Leading the Orchestra, Shaping a Community
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO), part of Live Arts Toledo, the hub that now encompasses Toledo Jazz Orchestra and Toledo Ballet, has recently extended the contract of Music Director, Alain Trudel through 2029. Trudel has nurtured the growth of TSO since 2018. A native of Montreal, Canada, and an exceptionally talented musician with an impressive resume, he has conducted hundreds of performances, helped bring high profile guest musicians to Toledo and pushed the boundaries of what a symphony can be and what it can offer to the community.
Conductor, Musician, Composer
A nine-time Juno Award (Canada’s Grammys) nominee and Emmy Award nominee, Alain Trudel is Music Director of TSO here, and the Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra in Quebec. He was named a Knight of the Order of Quebec and received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal. Trudel also heads the Toledo Jazz Orchestra. He shares that playing jazz was the starting point of his music career. Both his parents were jazz musicians —his mother a cabaret singer and his father a drummer. He started playing an instrument at age 12 in a local brass band, eventually playing slide trombone. In a few years, he went to study at the Conservatory in Montreal, Quebec. “Conducting, writing, and playing was pretty much my sphere.,” he says, “Even in high school, my music teacher would let me conduct the orchestra or the band. Being able to get in front of a band and conduct once or twice a week at age 15 is very valuable. Most conductors don’t get to conduct at all until they’re twenty and, at that point, they’ve been playing an instrument longer. I balanced writing, conducting, and playing from the start.”
From Montreal to Toledo
Asked how he came to Toledo from Montreal, Trudel explains that he had a good career as a musician but was still conducting in addition to playing. He won a competition called
the International Steppingstones and performed as a soloist around the world while continuing to conduct.
“I thought the first part of my career should be playing an instrument because you’re still young. I started working with the Toronto Symphony as a conductor and my reputation started to grow, working in Ottawa, London, Ontario, and Laval, in Quebec. I came to (guest) conduct in Toledo years before they offered me the position. Several years went by
and I was asked to come and conduct again. Afterward they wanted to meet with me to find out what I thought of the orchestra. When we met, I knew it was a job interview.”
You Can Be from Toledo and Be Amazing
Trudel says the Orchestra has been working overtime to bring their performance to a higher level. “We are now part of ICSOM (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians.) which represents the 52 best orchestras in North America.
Now we have some recordings that are ready to go. We just did a Wynton Marsalis concerto, live. Marsalis wrote a trumpet concerto a few years ago and everyone has been playing it, but it hasn’t been recorded yet. We’d like to send our recorded performance to
him to be considered for a recorded release. “I have colleagues who call me all the time. They hear us on the radio and say our orchestra sounds fantastic. You don’t always need to be from LA or New York; you can be from Toledo and be amazing.”
There’s no real downtime for Trudel. When he’s in Toledo another part of what he does is community outreach. There are 250 kids in the youth orchestra. He says, “Our players teach kids at the music school. If you go between the music education, the ballet, and the Jazz Orchestra (I have to put it all down on paper), how do I divide my time? It’s a good thing I don’t require a lot of sleep.”
He adds, “There’s something that’s very alive when you’re playing a classical piece — it’s never the same. A person can hear the same live music two nights in a row and have a totally different experience. It’s new every time and that’s exciting. I decided to stay with TSO because I feel we are on to something and we need to stay together. These musicians are ready to put all on the table every night they play, and that’s really rare.”
Q&A With Alain Trudel
What artist inspires you? John Coltrane and Beethoven
What is your best professional memory? The Mahler’s 9th Symphony recording that we did with the TSO. It was very special.
Your greatest adventure? Having four kids! It’s the greatest everything in life.
Words to live by? I’m an optimist but also a realist. There’s a southern saying, “clear eyes, open heart.” That’s a very good one to live by.
What age would you be again and why? I like not being young. I like being further in my career. There are two ages because I loved the openness of being you and seeing
everything for the first time, so 16 or 17, and after age 45 is good too. The in-between is a lot of work.
