After 10 seasons, Regina Symphony Orchestra’s music director set to move on

After 10 years at the podium of the Regina Symphony Orchestra, Gordon Gerrard is set to retire. Damian Smith has more.

After 10 seasons with the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO), Music Director Gordon Gerrard is preparing to wave goodbye. He reflected on the role music has played in his life, along with his time conducting with the orchestra.

“It makes you feel like there’s really hope for us all in this way of communicating without words,” he said. “Music offers a lot of lessons for everybody in terms of how to get on in this world.”

Gerrard took over for Victor Sawa as music director in 2016, which was a transition he was excited to make for an organization with more than 120 years of history.

Along with his role in Regina, Gerrard also works in the Vancouver City Opera and the symphony orchestra.

It’s all part of a career that stemmed from a lifelong love of music, Gerrard started playing piano at age seven.

He says working full time in music can be a challenge, but the rewards can really strike a chord.

“There are fewer opportunities [today], there are more people,” he said. “The competition is pretty stiff, so if you don’t have it in you that you really just love making the music, it’s probably not worth it.”

Christian Robinson, a concertmaster who plays the violin, is reminiscing on the impact that Gerrard has made on all types of concert members.

“I think that right now we’re all just really kind of savoring the end of this era with Gordon,” he said. “The beginning of when a music director starts and the end of when a music director finishes, it creates a really special dynamic for an orchestra.”

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As Gerrard’s final RSO season approaches its grand finale, the orchestra has six more shows with Gerrard leading the charge, spanning from Feb. 28 to May 9.

“Being the music director of an orchestra is a very complicated job,” Robinson. “I think what sets Gordon apart is he really cares about the organization. He cares about the people making the music and he cares really deeply about the music. He’s a real musician’s musician. It’s been a tremendous pleasure working with him for these last ten years.”

However, this is not the end of Gerrard’s musical career; it’s changing to a new key signature.

He plans on moving to Vancouver to continue as artistic director for the city opera.

“It’s pretty much what I do all day, every day,” he said. “So, it’s kind of hard to imagine that it would ever not be part of my life, the obsession with making music will be with me for all of my days.”

Gerrard also said he plans to make appearances with the RSO from time to time.