Clemens Schuldt: A Breath of Fresh Air in Quebec City

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Since Clemens Schuldt joined Orchestre symphonique de Québec (OSQ) as music director in 2023, its spirit has changed. A certain pride has settled on the musicians, the organization, even the audiences of the provincial capital. Several factors underlie this, but the personality of the German conductor and his local commitment have certainly contributed. La Scena Musicale met him in Montreal last fall, the day after conducting the closing concert of the International Bach Festival.

In a country like Germany, a young conductor is bound to be influenced by the musical geniuses of the past. Schuldt’s father is from Hamburg, the city where Brahms was born. As a young teenager, Schuldt moved to Dresden, city of Wagner. Later, his studies took him practically everywhere—Düsseldorf, Vienna and especially Weimar, city of Goethe and Johann Sebastian Bach.

A way of connecting

“My mother’s a piano teacher and my father’s an amateur pianist,” says Schuldt. “They met because of a piano session for four hands. It was a trick my father thought of. He asked his friends if they knew any young woman who’d like to play with him. He also chose pieces that required the crossing of hands! Now, I play with him. He’s 86 and we really enjoy playing together. For him it’s heaven to have moments like that with either, or both, his sons!”

It’s this palpable pleasure in music that inspires Schuldt during concerts—and afterwards, when he joins the orchestra or its soloists for improvisation sessions. Two of those upcoming sessions will be with percussionist Colin Currie at the Grand-Théâtre (Feb. 27) and violinist Nemanja Radulović at Palais Montcalm (May 7). “I take the soloist, as I have done with others, to a bar nearby or just the foyer,” Schuldt says, “and we play amusing pieces like polkas, folk music or improvised jazz in an informal setting. We have a drink and chat, people come to meet me and there’s a closeness. It’s wonderful! It’s a way of connecting and it’s why people in Quebec City feel at ease with me.”

A career in conducting

Photo : Stéphane Bourgeois

Schuldt says he has almost stopped playing the violin, his first instrument, to dedicate himself to the piano. While at university, he decided to change direction in hopes of becoming a conductor, as well as an accompanist for opera singers. “I invested a lot of time in piano-playing and conducting simultaneously because I felt it would open more doors. In Germany there are many opera companies and symphony orchestras, but for a young conductor who also plays piano it’s easier to gain a foothold in conducting after university.”

Schuldt’s turn toward conducting was prompted by an accident that now seems more like destiny. “I began conducting for the first time in Düsseldorf with my friends,” he says. “I was a violinist at the time and because of a rigid posture I’d hurt my arm so badly I couldn’t play for at least 10 months. I called to tell them (of the injury), adding that I (also) enjoyed conducting and asking if they wanted to play concerts with me. They said yes. I was able to guide them in my interpretation, knowing they were first-rate musicians. Their level of playing was incredible and it was important for me first to gain their respect. And it went from there. After respect, you need the ability to inspire others—to develop your ear and to communicate your imagination so that the musicians go one step further. In each city I’ve been to, I’ve tried to create a group.”

Along his conducting journey, Schuldt has been lucky enough to work with mentors like Paavo Järvi, the internationally renowned conductor. “I had some masterclasses with him in Estonia. I’ve also played as violinist in his chamber orchestra in Bremen, and I’ve learned a lot from him. Later, he attended concerts where I (led) the Fourth Symphony by Brahms. He listened, made some comments, and we’re still in touch sometimes over details. He’s a super teacher. For example, he taught me to simplify my beats. He believes that the more complex the music, the simpler the gestures should be. It’s clear, logical and essential, because if a conductor comes across as having a complicated style, the musicians will find playing complicated.”

Winning the prestigious Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London in 2010 led Schuldt to be assistant conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra for one year, with all the potential such a job brings. “That was when I found an artists’ agency and when word-of-mouth came into play. Orchestra musicians talk to one another you know. During that year of experience I was surrounded by excellence ; not just Sir Colin Davis, but other inspirational conductors, musicians and soloists. That unquestionably developed my ear to a high level.”

Seeking identity

Clemens Schuldt

Schuldt describes how, in the intervening years, his method of conducting has changed and developed. “In North America and Quebec, conductors usually conduct a bit more on the beat than in Germany,” he explains. There are videos of Herbert von Karajan, for example, showing a conductor absorbed in his art, and beating time at least one beat before the orchestra plays the notes. To an outsider, this might seem odd, but it has valuable advantages. It allows the musicians to decide how to approach the music by giving each section its own will in creating its sound. The German-trained conductor wants to inculcate this new approach with OSQ. “A pizzicato will sound different with a certain time-lag. I conduct and allow the strings to find their own moment to let it resonate. This develops group intelligence as well as education and a certain playing tradition. After a year in Quebec City, I think we’re more European than before. The horn sound has altered, as have the subtlety and fullness of the brass.”

