News

Roland Gorecki

Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza has been appointed General Music Director of the City of Dortmund and his five-year contract with them will commence on 1 August 2025. In this capacity he will conduct the Opera as well as the Dortmunder Philharmoniker as their Chief Conductor, following successful concerts with them earlier this year.

Born in Toronto, Jordan studied conducting at McGill University, Montreal and made his conducting debut aged 20 with Bach St John Passion. On graduating, he joined the McGill faculty from 2011-2015 and went on to conduct many important choral works ranging from Bach St Matthew Passion to Verdi Requiem.  During this time, he was also Conductor in Residence of Tapestry Opera in Toronto, conducting three world premieres.

He moved to Europe to join the staff of the Komische Oper Berlin and completed a four-year term in 2020.  During this time, he collaborated with renowned director Barrie Kosky on four critically acclaimed new productions: Pelléas et Mélisande, La bohème, Weinberger’s Frühlingsstürme and Candide.

This season, Jordan returns to Canadian Opera to conduct La bohème; Opéra de Montréal for La traviata and the Philharmonia Orchestra for a concert in their Royal Festival Hall Series, following a very successful collaboration with them conducting Strauss Der Rosenkavalier in 2021. He also makes debuts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; BBC National Orchestra of Wales and at Santa Fe Opera, conducting the world premiere of The Righteous, a new opera by Gregory Spears. Further ahead, he has secured return invitations from Chicago Lyric Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin and Glyndebourne Festival.

Past opera highlights include Carmen at Dutch National Opera; Wagner Tristan und Isolde for Seattle Opera and Der fliegende Holländer at Nationaltheater Mannheim while on the concert platform he has conducted Orchestre symphonique de Montréal; Ottawa National Arts Centre Orchestra; Grant Park Festival Orchestra, Chicago, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms.