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Appointments
Patricia-Racette. Photo: Kate Russell
American soprano Patricia Racette will be the new artistic director for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as of Oct. 1. She has had a long association with the company, beginning with her debut there in 1993 and, more recently, as head of their young-artist programs since 2019. She will take over from James Robinson, who had been artistic director since 2009 and who recently announced he would be moving to Seattle Opera as their new general and artistic director. Racette made her directing debut in St. Louis with Verdi’s La traviata in 2018, followed by Poulenc’s La voix humaine in 2021 and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in 2023.
Léa Moisan-Perrier
Montreal conductor Léa Moisan-Perrier will be Orchestre Métropolitain’s new assistant conductor for the 2025-26 season. Having completed her training at the OM Academy of Conducting this year, she will remain part of the orchestra family for at least another year. As part of her duties, she will be called upon to assist Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the concerts he conducts, as well as leading her own program, Neiges: l’OM célèbre André Gagnon, on Dec. 13 and 14. Moisan-Perrier replaces the Canadian Naomi Woo, OM’s artistic collaborator from 2023 to 2025, who returns to conduct the orchestra in its Symphonic Spells concert this November.
Thibault Bertin-Maghit. Photo: Kevin Calixte
Concert aux Îles du Bic, the Lower St. Lawrence region chamber music festival celebrating its 24th anniversary, has appointed Thibault Bertin-Maghit as its new artistic director. This marks a significant milestone as he becomes the first artistic director to succeed James Darling, the festival’s co-founder and artistic director since its inception in 2002. In 2025, Bertin-Maghit was honoured with the Opus Award for Artistic Director of the Year for his work with collectif9, which also won a Juno in March for Classical Album of the Year in the small ensemble category.
Gillian Fox
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts has announced Gillian Fox as its next president and CEO. Fox will join Caramoor on June 9, after serving as executive director of Newport Classical since 2021. Fox succeeds Edward J. Lewis III, who departed the organization at the end of March. Caramoor is a cultural arts destination located on a unique 80-plus-acre estate with Italianate architecture and gardens in Northern Westchester County, N.Y.
Cate Proctor
Cate Proctor is Ottawa Chamberfest’s new executive director, effective May 5. Since relocating to Ottawa from Executive Director Cate Proctor the East Coast in 2016, Proctor has contributed to a wide range of organizations including PAL Ottawa, Propeller Dance, Culture Outaouais, Orpheus Theatre, and the Ottawa Jazz Festival. As managing director of Ottawa Little Theatre (2016–2018), she led a successful rebranding and facility upgrade.
Daphné Bisson
Orchestre symphonique de Laval has announced Daphné Bisson as its new general manager, succeeding Simon Ouellette. Past roles for Bisson include positions at Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Fédération des harmonies et orchestres symphoniques, the Montreal International Musical Competition. and JM Canada.
Nicholas Sharma
Nicholas Sharma is Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s next RBC resident conductor and conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO), beginning in the 2025-26 season. He succeeds Trevor Wilson, who has worked with the TSO and TSYO since 2022. A native of the Toronto area, Sharma previously served as assistant conductor of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and music director of its youth orchestra.
Myung-Whun Chung. Photo: Takafumi Ueno
Milan’s Teatro alla Scala has announced that Myung-Whun Chung will succeed Riccardo Chailly as its music director. The South Korean maestro and pianist has been a constant presence on La Scala programs in Milan and on tour since 1989, conducting nine operas, for 84 performances, and 141 concerts, making him the conductor with the highest number of appearances except for the company’s music directors.
Awards
Audrey Morris
The eight winners of the National Arts Centre Bursary Awards were announced on April 23, with prizes totalling $28,000. This year’s competition was open to players of stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp) studying music in preparation for a career as a professional orchestral musician. Audrey Morris is the first harpist in 15 years to win the competition’s top award ($9,000). Other prizes were awarded to violinists Bennett Van Barr, Ines Doulet, Alicia Ingalls and Maria Krstic; cellists Aidan Fleet and Inigo Gauthier-Mamaril; and violist Bennett Van Barr.
Kevin Lau
The Metcalf Foundation has announced the five winners and their protegés for the 2025 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes (Johannas). One of the largest unrestricted prizes for artists in Ontario, the Johannas celebrate mid-career artists across the disciplines of dance, theatre, and music/opera. From the 15 finalists, five winners were selected and each received $25,000. Each winner named a protegé, who received $10,000, in recognition of their formidable promise as early-career artists. The remaining 10 finalists each received a prize of $2,000, bringing the total prize value to $195,000. The five winners and their protegés for the 2025 Johannas are: d’bi.young anitafrika, dub poet, playwright, dramaturge, and scholar with protegé Sashoya Simpson; Alain Doom, playwright and actor with protegé Dillon Orr; playwright and director Sarah Gartshore, with protegé Adam Francis; composer Kevin Lau, with protegé Michelle Lorimer; and director Weyni Mengesha, with protegé Luke Reece.
Justin Saulnier. Photo: Anastasia Krachkovskaya
The Canada Council for the Arts has recognized violinist Justin Saulnier and cellist Sabina Sandvoss as winners of the 2025 Michael Measures Prizes. The prizes are awarded to young musicians 16 to 24 years of age who are enrolled in the summer training program of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Saulnier has received top prizes in the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, Golden Violin and NAC Orchestra Bursary and OSM competitions. Sandvoss recently won the 2025 Corcoran Concerto Competition, performing Schelomo, by Bloch.
Julien Gagné
Pianist Julien Gagné, 21, took top honours at the Festival-Concours de musique de Sherbrooke. Second prize went to baritone William Dorais, also 21, in the classical singing category. Third prize was awarded to the duo of Amélie Gendron (violin) and Samuel Lauzon-Schnittka (piano), both aged 21, in the chamber music category.
News
Chris Wilkinson
Symphony Nova Scotia has announced the retirement of its CEO, Chris Wilkinson, as of June 30, 2025, after leading the organization for 12 seasons. Wilkinson’s connection to the orchestra predates his time as CEO, dating back 39 years to when he first moved to Halifax to accept the role of principal second violin in 1986, along with his wife Suzanne Lemieux, who was Symphony Nova Scotia’s principal oboe from 1986 to 2022. Chris performed in this role for over 20 years. The Symphony Board has initiated a recruitment committee which has begun the search process to select the symphony’s next CEO.
Yolande Gaudreau
For over five decades, Yolande Gaudreau shaped Quebec’s musical landscape as a beloved pedagogue and pioneer in music education. Her work at École de musique de Verdun and Villa Sainte-Marcelline trained generations of young musicians, blending rigour with a deep love for the art. She also championed local composers, helping enrich the repertoire for students across the province. To mark the 50th anniversary of this vital educational partnership and to honour Gaudreau’s lasting legacy, a special benefit concert will be held at the Maison symphonique on June 16. Performances by students and alumni will pay tribute to a woman whose influence still resonates in Quebec’s concert halls and classrooms.
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