Pedro Gailhard

Pedro Gailhard
Born	Pierre Samson Gailhard 1 August 1848 Toulouse
Died	12 October 1918 (aged 70) Paris
Occupation	Opera singer, theatre director

Pedro Gailhard, full name Pierre Samson Gailhard, (1 August 1848 – 12 October 1918) was a French opera singer and theatre director.

Gifted with an exceptional singing bass voice, Pedro Gailhard made his debut at the Opéra-Comique, then sang at the Opéra Garnier, as Mephisto in Faust by Charles Gounod in 1871. His interprétation of Leporello in Don Giovanni by Mozart remained particularly remarquable.

Pedro Gailhard was director of the Paris Opera from 1884 to 1891 and from 1893 to 1907. He was mentioned as such in the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.

He was afterward director of the New York conservatory.

Bibliography

• Anne-Marie Gouiffes, Pedro Gailhard, un artiste lyrique à la direction de l'Opéra de Paris. 1884-1907, 2000, thèse, dir. D. Pistone, Université Paris Sorbonne.