Marianne Trudel

Marianne Trudel is a multi-talented pianist, composer, improvisor, and arranger. Passionate in the act of creativity, both in a relationship to nature and with human beings, she shows a great enthusiasm for all that is alive! A generous and engaging artist, a veritable powerhouse in Quebec and Canada’s instrumental music scene, she has presented multiple artistic projects that not only bring her considerable skills to the fore but also her keen sense of creativity. Her moving, spellbinding music is not easily labelled, one of its many strengths. At once poetic and bold, sophisticated and catchy, authentic and unique, her music cross-cuts a wide swath of musical interests.

Energetic and prolific, Marianne pursues an active career in a variety of settings ranging from solo performances to small and large ensembles. She has performed her music in thirteen countries, always with great response from the audiences and positive reviews from the critics: Canada, United States, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, and China. Recipient of numerous awards and mentions, including Prix du CALQ – Artist of the year 2023 (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec – Laval) and Prix Opus-Concert of the year– Jazz (Conseil québécois de la musique, 2023), she has produced 10 albums as a leader, all having garnered rave reviews and numerous nominations and awards (JUNO Awards, ADISQ, Prix Opus).

Passionate about composition, accompanied by a love of large ensembles and the process of bringing together of multiple forces and energies, she has composed and arranged for orchestras and choirs such as: Violons du Roy (Quebec), the American Composers Orchestra (NYC), the Henri Mancini Institute Orchestra (Los Angeles), the Canada National Jazz Orchestra, Orchestre national de jazz de Montreal, the Hard Rubber Orchestra (Vancouver), the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, the Kingston Choral Society and the Chorale du Gesù (Montreal).

She has shared the stage with many international artists, among others: 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 Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Violons du Roy and the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal). In 2023, she made a remarkable appearance in the documentary film of Richard Desjardins “Chip, Chip: Chopin par Desjardins”.

Her academic formation has included doctoral studies in composition (Université de Montréal), a Master in Ethnomusicology (Université de Montréal), a bachelor’s in jazz performance (McGill University), a DEC diploma in classical piano (Cégep de Sainte-Foy), a DEC diploma in Jazz arranging (Cégep de Saint-Laurent), studies in classical piano (Conservatoire de musique de Québec) and numerous workshops in North America and Europe.

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