A4 NEWS

THE BRANDON SUN SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

WESTMAN NATIVE NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR OF REGINA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

A passion for music

BY JILLIAN AUSTIN

When Gordon Gerrard first began

taking piano lessons at the age of
seven, it was clear to his parents that
he had a natural talent.
You could tell right from Day 1,
that he was very gifted musically,
said Gordons mother Marianne
Gerrard. He took other instruments
as well and picked them up very
easily, so you could tell he had a
special gift.
By the time he was a teenager, his
new piano teacher quickly realized
Gerrard could turn his talent into a
career, if that was what he desired.
Its not an easy path to take, but
I knew that if Gordon wanted to, he
could be a musician. It was obvious
right away, said Claudette Caron,
who continues to teach piano in an
independent studio in Brandon.
Very quickly I realized that I just
had to push the repertoire and try to
develop as much as I could So we
worked very hard.
Gerrard pursued his passion, and
30 years later, he has already had an
impressive career, taking on
prestigious positions in cities across
Canada. He currently holds the
position of associate conductor
of the Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra. Prior to that he was
resident conductor and repetiteur for
Calgary Opera.
Gerrard gives a lot of credit to
Caron for helping him realize his
potential.
One of the people whom I owe
the most to, I think, in this whole
music business is one of my first
piano teachers who lives in
Brandon, he said. I feel like I owe
an awful lot to her.
Caron is proud of Gerrards
accomplishments, and says she is
not surprised by his success.
Its absolutely wonderful Im
glad that he has had so much success
and Im sure it will only continue,
she said. Westman should be very
proud of Gordon.
Most recently, Gerrard, now 37,
has been appointed as the 15th
music director of the Regina
Symphony Orchestra, commencing
July 2016.
To be a conductor, is a
privilege, he said, in a Skype
interview from Berlin. To be able
to stand in front of a group of
amazing professional musicians is a
pretty rare opportunity and to take
it one step further and to become the
music director of an orchestra is
even more of a privilege.
A music director has the
opportunity to shape the direction
of the organization, he said, and to
have the trust of professionals who
are working at such a high level is
an honour that he is thrilled to
accept.
Gordon Gerrard is the ideal
choice to lead the RSO and I am
excited to see the fresh perspective,
passion, and talent he will bring to
the city, RSO executive director
Tanya Derksen said in a press
release. Maestro Gerrard is an
exceptionally gifted musician and
the concerts he conducted last
season exemplify his wide range of
experience and skill.
Gerrard grew up on a farm
between Oak River and Rivers. He
attended kindergarten to Grade 9 in
Oak River and went to high school
in Rivers.
Many of my very earliest and
fondest memories happened all
around that area, he said.
Piano lessons in Brandon,
performing in the Rolling River
festival and Brandon Festival of the
Arts as well as being a member of
the Westman Youth Choir gave
Gerrard a taste of what was possible
for his future in music.

Gordon Gerrard conducts the Vancouver Symphony in the Orpheum Theatre last fall. Gerrard, who grew up on a farm
between Oak River and Rivers, was recently appointed as the 15th music director of the Regina Symphony Orchestra,
commencing July 2016. (Submitted)

I would say some time in high

school was when I started to really
think about the future in a serious
way, he said. I thought that being
a musician was something I really
wanted to do. I was really lucky to
have some great people in my life to
support me in that.
After graduating high school,
Gerrard
completed
his
undergraduate degree at the
University of Manitoba. He then
moved to New York City, where he
did his graduate work at the
Manhattan School of Music.
From there, Gerrard started out as
a solo pianist and transitioned into
working with opera companies, and
then conducting.
As your name sort of gets out
there, then you get calls from other
organizations, other institutions, he
said. So Ive been a guest in many
places.
Gerrard has been a conductor and
lecturer at McGill University, the
University of Manitoba and Iowa
State University. He has also served
as conductor for Opera Nuova in
Edmonton and has been part of the
Opera as Theatre Programme at the

Start Something Beautiful.

