We鈥檙e excited to see women taking the lead on the podium听and in the director鈥檚 chair. With that in mind, we鈥檝e asked some of our graduate students in conducting and directing a听few questions about who听they are, and what they do.听听
Join us over the next few weeks and get to know these formidable talents as they build their careers and shape our musical landscape.听听
Melissa Tardif (BMus'19, BEd'19, MMus'21) is currently completing her degree in Conducting at the Schulich School of Music of 平特五不中.听Having been trained as a jazz saxophonist, she has听performed in and around Montreal听throughout her schooling. In addition to performing, she has a passion听for both conducting and education. With a particular interest in film and video game music scores, she hopes to one day direct an orchestra that records these works, where she can be a part of the creative process.听
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In addition to conducting and teaching, Melissa has also recently begun composing and arranging her own music. In 2019, she founded her own orchestra,听. The orchestra specializes in Japanese anime music and performs at conventions around the Montreal area.听Melissa's entrepreneurial spirit and fervent drive for leading others makes her a viable asset to any teaching team.
Melissa's master鈥檚 recital leading members of the 平特五不中 Wind Orchestra took place on February 19, 2021.
GUSTAV HOLST Second Suite in F for Military Band, Op. 28, No. 2
JEAN FRAN脟AIX Huit danses exotiques
DAVID GILLINGHAM Serenade for Winds and Percussion
What do you see as the role and responsibility of a conductor/director?听听听
The role of the conductor, in my opinion, is to lead and inspire the ensemble in a positive and engaging manner. There are many conductors who believe that being overly demanding and to some extent, 鈥渕ean鈥� to the ensemble is the way to direct. I absolutely disagree with this. Musicians want to make music听with听the conductor and not听for听the conductor. The conductor鈥檚 role in my opinion is to inspire and work with the musicians to create music as a听collective. A conductor may have their own vision for the work, but it must always be shared with the orchestra in a way that is collaborative. Using the word 鈥渨e鈥� instead of 鈥淚鈥� is incredibly important when rehearsing. It brings a sense of collaboration within the ensemble.听
What鈥檚 the toughest thing about conducting? What鈥檚 the easiest or most fun?听听
For me, the most difficult thing about conducting is听working with groups of all levels.听When you are tasked to work with a group that you have never worked with before, it is always a stressful experience. The part of conducting that I find to be the most fun is the score studying aspect. Taking your time with a score and getting yourself lost in the mind of the composer is always a very relaxing and exciting thing for me. Finding hidden elements in the music and discovering the composer鈥檚 style is an absolute blast.听As an arranger and听composer听myself, I find it quite fascinating to analyze听and jump into the mind of a composer. It helps me with my own composition work.
What advice would you give to your starting-at-university self?听听听
鈥�疉ttend a lot more concerts and get the instrument injury prevention treatment you needed earlier!听听
What was the most surprising thing you learned during your degree?听听听
How much I love teaching. While doing my degree, I spent a lot of time working with other aspiring conductors and hearing about the career paths they wanted to take. Through those discussions and my studies, I grew to realize that as much as I loved the orchestral performance world, I preferred to give back 鈥� to听teach and guide aspiring conductors the art of conducting. As an educator first, getting the chance to co-teach MUIT 315 鈥斕齀nstrumental Conducting听with Professor Alain Cazes 鈥� has truly been an empowering and wonderful opportunity. Teaching conducting and educational techniques to future teachers brings me so听much听joy! It's a field I would absolutely love to be a part of in the future.听
Tell me a little about your recent听Master鈥檚听recital.鈥� What made you most excited about it?
I had an absolute blast! The challenging part about this concert, in particular, was听finding repertoire for a smaller group because of the COVID restrictions. I had always told Professor听Cazes听that I wanted to conduct both of Holst鈥檚 suites, and I am very fortunate that I got to conduct both during the听two years of my master鈥檚 degree. Professor听Cazes听helped me choose the other two pieces by using my own personal musical taste. My interest in film scores and my background in jazz studies guided me to the听Fran莽aix听and听Gillingham听pieces. The repertoire was my favorite part of the concert, for sure.听
If you had a mantra/philosophy/phrase that sums up where you are now, what would it be?听听听
鈥淭he only solution to anything is hard work.鈥� I got this quote tattooed to my ankle, and it听has been my mantra since the beginning of my studies at 平特五不中 in 2014.听
Dream piece to conduct/direct?听听听
This will come as a surprise to many since it is not a classical composer, but I am absolutely in love with the work of Max Richter,听a British minimalist composer. Getting to conduct any of his works would be an absolute dream.听My runner up would be an Australian composer by the name of Kevin听Penkin听who is famous for scoring the music for various Japanese animation films. It would be a dream to conduct any of his works.听
Conductor(s)/leaders you admire?听听
One of my favorite conductors is Alondra de le Parra. She is a very positive and inspirational leader whose energy and enthusiasm听is听incredibly contagious. I base a lot of my conducting and rehearsing style听off of听her.听
What do you want to see/hear more of in your field?听听
To be frank, I think there should be an emphasis /听importance placed on learning to conduct various genres of music besides classical or contemporary. I am someone who has a vast interest in music, which falls听outside of the realm of classical or contemporary. As conductors, we sometimes get gigs in studios or we conduct the pit orchestra for musical theatre productions. When learning about conducting, we seldom talk about these aspects of the profession, and they are often overlooked or treated as 鈥渘ot as important鈥�. I have conducted a musical theatre production and I must say, it听requires an entirely different set of skills that I did not find myself prepared for. The school of conducting prepares you to become a maestro or听meastra听in front of a symphony orchestra. They听don鈥檛听prepare you for the CEGEP or community youth group that you will face in your career.听So听what I would love to see in the field is bringing to听light these OTHER aspects of conducting, so that careers as studio conductors or pit orchestra conductors are not looked down upon.听听
Though we're unable to share clips from her recital, Melissa is true to her word, engaging in and with a variety of ensembles and styles of music!
This video was recorded in Clara Lichtenstein Hall in 2016.
Somnium Fantasy: "A Dream Fantasy", composed and conducted by Melissa Tardif, explores the various steps that one must take in order to achieve their dreams. Each movement, rich in beautiful timbres and a tenacious tone, delves into the hardships, determination, and perseverance that come with realizing one鈥檚 hopes and dreams.听
A Kingdom Hearts III Mashup: 鈥淔ace my Fears, Don鈥檛 think Twice and Simple and Clean鈥�
Original Music by Utada Hikaru Orchestral
Arrangement by Melissa Tardif
The Montreal New Horizons Band is a bilingual and intergenerational wind and percussion ensemble open to all, offering the opportunity to learn (or relearn) how to play a musical instrument in a friendly and dynamic environment.
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Stay tuned...
Next week you'll meet Nila听Rajagopal.
Read Leading the Way: Part 1 of 5 鈥� Kelly Lin here
Read Leading the Way: Part 2听of 5 鈥� Angela Hemingway here
Read Leading the Way: Part 3 of 5 鈥� Sawyer Craig here
Read Leading the Way: Part 5 of 5 鈥� Nila Rajagopal here
