Staff

Tom Wright
General Director

In Tom Wright’s 15 seasons at Vancouver Opera, he has overseen the creation of more than 50 opera productions. He has stewarded the creation of new opera commissions, assembled the creative teams and development of VO’s new productions of Eugene Onegin (2009 & 2018), Nixon in China, West Side Story, The Barber of Seville, Don Carlo, Hansel & Gretel, Evita, The Overcoat – a musical tailoring, Orfeo Ed Euridice, and The Pearl Fishers.

Early in his tenure he oversaw VO’s Education and Vancouver Opera in Schools tour programs. He has also been responsible for facilities oversight and was instrumental in the creation of the Michael & Inna O’Brian Opera Centre that is now a cultural hub in East Vancouver. His biggest achievement has been the creation of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program, now in its 11th season of assisting young singers to bridge the gap from post-secondary schooling to a professional career.

Previously, Tom was the Director of Artistic Planning for Arizona Opera and the Director of Production at Calgary Opera. He was secretary/treasurer of Opera.ca, the service organization for professional opera in Canada, from 2001-2018. Tom trained at the Banff School of Fine Arts, apprenticed at Western Canadian Theatre and Opera companies, The Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Opera, Arts Club Theatre Company, Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, and JV Theatre Productions in Calgary.

Tom grew up in North Vancouver and is thrilled to be living and working in the Lower Mainland. He now resides in Coquitlam with his wife Denise.

Tom was appointed General Director of Vancouver Opera in April 2020.


Jacques Lacombe
Music Director

Jacques Lacombe was appointed Music Director for Vancouver Opera in 2023. He also serves as Music and Artistic Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse in France, and has served as Principal Conductor of the Bonn Opera, Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and of the Orchestre de Lorraine in Metz, France. From 2010 to 2016 he was Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and from 2002 to 2006, principal guest conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Renowned as a “gifted and ambitious” conductor (The New York Times), his artistic integrity and rapport with musicians and orchestras have propelled him to international stature. 

In recent seasons, Lacombe has conducted the Dallas and Boston Symphonies, leading the Boston Symphony twice for opening nights at Tanglewood, as well as the Orchestre National de France. 

Lacombe’s opera work includes all-star productions at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden and The Metropolitan Opera, the world premiere of Marius et Fanny with the Opéra de Marseille, and productions including Ariadne auf Naxos, Der fliegende Holländer and Eugene Onegin with the Deutsche Opera Berlin. He has led productions with Opéra de Monte-Carlo, most recently La Favorite by Donizetti with tenor Juan Diego Florez. Recently he conducted the Bonn Opera in new productions of Holofernes by Reznicek, La Bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Peter Grimes as well as many productions at the Greek National Opera. 

In addition to releases for the CPO and Analekta labels, Lacombe recorded Janáček’s Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the Verdi Requiem on releases with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. 

In 2012, he received a Juno Award for his recording of Lettres de Madame Roy à sa fille Gabrielle featuring Marie-Nicole Lemieux. In 2012 he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec and a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honors in the country.

www.jacqueslacombe.com


Jonathan Darlington
Music Director Emeritus

Sensitivity for depth and balance and an infectious dynamism are the hallmarks of Jonathan Darlington’s work. As music director of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of Vancouver Opera since 2002, his demand for the highest level of professionalism and precision, infused with genuine enthusiasm, has ever increased the quality and popularity of both orchestras.  Born and educated in England, he is fluent in several languages and currently resides in Paris. Maestro Darlington has conducted an impressive array of ensembles in many of the world’s greatest concert halls and opera houses.

www.jonathan-darlington.com


James Wright
General Director Emeritus

Vancouver Opera is thrilled to recognize James as General Director Emeritus. James was the General Director of Vancouver Opera for seventeen years, retiring in 2016. During his tenure, the company produced award-wining and unprecedented work in connecting the arts to community. Wright began his opera career with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He was appointed General Manager of Anchorage Opera in 1985, and then went on to serve as General Director of Opera Carolina for ten years. Wright has served two terms on the Board of Directors for OPERA America, was a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and received the Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award in 2012.