HUSQVARNA
VIKING
H|CLASS E10

Banff Centre for the Arts, the

Canadian Vocal Arts Institute in
Montreal, Halifax Summer Opera
Workshop and the Undergraduate
Opera Studio at the Manhattan
School of Music.
One of the things that has been
difficult about making a career go in
this crazy business is that there just
isnt that much work out there, he
said. Which means you have to go
wherever the work calls you
essentially, and so that means that I
have been not very close to home
since I was 20 years old.
Gerrard will be a bit closer to
home when he begins his new
position with the RSO next summer,
something his family is looking
forward to.
Before we didnt get to see his
work very often, unless we happened
to be visiting or something, so this
will be nice, Marianne said.
Seeing her son follow his dreams
and become so successful in his
chosen field fills Marianne with
pride.
He has been extremely lucky in
some respects, but has worked very
hard to get there too, she said.

Theres not very many people that

ever get to that level, so its pretty
exciting for him and for us too.
Gerrards parents, Marianne and
Alex, still reside in the Brandon
area, as well as his brother and sister.
Prior to taking over the RSO,
Gerrard will continue on with the
VSO, making his subscription series
debut with Sibelius Second
Symphony, and will make guest
appearances with the Regina,
Victoria and Sudbury Symphony
Orchestras.
The RSO selected a new
concertmaster, Simon MacDonald,
last year and recently named a new
executive director, Tanya Derksen.
Gerrard said he is excited to join
RSO at a time where there is a great
sense of optimism.
Theres a whole lot of new
energy and new blood and it feels
like were all kind of starting
together, so that we can really shape
the future of the organization as a
team, which is kind of a rare gift,
he said.
jaustin@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @jillianaustin

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Despite losses,
Manitoba still
has Canadas
second-lowest
jobless rate
WINNIPEG The Manitoba
economy shed 3,800 jobs in July,
including 2,400 full-time positions,
according to Statistics Canadas
latest monthly labour force survey.
The job losses came on the heels
of a net gain of 700 new jobs in
June, and boosted the provincial
unemployment rate to 5.6 per cent
from 5.3 per cent a month earlier.
But even with the rise, its still the
second lowest jobless rate in the
country after Saskatchewans 5.2 per
cent.
The survey also showed that even
though Manitoba lost 3,800 jobs last
month, total employment was still
up 6,000 from a year ago.
And all of the gains were full-time
positions.
Nationally, Canadas economy
added about 6,600 jobs last month,
essentially reversing a similar decline
in June but having too little effect to
change a national unemployment
rate that has been stuck at 6.8 per
cent for six months in a row.
Statistics Canadas monthly job
report provides a fresh reading on
an important economic indicator, as
well as fuel for an ongoing debate in
political and business circles about
whether the country fell into a
recession in the first half of this year.
Although there seems to be
undeniable evidence that the
economy shrank in the first quarter
and probably the second quarter, the
Statistics Canada monthly jobs
report released Friday paints a more
complicated picture.
The six-month trend isnt yet
pointing to Canada being in
recession because there have been
11,000 jobs added over a period that
included a major downturn in the
oil and gas sector, said CIBC World
Markets economist Nick Exarhos.
Indeed,
the
provincial
breakdown highlights the narrow hit
that the oil shock has had, with
Saskatchewan and Alberta reporting
employment declines in July, while
Quebec posted a healthy gain,
Exarhos said in a brief commentary.
Randall Bartlett, a senior
economist with the TorontoDominion Bank group, said the
monthly labour force survey has
missed the mark lately pointing
to an earlier report that 60,000 jobs
were created in May, even though
the economy shrank by 0.2 per cent
overall in a downturn affecting 13
of 20 major industries.
The decline in jobs in
accommodation and food services
in Ontario during the hosting of the
Pan Am Games (July 10-24) also
seems highly questionable, he said
in a note to clients.
This said, we use employment
from the LFS in our early tracking
of the Canadian economy, and
todays release has not moved the
needle materially.
There were 17,300 fewer
Canadians with full-time jobs in July
compared with June, but 23,900
more
who
had
part-time
employment, Statistics Canada said.
There was also an additional 41,000
people more people who were selfemployed in July.
Regionally, the biggest winner was
Quebec which added 21,700 jobs
in total in July, mostly part-time
while the number was flat or lower
in all other provinces except Nova
Scotia, which added 3,100 positions,
mostly full-time.
The
biggest
decline
in
employment was in Saskatchewan,
where 7,400 jobs were lost, most of
which were full-time.
Winnipeg Free Press, The Canadian Press

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