Artist Bios

Alain Trudel, TSYO CONDUCTOR

Born in 1966, Alain Trudel has already established himself internationally as a truly remarkable musician. He is widely hailed as a conductor, having led professional orchestras and ensembles on three continents and in a wide variety of repertoire, with repeated return invitations.

He was first known as one of the great trombonists of his generation and his story has been featured in two films: "Alain Trudel's Mission," (which received a Gemini Award nomination) and "The Trombone: The Voice of God." In addition, he is a composer who has written commissioned works for soloist, chamber ensembles and orchestra which are widely performed.

Starting in September 2005 he will be teaching at the Glenn Gould Professional Music School of the Royal Conservatory where he is responsible for the courses on conducting and orchestral literature. In addition, he will conduct all orchestral readings and he will direct the Contemporary Music Ensemble as well as conducting the final concert of the year with the Glenn Gould School Orchestra.

Alain Trudel was unanimously named Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra in 2004 a position he will hold through the end of the 2005-06 season.

Since 2000, conducting has taken an increasingly significant place in his life as he has been invited and re-invited to conduct orchestras including the Orcestre Symphonique de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, the Vancouver CBC Radio Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony, Orchestra London, Windsor Symphony, Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montreal, the Saskatoon Symphony, the Hamilton Philharmonic, The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Beyond the borders of Canada, he has conducted the City of Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, The Tokyo Metropolitan chamber orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia in the UK, and an All Star chamber ensemble in Hamamatsu (Japan) including members from leading orchestras in Europe and America.

In 2005-06, he will conduct at the Banff Festival, the Lachine Festival, the Interprovincial Music Camp, the CBC Vancouver Radio Orchestra, the Edmonton, Calgary, Windsor, London and Hamilton Orchestras, the Montreal , Toronto, Nova Scotia and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra as well as the Glenn Gould School Orchestra and Contemporary Music Ensemble.

In the 2004-05, he conducted the Toronto Symphony, Orchestra London, the Windsor Symphony, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Guatemala in an all Beethoven program at the Bravissimo festival in Guatemala City.

Trudel conducts regularly both with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra at the Glenn Gould Professional School of Music in Toronto and the Banff Centre for the Arts. He has also been conductor-in-residence at the Scotia Festival in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

As a trombone soloist, Alain Trudel made his debut at the age of 18, with Charles Dutoit at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. He has also been a guest soloist with many other orchestras including the Deutsche-Symphony Berlin, l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa), the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Austrian Radio Orchestra (Vienna). l'Orchestre Metropolitain du grand Montreal,The Tivoli Festival Orchestra, L'Orchestre National de Montpelier, the Polish National Radio Television Orchestra, the UNAM Symphony (Mexico),the Quebec Symphony and many others.

Alain was (until 2004) the music director, conductor and coordinator of the wind and brass programme of the Camp Musical des Laurentides for almost 20 years making it one of the most respected summer institutions. Since 2004, he has been the conductor at the Inter-Provincial Music Camp in Ontario.

Trudel's recordings, both as trombonist and conductor on the NAIVE, ATMA, WARNER, DORIAN and NAXOS labels have been praised and honored by the International press.

Alain Trudel has received numerous Awards, Among them the Virginia Parker (one of the most prestigious awards in Canada),The Mildred Dixon Holmes, Le grand prix de l'Académie Charles Cros, the Choc de l'Année of Le Monde la Musique, Prix opus and a Juno Award.

In the mid 1990's, YAMAHA invited him to design an "Alain Trudel" signature trombone mouthpiece which they now market internationally. YAMAHA is also releasing a new Custom Xeno Series Trombone with Alain Trudel's specifications. In addition, YAMAHA has been a major sponsor of his outreach activities, master classes and workshops for many years, all over the world: literally from Tasmania to Lapland and from Hamamatsu to Labrador to Linz.

His concerts have been broadcast by the French, Canadian, Australian, Belgian, Austrian, Mexican and Japanese National Radio Networks, the National Radio and Television in Poland as well by NPR in the United States.

Alain Trudel was the first canadian to be an "International Yamaha Artist". In the mid 1990's, YAMAHA invited him to design an "Alain Trudel" signature trombone mouthpiece which they now market internationally. YAMAHA has been a major sponsor of his outreach activities, for many years, all over the world.

Alain has served as member and later President (1994-2000) of the Foundation of the Arts and Culture of Chambly-Carignan (his home town). The Foundation serves all artistic disciplines producing concerts and organizing exhibitions of painting and sculpture. Trudel's work has encouraged excellence among the young through competitions and prizes in music, painting and literature.

(June 2005)