To underpin this change, Viennese trumpets were purchased and have already transformed the orchestra’s sound, especially when playing Mahler, Richard Strauss and Brahms. “The difference is striking. The sound is darker but also fuller. For other repertoires I prefer a very light sound. I like to have a versatile orchestra, one that can develop its own DNA. We’re on our way to creating a DNA in Quebec City, a new sonic quality, but we’re also showing creativity with programming likely to draw a wider audience.”

The strategy is bearing fruit. “Audiences are staying loyal to us. We’ve increased sales by 30 to 40 per cent. In November 2024, we sold as many tickets as we’d sold by the end of (my) first season.” This trend, the conductor says, is explained partly by the engagement of soloists of an international calibre, attractive programming and little surprises for the audience—like his impro-
visational post-concert sessions.

Settling in Quebec City

Schuldt felt an affinity with the orchestra early on. He recalls one of the first works they rehearsed together. “I was conducting Don Juan by Strauss with a German rubato, that is, with more or less acceleration. I was greeted warmly, which made me feel very positive, and I realized they were very open to my ideas. The admin team were also very friendly. I told myself, it might be minus 20 outside during the first rehearsal week but indoors things couldn’t be better. I could see the group’s potential.” He decided to settle in Quebec City, which by chance or coincidence has around 550,000 people, approximately the same size as his native Bremen. Also, he’s on good terms with Bruno Marchand, mayor of Quebec, with whom he goes jogging. All in all, he couldn’t wish for a warmer welcome.

Diverse repertoire

Mozart, Beethoven, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns—this season, the OSQ will cover a very wide repertoire. There will also be the première of a work by Composer-in-Residence Katia Makdissi-Warren based on First Nations music, including the participation of Aboriginal musicians (April 9 to 11). “I want the audience to hear something that stirs them,” says Schuldt. “I’m not there to educate them; I just want them to come on a journey with me, because I love this music and want to share it with them. A spirit of openness is what makes me tick.”

In addition to his post-concert improv sessions, Schuldt’s outreach efforts also include pre-concert Preludes. “To begin with, we’d attract about a hundred people. Now, we’ve got more than double that. I spend about 30 minutes, sometimes less, talking about the work with the soloist. I talk about the history of the work, play excerpts on the piano, joke around, try to find something to capture people’s attention. A musicological text can’t cover such personal things, like a telling detail in the score. I try to create this closeness while also considering the musical quality. Really, it’s about connecting people, finding sparks of enthusiasm, getting emotions across, regardless of anyone’s level of musical education. Otherwise, I’m not interested.”

Coming up in April…

Schuldt’s vision includes grand projects. OSQ’s Beethoven Festival starts in early April, a hugely ambitious undertaking that will light up the city with the immortal works of the German master (April 2 to 17). The festival includes three concerts, performances in museums and at the Morrin Centre, a Beethoven marathon, outreach to schools, the Conservatoire de Québec, Université Laval, even a Beethoven party with DJ. “And there’ll be cinema. It’s a festival for the city in the city, one of my crazy ideas,” says Schuldt. “We’ll be partnering up with all sorts of people so nobody feels left out. Violons du Roy will perform Beethoven’s Ninth with us, for example. We share and work together in the arts. I want to convey this vision. It’s an ideal repertoire because Violons du Roy have their own expertise. We’re basically friends. The main thing is to create a dynamic that’s favourable to classical music in Quebec City that everyone can enjoy.”

…and next season

For next season, Schuldt is planning some Mahler symphonies. He will also prepare to celebrate OSQ’s 125th anniversary, making it the oldest orchestra in Canada. “It’ll be a great season and I’m working hard for it,” he says. “We’ll tour in Canada, in several towns in Quebec, too. The OSQ hasn’t toured in ages and I hope soon to bring it to festivals such as Lanaudière. I’d like towns all over the province to know what’s happening. We are the capital and we need to be able to say how far we’ve come. Municipalities might know the sound of the past, but not the new sound of the OSQ. I’d also like to make recordings, and I’d like to increase our audiences in the city. ”

Translation: Cecilia Gray