Jacques Gérard

Gérard, Jacques

Jacques (b Gerard) Gérard (b Poisson). Tenor, b Arthabaska, near Drummondville, Que, 26 Jul 1899, d Old Orchard, Me, 12 Aug 1957. He studied with Salvatore Issaurel in Montreal and with Désiré Demest in Brussels. After his debut in Liège in 1927 as Faust, he appeared in several other Belgian cities. He sang leading roles for two seasons, 1929-31, with the Trianon-Lyrique, Paris, and for three seasons, 1931-4, with the Opéra-Comique, where his repertoire included Raoul Laparra's La Habanera under the composer's direction. In 1934 he made a concert tour of Quebec. In Montreal he sang several roles with Les Variétés lyriques at the Monument national, including Werther (1938), Des Grieux in Manon (1939), Gérald in Lakmé (1941), Hoffmann (1942), and Alfredo in La Traviata (1943). Brought to the attention of Arturo Toscanini by Wilfrid Pelletier, Gérard made his New York debut in the maestro's October 1942 performances of Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette, with Jennie Tourel. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut 2 Dec 1942 in Lakmé. He stayed with the Metropolitan until the 1945-6 season, during which time he shared the French repertoire with his countryman Raoul Jobin. His younger brother, Roland Poisson (b Arthabaska 1903), studied violin in Montreal, Paris, and Brussels, earning his premier prix in 1926 at Brussels' Cons royal. For many years, he was a member of the Montreal Orchestra and the MSO.