Following an 18-month search, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra has announce the appointment of Canadian conductor Simon Rivard as their next Music Director, effective June 1.

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

“We are so delighted with the outcome of this search, and the level of engagement we have seen with our musicians and our community over the past 18-months,” said Hugh Donnan, CEO of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. “We feel that Simon will bring exceptional artistic leadership to the NSO, and continue the development and professionalization of the orchestra as we strive to take our place among the leading orchestras in Canada.”

The review process for these finalists was led by a search committee that included NSO musicians, as well as board and community members. In addition to interviews with each candidate, the committee collected feedback from orchestra players, the Philharmonic Choir of the NSO, planned education activities, and NSO audience members.

“It is an honour to have been chosen by my colleagues of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra to lead them into this exciting new chapter of their artistic life,” said Simon Rivard, Music Director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. “I look forward to continuing to build on the tremendous achievements of my predecessor, Maestro Marc David. In the coming years, we will pull all the stops to develop the unique musical voice of the NSO and share this voice with as many members of our community, across all ages and backgrounds.”

Born in Montréal, 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 

Simon will travel to St. John’s later this month as the NSO launches its 2025-26 season on June 26.