Big milestone for Principal Piccolo, Lloyd Hudson

Principal Piccolo Lloyd Hudson has managed to contain the racing heart and sweaty hands he suffered when first playing with the TSO in 1999.

But, as he prepares for a solo performance in Federation Concert Hall, Lloyd admits to still having his ‘nervous moments’ – and he wouldn't want it any other way.

Lloyd is celebrating 25 years as a permanent member of the TSO, having scored the role of Principal Piccolo and Tutti Flute in 2001.

He’s marking the milestone with a solo performance in Icarus on Thursday 12 March – our first 6pm concert of the year, led by our Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland.

‘It’s not every day you see a piccolo up front, so it'd be great for people to come along and see those moments that they don't recognise as normal for a piccolo – the softer moments and different timbres (characters of sound) that you may not think are going to come out of the instrument,’ Lloyd says.

Icarus was written for Lloyd and the TSO by Australian composer Harry Sdraulig in 2019.

The single-movement piece for piccolo and orchestra was inspired by the famous Greek myth of Icarus, who did not heed his father’s warnings and flew too close to the sun.

It's more than six years since Lloyd last played the highly acclaimed work and he is loving rediscovering its cleverness and dazzling virtuosity.

'Having the piccolo as a solo instrument out the front of the orchestra allows for a broader dynamic range to be used. Yes, it has those "screaming moments" that people associate with a piccolo, but Harry has also written these moments where it's very soft playing in the strings and very soft playing in the piccolo down low, which is rarely used in any orchestral repertoire,' Lloyd says.

'It’s very, very clever writing. And it's good fun.'

25-plus years with the TSO

When he first joined as a casual musician in 1999, Lloyd was the youngest member of the TSO.

Fresh from his music degree at the Australian National University, he admits playing solos during orchestra performances was ‘pretty nerve wracking’.

‘Certainly, 25 years ago, I didn't know as much about this instrument. The piccolo is a lot more fickle that the flute and that creates a pretty nervous moment when you're not knowing exactly what the instrument’s going to do,’ Lloyd recalls.

‘As a musician you’re used to counting crotchet beats and I became very aware of how many beats per minute my heart would go. In the early days, when I had a solo coming up, my heart would go up to around 160, compared to a resting rate of 50 to 60.'

'Now it's a little calmer and maybe my heart rate in those moments is 130. It feels like wearing a comfortable t-shirt these days, not that I don’t still have nervous moments – and I love it!’ he says.

'Hobart is definitely home'

In 2012, Lloyd was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study piccolo performance and teaching in the US, Europe and Asia.

He also spent several years teaching flute performance at the University of Tasmania’s Conservatorium of Music.

In 2016 he took a break from the TSO to take up the Principal Piccolo position with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, before returning to Hobart to raise a family.

Originally from Newcastle in NSW, Lloyd plays regularly with orchestras in other states including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

‘I love getting up to Newcastle to see Mum and Dad, but Hobart is definitely home. I enjoy the slower pace of the life down here. When I work in other cities, I crack the shits after a couple of minutes, I can't stand being around too many people. And I love that I can walk to work in 20 minutes, squeeze a few extra things and be home for the kids,’ Lloyd says.

'Approachable and versatile'

The orchestra doesn’t stop at the edge of the stage. Behind our TSO musicians is a whole crew of partners, kids, family and friends who share the journey.

For Lloyd, that team includes wife Erica and their kids Ivy and Otto (pictured above).

Erica says what she loves most about the TSO is how connected it feels: 'TSO is a smaller orchestra so you are generally closer and feel more connected … I like to look out for the small stuff on stage, like the foot shuffle of a musician in appreciation of a colleague’s moment.'

Erica's parents have also become big fans of the orchestra since moving from NSW, despite not having a classical music background.

‘The TSO’s music is approachable and versatile and we love the different styles of concerts – The Cat Empire collaboration was a big favourite of mine and we love the family concerts with the kids and travelling to regional concerts in old-school halls,' Erica says.