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.

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Next season, he leads Haydn’s Creation at the NSO, as well as Cusson & Vavrek’s Indians on Vacation (world premiere) and Wagner’s Siegfried at the Edmonton Opera. He makes his début with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and collaborates with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Orchestre Métropolitain, among others. He is the Principal Conductor of The Happenstancers, one of Toronto's leading new music ensembles.

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Rivard has conducted Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Opéra de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra (Switzerland), and the Göteborgs Symfoniker (Sweden). 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, and through 2024, he was the Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Born in Montréal, Rivard studied violin and orchestral conducting at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and McGill University.