Marianne Trudel

Marianne Trudel is a pianist, composer, improviser, arranger, and teacher. Passionate about creativity, nature, and people, she is enthusiastic about all things living! A generous and engaging artist, a true dynamo on the Quebec and Canadian instrumental music scene, she has repeatedly demonstrated her talents and keen sense of creativity. Her music, which transports and moves, cannot be categorized, which is one of her strengths: poetic and bold, sophisticated and catchy, authentic and unique, it testifies to her open outlook on the infinite universe of music.

Energetic and prolific, Marianne pursues a highly active career, both here and abroad, giving concerts solo, in small groups, and with orchestras. She has performed her music in numerous countries around the world, always to great acclaim from audiences and critics alike: Canada, the United States, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and China. The recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including the Prix Opus - Composer of the Year (2024, Conseil québécois de la musique), the Prix Opus - Jazz Album of the Year (2024), the Prix du CALQ - Artist of the Year (2023, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec – Laval), and the Prix Opus - Jazz Concert of the Year (2023), she has released 10 albums of original works as a leader, all of which have garnered critical acclaim (JUNO Award Finalist, ADISQ, Prix Opus).

Driven by composition, with a passion for large ensembles and the pooling of strengths and energies, she has composed for orchestras and choirs such as Les Violons du Roy (Quebec City), the American Composers Orchestra (New York City), the Henri Mancini Institute Orchestra (Los Angeles), the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal, the Hard Rubber Orchestra (Vancouver), the Canadian National Jazz Orchestra, the Kingston Choral Society, and the Chorale du Gesù (Montreal).

Among the international artists and orchestras with whom Marianne Trudel has had the pleasure of sharing the stage are: Charles Aznavour, Chucho Valdes, Kenny Wheeler, Ingrid Jensen, John Hollenbeck, Tony Malaby, Dave Liebman, William Parker, Mark Feldman, Hamid Drake, François Houle, Joséphine Bacon, Klo Pelgag, Lena Chamamyan, Farida, Naseer Shamma, Charbel Rouhana, Juan Carlos Caceres, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, and the Orchestre Métropolitain. In 2023, she made a notable appearance in Richard Desjardins' documentary film "Chip, Chip: Chopin by Desjardins."

Marianne Trudel's academic background includes classical piano studies (Conservatoire de musique de Québec), a DEC in classical piano (Cégep de Sainte-Foy), a technical DEC in jazz arrangement (Cégep de Saint-Laurent), a bachelor's degree in jazz piano (McGill University), a master's degree in ethnomusicology (Université de Montréal), and doctoral studies in composition (Université de Montréal).

Marianne currently teaches at the Schulich School of Music (McGill University) and at Cégep de Saint-Laurent.