Larry Desrochers wins Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction

Local arts leader Larry Desrochers takes home the prestigious 2026 Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction.

The Manitoba Arts Council, which presents the $30,000 award annually to a distinguished Manitoba cultural professional, announced Desrochers as the winner this morning.

“Thank you to the Manitoba Arts Council for this honour. It is a privilege to be included among past recipients who have contributed so significantly to Manitoba’s cultural life,” said Desrochers in a press statement.

“Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work alongside many talented artists, staff, volunteers, crew, board members, and supporters, and I accept this award in recognition of collaborative spirit and bold creativity of Manitoba’s arts community.”

Desrochers is best known for his 25-year tenure as general director & CEO of Manitoba Opera.

In this role, he also served as MO’s de facto artistic director, casting nearly 400 artists and producing more than 50 productions. This included many renditions of opera mainstays by Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, as well as commissions of new works like Transit of Venus (premièred 2007), and Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North, the first Indigenous-led opera on a Canadian mainstage (premièred 2023).

His “Manitobans first” hiring policy helped launch the careers of several well-known Winnipeg singers who have gone on to perform on the world’s leading stages.

Desrochers announced his retirement as MO’s executive director last spring, but stayed on as the company’s interim artistic director. The final show of his tenure was April’s The Marriage of Figaro, but he also programmed the 2026-27 season.

Beyond his career in opera, Desrochers has worked as a producer and administrator across a range of disciplines, from film to theatre. He was the inaugural executive director of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, which is now the second largest North American event of its kind; was founding board member of Manitoba for the Arts, a key cultural advocacy group; and produced and directed the 1999 Pan American Games opening and closing ceremonies.

“Larry’s work in arts leadership has been integral in shaping the landscape of arts and culture in Manitoba, and his legacy will have a lasting impact on the people of Manitoba,” said Manitoba’s Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy in the same press statement.

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