Simon Rivard

“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.”

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.

“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.”

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

Simon's Bio

Simon Rivard is one of the most sought-after conductors on the Canadian music scene, as demonstrated by his recent appointments as Music Director of both the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and Edmonton Opera.

The 2025/26 season marks the beginning of Rivard’s tenure with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, where he will lead Haydn’s Creation, among other programming. With Edmonton Opera, he leads the world premiere of Cusson & Vavrek’s Indians on Vacation, a new opera based on a novel by Thomas King, and Wagner’s Siegfried. Additionally, Simon débuts with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra (Finland), in a world premiere by one of today’s leading composers, Kalevi Aho. This season also sees Rivard on the podium with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre classique de Montréal, and Orchestre symphonique du Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, among others.

Rivard has conducted orchestras across North America and Europe, such as Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Toronto Summer Music Festival Orchestra, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra (Switzerland), and the Göteborgs Symfoniker (Sweden). Recently, he made his début with Opéra de Montréal in Puccini’s La bohème.

He has collaborated with artists such as Barbara Hannigan, Kerson Leong, Daniel Lozakovich, Matt Haimovitz, Charles Richard-Hamelin, and Julie Boulianne, among others. In 2022, he was a finalist of the Princess Astrid International Music Competition of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester (Norway). He continues to share his love of contemporary music programming through collaborations with The Happenstancers (Canada), performing works by Unsuk Chin, Steve Reich, Matthew Ricketts, and Nahre Sol.

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. He has assisted and been a cover conductor for world-class artists such as Gianandra Noseda, Sir Donald Runnicles, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, John Storgårds, Barbara Hannigan, and Eun-sun Kim. From 2018 through 2024, he was the Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Between 2020 and 2022, he served as the Associate Conductor of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

He is an alumni of Equilibrium Young Artists (2019-2023), Barbara Hannigan’s mentorship program for early-career professional musicians. In 2018, he was invited to participate in the first Conducting Mentorship Program at the Verbier Festival Academy (Switzerland). In addition to receiving a Special Prize, he was subsequently reinvited to coach the 2022 Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra.

Born in Montréal, Rivard studied violin performance and orchestral conducting at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and McGill University. He has been mentored by Raffi Armenian, Alexis Hauser, Guillaume Bourgogne, and Jean-Sébastien Vallée, among others.

(Current as of JUNE 2025. No modifications allowed. For more information, contact Morgan Reid at Dean Artists: morgan@deanartists.com)