Death of Richard Bradshaw
Canadian Opera Company General Director Dies of Heart Failure
Aug 18, 2007
Richard Bradshaw, general director of the Canadian Opera Company, died Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007. He was only 63, succumbing to what appeared to be a heart attack while waiting for his luggage at the Pearson airport in Toronto. He and his wife Diana were returning from a vacation in the Maritimes.
His death was sudden, but Bradshaw’s driven schedule and health problems had made heart failure a constant possibility. After nearly two decades of faithful service and 60 opera productions, Bradshaw will be sorely missed in the opera world.
The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 11 a.m. at St. James Cathedral in Toronto. The Toronto Film Festival canceled an Aug. 21st press conference in order to honor Bradshaw.
Recognition and Awards
Michaelle Jean, the Governor General of Canada, praised Bradshaw’s contributions to the arts and culture: "His name will forever be associated with the opera, which he ardently promoted.”
Bradshaw received Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2006.
He was also a member of the Order of Ontario.
Early Years: England and San Francisco
Born in 1944 in Rugby, England, Richard Bradshaw graduated from the University of London in 1965. Later, in London and at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, he studied conducting and worked as a choral director. In 1977, he became the resident conductor at the San Francisco Opera Company.
Director of the Canadian Opera Company
Richard Bradshaw first performed with the COC as a guest conductor in 1988. A year later, he was the COC’s director of music. After nine years with the company, he was appointed general director in 1998. Last year, the opera board voted to name the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the new opera house after the company’s energetic director.
Under his direction, the Canadian Opera Company had produced both classic and contemporary operas. Canada’s first opera house—Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts--opened last fall with the full production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Bradshaw has also attracted attention with productions of more modern operas such as Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung (Bartok/Schoenberg), Salome (R. Strauss), Mario and the Magician (Thorne), and Jenufa (Janácek). He also collaborated with film and theatre directors such as François Girard and Robert LePage.
Future of the Canadian Opera Company
The 2007-2008 season is set to offer a diverse selection from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro to Janácek’s From the House of the Dead, based on Dostoevsky’s novel. So far, nothing has been said regarding what potential changes, if any, the loss of COC’s general director will have on the season.
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