Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Praised for his “immense talent as orchestral leader, musician and performer,” (La Presse) Canadian conductor Alain Trudel has been a formidable force in the Canadian music scene for nearly 30 years. Trudel is currently Music Director of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Laval, Principal Youth and Family Conductor of the Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa as well as being Director of Orchestral Activities at Western University and Principal Guest conductor of the Hannaford Street Silver Band. A sought-after conductor both at home and abroad, Trudel has conducted every major orchestra in Canada as well as orchestras in the UK, USA, Sweden, Russia, Japan, Hong-Kong, Malaysia and Latin America with noted artists including Ben Heppner, Anton Kuerti, Measha Brueggergosman, Herbie Hancock, Alain Lefèvre and Pinchas Zukerman. Trudel was first known to the public as a trombone soloist, making his solo debut at the age of 18 with Charles Dutoit and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. Hailed as “the Jascha Heiftz of the trombone”(Le monde de la musique) he has been a guest soloist worldwide, and was the first Canadian to be a Yamaha International Artist. A long-time pedagogue and mentor, he was a tenured Professor of trombone and chamber music at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal from 1995-2008 and is currently the Director of Orchestral Activities at Western University. His recording of Mahler’s 6th Symphony and Le sacre du prinptemps with The National Youth Orchestra of Canada was nominated as “Best Orchestral Album of the Year” at the 2010 Juno Awards. Trudel is the recipient of numerous Awards, among them the Virginia Parker Prize, Le grand prix du disque Président de la République de l’Académie Charles Cros (France) and the Heinz Unger Prize for conducting. He was named an Ambassador of Canadian Music by the Canadian Music Center in 2006.
Hong-Kong City Chamber Orchestra, Peninsula Music Festival, Malaysian Philharmonic, Saint-Petersburg Cappella Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Hamamatsu Festival Orchestra, Northen Sinfonia, Orchestra Sinfonica Nacional de Guatemala, National Radio Orchestra of Tirana. Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony, National Arts Center Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Victoria Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London Canada, Hamilton Philharmonic, Windsor Symphony, Orchestre Métropolitain, Les Violons du Roy, Symphony Nova Scotia.
2014 : Opéra de Montréal, Hansel and Gretel 2013 : UWOpera, Cosi Fan Tutte, Rape of Lucretia, La Cenarentola, 2011 : Opéra de Québec, Die Fledermaus 2010 : Opéra de Québec, Le Gala 2009 : Opéra de Montréal, Concert and live CD recording of the 30th anniversary Gala 2009 : Opéra de Montréal, Die Zauberflöte 2009,2012 : Conductor, Montréal International Music Competition Montréal (voice) 2008 : Atelier de l’Opéra de Montréal, l’Heure Espagnole & Il segreto di Suzanna 2006 : Opera York, Hansel & Gretel
Masterclasses (partial list): Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, New England Conservatory, Köln Hochshule, Hamamatsu Festival, Graz Akademie, University of Hong-Kong, Manhattan School of Music. Appointments: 2012 - Present : Director of Orchestral Activities (Opera and Symphony), Western University 2008, 2008, 2010 : Guest Professor, L’Academie Internationale du Domaine Forget (Québec) 2006, 2010 : Guest Professor, University of Toronto 2005-2006 : Professor of Conducting and Orchestral literature at the Glenn Gould Professional Music School of the Royal Conservatory, Toronto 2004-11 : Conductor, Inter-Provincial Music Camp, Ontario 2001, 2003, 2005 : Guest Professor, Glenn Could Professional School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto 1995-2008 : Professor (tenured) of trombone and chamber music at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal. 1987- 2004 : Director, Coordinator, and Conductor at the Camp Musical des Laurentides.