist in repertoire such as Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Bach’s St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Durufle’s Requiem, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, and the Canadian premieres of both Last Light Above the World by Alan Bevan and The Cross of Christ by Romulo Delgado. Equally at home on the operatic stage, her past roles include Bradamante in Alcina, Annio in La clemenza di Tito, Third Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Flora in La Traviata, and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro.

Lillian’s musical journey has led to numerous accolades for her dedication to the craft. In 2015, she was awarded the prestigious Hnatyshyn Foundation Developing Artists Grant, while graduating cum laude from York University, where she studied with Canadian mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbin and earned first prize in their annual Concerto Competition. Brooks received her Artist Diploma Program in Vocal Performance from the Glenn Gould School in 2017 and went on to participate in the Calgary Opera Young Artists Program and the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh, UK, where she studied with internationally acclaimed faculty including Matthew Rose and Anne-Sofie von Otter.

Click here to learn more about Lillian or head to her website here.

DEAN ARTISTS MANAGEMENT WELCOMES SIMON RIVARD (CONDUCTOR)

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME CONDUCTOR SIMON RIVARD TO THE DEAN ARTISTS MANAGEMENT ROSTER!

Conductor Simon Rivard is becoming one of the most sought-after conductors on the Canadian music scene. Recent highlights include his debut at the Edmonton Opera with Puccini's La Bohème, and subsequent re-engagement for Puccini’s Tosca, as well as Handel’s Messiah with both the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Classique de Montréal. Since 2018, Simon has been the resident conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, while, from 2018 to 2022, held the title of RBC Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

This season, Simon made his debut with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, and looks forward to upcoming engagements with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke, as well as serving as assistant conductor to Barbara Hannigan for engagements in France, Turkey, Sweden, and Iceland. 

As a guest conductor, he has joined orchestras across North America and Europe. He recently made his début with Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke, and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. He also recently collaborated with celebrated Toronto-based opera company Against The Grain for Holst’s Savitri.

Passionate for all genres of vocal repertoire, Rivard also excels as a choral conductor. In 2020, he became involved with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, one of Canada’s oldest and largest symphonic choirs. He served as their Associate Conductor (2020-2022), and as Artistic Collaborator (2022-present), during which time he led the TMChoir in Against the Grain’s Juno Award nominated Messiah/Complex. In recent seasons, he also served as the Musical Director of the TBSO Symphony Chorus and as Assistant Conductor of the Choir of St. Andrew and St. Paul and the Ottawa Choral Society.

Click here to learn more about Simon or head to his website here.

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