Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud
Praised for his welcoming personality, trustworthiness and attention to detail, Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud (FAM) is a versatile artist nationally recognized as a hardworking and talented conductor, violinist, radio cultural commentator, soundman, booking agent, manager, teacher and chamber musician.
He is currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting, studying with Guillaume Bourgogne and Alain Cazes, at McGill University where he also completed in May 2019 a Master’s degree in Violin Performance with professors Mark Fewer and Alexander Read. In October 2019, he had the privilege of participating in an inspiring conducting masterclass with the internationally acclaimed French maestro François-Xavier Roth through a partnership between McGill University and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
A proactive and benevolent leader, Frédéric has been serving as President of his Student’s Association, the Music Graduate Students’ Society (MGSS), since 2019. In addition to his school responsibilities, he serves as Artistic Director of the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Joliette (OSJJ) and of his own ensemble, the Brownies Concerto Orchestra (BCO), as well as the violinist of The Élan Trio. Over the years, he had the opportunity to conduct many renowned artists including Philip Chiu, Pierre Beaudry, Alexander Read, Kerson Leong, Jinjoo Cho, Ali Kian Yazdanfar, Il volo, as well as rising pop star Klô Pelgag.
Since March 2020, to share his passion for music, Frédéric developed in collaboration with his brother Benjamin Michaud a community-focused online project called “FAM, a confined maestro” in which he conducts recordings in livestreams accessible on his Facebook page. So far, there have been 29 episodes of these concerts including two special events, the first presenting all the Beethoven symphonies and the second presenting all the Brahms symphonies. In addition, during the summer of 2020, he enjoys the opportunity of educating the public about classical music as the host of the weekly segment “Chronique musique avec Maestro FAM” on the Radio-Canada (CBC) radio stations in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Bas-St-Laurent. Frédéric is a versatile violinist who has performance experiences across multiple genres including baroque, classical, popular and improvised music.
For four years, he performed with the McGill Baroque Orchestra conducted by Hank Knox on period instruments and was the manager, soundman, booking agent and violinist of the pop-folk band SHYRE between 2014 and 2019. During their five years of existence, SHYRE performed in more than 150 public performances throughout Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
In 2017, he received a scholarship by the Gérard D. Lévesque Foundation and, in the same year, he participated in the Business and Career Development Program for Aspiring International Musicians organized by a partnership between the Père Lindsay Foundation and HEC Montreal. In 2016, he appeared on CBC Music’s list of “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30” and in 2013, at the end of his journey in Rimouski, he was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Youth Medal as a recognition for his excellent grades and exceptional commitment to the community.