Alain Trudel is a Canadian conductor, trombonist and composer.
Biography
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Trudel first became known to the public as a trombone soloist. He made his solo debut at the age of 18, with Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. Trudel was the first Canadian to be a Yamaha international artist, and Yamaha has named a trombone mouthpiece in his honour. He served on the faculty of the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal from 1995 to 2008, teaching trombone and chamber music. From 2004 to 2012, Trudel was conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. From 2006 to 2008, Trudel was music director of the CBC Radio Orchestra, the final conductor to hold the post whilst the orchestra was under the auspices of the CBC. Trudel was also interim music advisor for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra from 2007 to 2008. He suffered from a rare cancer in his late 30s that caused him to cease work temporarily. In 2006, Trudel became music director of l'Orchestre Symphonique de Laval. He made his Opéra de Montréal debut in 2009, with Die Zauberflöte, as well as the 30th anniversary gala, which was released as a live CD and nominated for a L'ADISQ award. In 2010, he made his debut at l'Opéra de Quebec. He has served as principal guest conductor of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and principal youth and family conductor of the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. He was principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra from 2009 to 2013. Trudel was music director of Orchestra London Canada from 2011 to 2014, the final music director in the orchestra's history. In September 2012, Trudel became the conductor of the orchestra and chamber orchestra of the University of Western Ontario. In the USA, Trudel first guest-conducted the Toledo Symphony Orchestra in March 2010. In June 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Trudel as its next music director, effective with the 2018-2019 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. He is to hold the title of music director designate for the 2017-2018 season. 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, and the Heinz Unger Prize for conducting. As a composer, Trudel has been commissioned by the CBC, the National Arts Center, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Bellows and Brass, among others. He has also been named an Ambassador of Canadian Music by the Canadian Music Center. Trudel was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2019.
