From TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO)has announced the three-year extension of Alain Trudel’s contract as Music Director. The extended contract runs through the end of the TSO’s 2023/2024 season, which will be Trudel’s sixth season as Music Director. Trudel’s initial three-year contract began with the 2017/2018 season as Music Director Designate and he officially became TSO Music Director in the fall of 2018, the orchestra’s 75th anniversary season.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to continue our relationship both on a musical and human level,” says Trudel. “Toledo, as I have discovered over the last few years, is more than a city with great music, dance, art, and even my daughter’s favorite zoo! It is a real community that resembles more a family than any other place I have been to, and it is an honor to be part of it.”
“Working with Alain Trudel is a joy. He is a serious musician, committed teammate, gifted leader, and visionary thinker,” says Zak Vassar, President & CEO of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. “Everything that we see on-stage also exists off-stage. I count myself lucky to call Alain a colleague, and it is my pleasure to extend his time on our podium. Alain has big ideas for the years ahead, and I can’t wait to see them come to life.”
Kirk Toth, TSO Concertmaster who joined the orchestra in 1983 says “I am particularly pleased to begin, in earnest, the next phase of our symphony’s history with Alain Trudel at the helm. Alain brings a deep musical sensitivity and an encouraging, collegial approach to music making that will, I believe, bring out our finest performances.”
Since 2017, Trudel has led the TSO through over 47 performances. In his first three seasons as TSO Music Director, he has held the organization’s mission and vision to the highest standard. Trudel’s artistic programming has made an impact on the Toledo community and beyond in numerous ways.
Performance Highlights as TSO Music Director:
- The presentation of Colors (2018), a multi-sensory program featuring a world premiere by local composer Samuel Adler and artist Holly Carr who painted to the music of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite performed by the TSO.
- The 2018 Fourth of July performance at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo that brought the community together for a patriotic program paired with fireworks.
- The return of legendary pianist André Watts (2019) who is the only artist that has performed with every TSO Music Director since Serge Fournier in the 1970s.
- A community-wide collaboration of Mahler’s Resurrection (2019) featuring assembled choruses of community singers with the TSO.
- Consecutive sell-outs of Christmas at the Peristyle, an annual TSO holiday tradition.
- Two sold-out performances of Carmina Burana (2020) featuring original choreography by Toledo Ballet dancers, choruses from Bowling Green State University and area schools, and guest soloists.
- Trudel’s first performance back at the Peristyle with Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Jon Nakamatsu since the COVID-19 pandemic began (2021).
Trudel has brought a fresh interpretation to the core classical repertoire as well as rediscovered works of our past, introduced many internationally acclaimed artists to Toledo, and has featured newly commissioned works by local composers, bringing to light the voices and music of today.
“Alain brings such verve and excitement to the podium. It is a joy to watch and listen to the orchestra perform with him,” says Susan Hartman Muska, TSO patron. “His pre-concert comments prepare me for the musical excitement that is to come. I applaud the TSO Board on the wisdom of renewing his contract.”
In addition to his conducting career, Trudel has also made special appearances with the TSO as a guest trombonist, most recently with pianist Gene DiNovi on a program of hits from the Golden Age of Jazz in 2018. “Trudel has sat in that back row many, many times holding a trombone,” says Renee Goubeaux, former TSO cellist. “He understands how important it is to encourage the orchestra to make sound and enjoy themselves. It’s fun to watch the contagious joy in the orchestra when he encourages that big sound.”
Trudel’s leadership expands to more than just conducting and performing. Mentoring the next generation of musicians is part of his core artistic objectives. Every year, members of the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras (TSYO) have the opportunity to be coached and perform with professional TSO musicians in a special side-by-side concert. “Rarely does one event embody all that we aim to do at the Toledo Symphony. The side-by-side concert with the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras upholds all three of our pillars, including music education, artistic excellence, and community collaboration,” says Trudel.
The complete list of previous Music Directors and their time at TSO:
- Hans Lange (1946–1949)
- Joseph Hawthorne (1955–1963)
- Serge Fournier (1964–1979)
- Joseph Silverstein (interim director 1979–1980)
- Yuval Zaliouk (1980–1989)
- Ole Schmidt (interim director 1989–1991)
- Andrew Massey (1991–2002)
- Stefan Sanderling (2003–2017)
“It was obvious from the first moment that we met the charismatic Alain Trudel that he would bring musical emotion and feeling to the audience,” says Nita Harrington, TSO patron. “We are truly fortunate to have him as the Music Director of our Toledo Symphony.”
“Alain has shown great leadership on and off the Toledo Symphony podium, and we are proud to continue our relationship,” says Pat Bowe, Board Chair for the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. “In a short time, he has made his mark in our community, with our musicians, and with members of the Board. I join everyone in applauding Alain and the many contributions he has already made.”
