Wilfrid Pelletier was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator who played a major role in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and served as its first artistic director and conductor. He also had a long partnership with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as one of the company's conductors in French opera from 1929 to 1950. He was the principal conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec from 1951 to 1966 and recorded several acclaimed albums with RCA Victor. Pelletier was also influential in music education, helping establish the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec and overseeing its schools. He was a pianist, both as a soloist and as part of a duo with Arthur Loesser, and composed a small body of work. He was married three times, including to opera singers Queena Mario and Rose Bampton. Wilfrid Pelletier, born in Montreal, began studying music at a young age and developed a passion for conducting operas after attending a performance of Ambroise Thomas's Mignon. He worked with the Montreal Opera Company until it went bankrupt, and then decided to go to Europe to further his career. He won the Prix d'Europe competition in 1915 and was given a grant by the Quebec government to study in Europe. Wilfrid Pelletier and his wife arrived in Paris in October 1916 but were forced to leave in June 1917 due to the war. In July 1917, they arrived in New York City and Pelletier was hired as a rehearsal pianist for the Metropolitan Opera. He also conducted operas for other companies and eventually became a regular conductor at the Met until 1950. Pelletier also made opera recordings and appeared in a film conducting Kirsten Flagstad. Wilfrid Pelletier, a musician working at the Met, was convinced by his father to establish a new orchestra in Montreal, despite his initial doubts about the state of the arts in Canada. He formed the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and they held their first concert in January 1935. Pelletier also established the Montreal Festivals, which featured the MSO and other Canadian ensembles, and continued annually even after his departure. Wilfrid Pelletier was appointed as the first director of the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec in 1943. He and Claude Champagne were responsible for recruiting an impressive international staff of teachers, and under their leadership, the school gained a high reputation for its education. Pelletier also served as the first director of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec.

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