Meet Brian Deedrick, our FAC Conference 2014 Keynote Brian once aspired to be a drama teacher (after discovering that he would need to master chemistry to be a pediatrician). He had always loved drama; starting as a child he brought in the neighbour children (apparently bribed with Halloween candy preserved in the freezer to last through the season) to view his plays, always written, directed and starring Brian Deedrick. (He says, since it was his garage, he got the lead!) When he was eighteen, he was hit by a drunk driver, destroying one hip. While recovering from hip replacement surgery (the first of four), he took time to reassess his career options. Brian had attended his first opera when he was in Grade 7 and loved it. So after seeing the Cinderella Opera in Banff he wrote a letter asking how to become an opera director. Serendipitously, a couple of months later they lost an assistant director and hired him. He has never looked back. Brian has directed for opera companies all over Canada, the United States and the world. He took over as artistic director of Edmonton Opera and served there for nine years until his resignation in 2011. He is credited with making opera a vital part of the cultural scene in Edmonton and with making it accessible to a wide range of audience members. While he was there, he also directed in other centres (trying to do no more than three engagements each year beyond his commitment to Edmonton Opera). As an educator, Brian has taught at the University of Regina, University of Alberta, the Banff Centre and Opera NUOVA. He has not slowed down since leaving the Edmonton Opera. His latest caper is ELIXIR OF LOVE in th Knoxville Tennessee. And he has another commitment on October 28 , so we are very lucky to have him as keynote of our Conference. For detailed articles about Brian by Elisabeth Withey of the Edmonton Journal visit: http://www2.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=f9de0c53-61c1-43e6-acc3be6d24d3b62e&p=1 And for a peek at Brian at work, go to: http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=2610