Gordon Gerrard conductor Gordon Gerrard has established a unique place in the new generation of Canadian musicians as one of its fastest rising stars. Trained first as a pianist and subsequently as a specialist in operatic repertoire, Gordon brings a fresh perspective to the podium. His passion and his dedication to producing thrilling musical experiences have endeared him to his fellow musicians and the public alike. A passionate and gifted educator, Gordon has been engaged as a conductor and lecturer by many institutions, including McGill University, the University of Manitoba and Iowa State University. In 2012, Gordon conducted a production of Don Giovanni for Opera McGill. He has served as conductor for Opera Nuova (Edmonton) for the past ten years, and on the music staffs of the Opera as Theatre Programme at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (Montreal), Halifax Summer Opera Workshop and the Undergraduate Opera Studio at the Manhattan School of Music. Gordon is delighted to begin work with Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the <strong>Vancouver</strong> <strong>Symphony</strong> <strong>Orchestra</strong> as Assistant Conductor. Anna Trebunskaya dancer Anna Trebunskaya began dancing at the age of six in her native Russia. Her parents were both dancers and owned a dance studio, so it was only natural that she took to dancing at an early age. At age seven, Anna entered her first dance competition, which she won, and she has been winning titles ever since. Anna moved to the US at age seventeen and won her first US title in the 1997 Amateur Standard Youth Championship. Anna and partner Jonathan Roberts then began competing in professional ballroom dancing competitions from 2001–2006 and achieved numerous top placements in competitions around the world. Anna was 2004’s USA Rising Star Latin Champion and was ranked 6th in the US and 24th in the world, also placing 2nd in the Blackpool Rising Star Latin championship out of 300 couples. Anna danced in eight seasons of Dancing with the Stars and partnered with football star Jerry Rice, model Albert Reed, actor Steve Guttenberg, UFC fighter Chuck Liddell, US Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek, football quarterback Kurt Warner, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and TV personality Carson Kressley. Jonathan Roberts dancer Jonathan Roberts began his dance career at the age of twenty. He discovered his passion for ballroom dancing after watching the famous tango scene in the Al Pacino movie, Scent of a Woman. He took advantage of the free ballroom lessons offered on the back of his ticket stub, and the rest – as they say – is history. Jonathan won the 1997 USA Rising Star American Ballroom Championship before deciding to focus on the Latin style. With his partner Anna Trebunskaya, he became 2004 USA Rising Star Latin Champion and Open finalist. He also competed in Pro-Am, where he became two-time undefeated USA Pro-Am 10 dance champions, three-time undefeated USA Pro-Am Latin champions and two-time USA Pro-Am American Ballroom champion. In 2008, he won the US and World Professional American Smooth Championship. Jonathan danced in seven seasons of Dancing with the Stars. His partners included model Rachel Hunter, journalist Giselle Fernández, activist Heather Mills, entertainer Marie Osmond, tennis pro Monica Seles, pop singer Belinda Carlisle, and Grammy ® Award winning artist Macy Gray. He now travels around the world coaching and choreographing at dance studios, events and TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars. ■ 10 allegro
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