I was very pleased to be standing on the stage of the beautiful Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts today, and I am honoured to have been given this extraordinary opportunity. In the past I have been very privileged to work with some of the best companies in the world, and it is yet another privilege that this company is the first one I actually get to lead.

When I was first told about the posting, I didn’t know much about the COC, but after doing some research and looking at the web site, I could see that this company is one of great resources and ambition. What was tempting for me was the reasonable size of the company and the number of productions. Having worked at Paris Opera for four years, with 20 operas per season, this company would seem to allow me to concentrate on everything the company was doing.

When I actually came here for interviews and saw the company at work, I was very impressed by the commitment of the staff, artists and the board members, and the quality of your orchestra and chorus. But the most impressive thing for me was the pride everybody takes in the company. And, of course, I got to see and hear this fantastic hall. That’s when I became really excited.

Having this wonderful theatre allows the company to continue the process towards the goals that were interrupted by Richard Bradshaw’s death. The fact that he achieved so much is a testament to his efforts and the value and stamina of this company. I look forward to continuing and developing the vision he began—making the most of the opera house and meeting the artistic standard that it sets for the company.

One of the predominant qualities of this company is that it sets its sights very high, and, it is worthy of working with the finest people in the industry. I know that the company has very strong relationships with several very important Canadian artists, and there are others that will have to be built. We need to attract all great artists and make them welcome here, making them feel that this is their opera house and their company.

We need to produce high-quality productions of standard repertoire, and present pieces that the COC has never produced before. We need to collaborate with other world-class companies. We need to commission and produce contemporary operas. We need to train the next generation of Canadian artists. We need to do everything we can to spread the COC’s influence as widely as possible.

We will immediately start planning 2011/12, and I will also start looking at the 2012/13 season to bring the company into a preparation cycle that is equal to that of other major opera companies. By extending our planning cycle, we will be able to entice the most exciting artists in the world—those artists who are booked many years in advance.

I have to tell you that I already feel embraced by the company that I have only just met. I am here to continue the journey already in progress and elevate the company to a new level of achievement. I want to thank the Search Committee for their vision in choosing me, and the members of the Board for their faith in me. My wife and I look forward to living and raising our daughter in a city and country with such artistic potential and excitement.