To be honest, I suffered  a little from the fear that the COC may have repeated the error made by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) years ago when it hired the then very young Finnish conductor Yukka-Pekka Saraste in hope that his youthfulness might rejuvenate the TSO. Instead, it became soon apparent that the Finn was never happy in Toronto, finally leaving here and moving his family back to his own country because he felt the city an unworthy place to raise children. Besides, he failed to reconcile himself to the fact of life in this country that arts institutions must find donors and not rely on the taxpayer to foot the bill.

Neef, now a year into his tenure at the COC. had granted me 20 minutes for our interview. Was this a good sign or a bad one? I felt unsure. That friendly wave and the smile seemed to indicate that he was merely the ever-busy successor to the late Richard Bradshaw. The former general director of the company left Neef with big shoes to fill on his appointment to the job just a little of over a year ago. As it turned out, at only 35, Neef seems young, yet so full of enthusiasm that he leaves one with the impression he will not only fill those shoes, but exceed them in the years to come. At least that is what my ever optimistic nature tells me.

Either in rehearsal, engaged in administrative duties, or off to some meeting with artists across the globe, in search for the perfect fit for future seasons, Neef granted me this brief moment for this interview at a very busy time. Foremost on my mind was what attracted him to Toronto after spending years with the Paris Opera as its casting director, and also working as an assistant to Gérard Mortier, now general manager of the New York City Opera. In addition, he had the responsibility to contract the conductors for the ballet performances and concerts in both the Palais Garnier and Bastille opera houses.

There was a boyish grin on his clean-cut face. "It had a very strong pull," he admitted of the COC because he not only liked what he saw during a brief visit to Toronto in May 2008, but it "offered a chance to leading an opera company which I would not have had the chance in New York."

Just how he got to Paris and now Toronto we did not have time to explore. While he told me with some reticence that he was born "near Stuttgart," further investigation showed that his place of birth is Ebersbach an der Fils, a picturesque town of about 15,000 just 26 km from Stuttgart. After graduating from a 'Gymnasium' (academic high school), he obtain his master of arts from Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen. There he studied Latin philology and modern history. Just how he ended up in in Salzburg as an artistic administrator I may have to explore some other time. From there he moved to the Ruhr district where he spent three years with a multi-disciplinary arts festival, the Ruhr Triennale, which eventually led him to Paris.

At his first ever Toronto media event in 2008 he mentioned that he felt already embraced by the COC. I asked him if he still felt that way, and also if he had embraced the COC. To the first part of the question he replied, "Even more so." He further elucidated, "The reason I could say that is because we have spent time together. Also the majority of people now know who the new guy is." To the second part of my question, he stated he preferred to speak of ". . . our company. Yes, you have to have a sense of ownership, but I would prefer to see it as something we do together." This left the strong impression that he is a team player.

The switch from a system of strong government support of the arts in Europe to one where he must court individual and corporate donors for the COC to exist has turned out to be not difficult for him. He knew it was a precondition for the job, and he feels that despite the current economic downturn, he and his staff have been able to continue building up a major donor base. "I think we have been very successful in a very difficult economic environment."

COC audiences have not yet had a chance to see in what direction he will lead the COC because his first season of scheduled productions will not begin until the 2011/12 season. When I asked him if he is a proponent of director-driven productions that many call 'Regietheater', a German expression much used in relation to theater in which the director's vision takes precedence over that of the writer, he replied, "Yes and no." He grew up with this approach, but, as with many new things he has found that when innovations start they can be good, but its imitators often "produce very bad things." He confirmed, however, something he had said in his first CBC interview, namely that he is "not interested in costume parties." But, he clarified the statement for me by pointing out that some operas simply cannot be taken out of their period, such as La Traviata, while others can be brought into modern times. So, obviously we can expect a mixture of the two approaches in the future, something Bradshaw had already started.

Although people, who knew Bradshaw well, have told me they don't know Neef, it may be because they are not looking for such a young, almost boyish man. He makes a point that when he is in Toronto during COC performances to not only mingle with those in the donor lounges, but to wander through the public spaces during intermissions. "People are not shy in approaching me. I like to know what people think and what they hear." So, take note, if you meet him on the floor, say 'hello.'

The Christmas season seems to me an ideal time for a children's opera (there are quite a few to choose from) now that the COC has a permanent home at the Four Seasons Centre. Neef quickly dashed all gingerbread dreams of mine on seeing something like it on the COC stage when he pointed out, "This is practical problem. We don't have it (the Four Seasons Centre) at Christmastime." The National Ballet of Canada, the COC's major tenant, takes over at Christmas with 'The Nutcracker'. How could I have forgotten? Neef, however, did not rule things out totally. "If we had someone to pay for it," he mused. "If we had half a million dollars, which we do not have, maybe in the future."

On a personal note, he and his French wife, Eloïse, and their little daughter Marnie have settled firmly into the life of Toronto. "There is no other place we live," he mentioned. "We are very much at home here. My wife said she understands that 'we are not living in Paris anymore.' This is home now." Having bought a condo on King St. West, he said his wife "copes brilliantly." In part they found this is because Torontonians are very helpful people and very open unlike Parisians. There was that smile again that makes Neef seem younger than he is. It also makes one feel that the COC is in good hands.