Information Technology Services (ITS)
IT@UofT People — Louise Tardif
Published on: June 14, 2021
The backbone of any successful team is its hard-working people. The University of Toronto’s Information Technology Services (ITS) division is privileged to employ outstanding individuals with diverse talents that extend beyond work-related education and skills.
In this segment, entitled IT@UofT People, we will get to know our IT@UofT team across the tri-campus community and find out more about their hidden or not-so-hidden talents and/or pursuits outside of work.
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Louise Tardif, IT Analyst, Institutional Research & Data Governance.
Name: Lousie Tardif
Department: Institutional Research & Data Governance (IRDG)
Title: IT Analyst
How long have you worked at U of T?
Twenty-three years.
What is your secret or not-so-secret talent(s) and hobbies outside of work?
I am a violinist and a member of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.
How and why did you get involved in this hobby?
I actually started my working life as a musician, but went on to do an engineering degree while still playing the violin and got a job working in Information Technology (IT). I’ve never been able to quit playing the violin even after I got a full-time job in IT.
When/how your interests in these areas begin?
When I was around five years old I heard someone play the violin and decided I wanted to learn to play it so my parents, at my request, enrolled me in lessons. I’ve been playing the violin since I was six years old. It feels like it is part of my DNA.
Are there any particular pieces you enjoying playing most?
In terms of pieces I like, there are many. At the opera for example, I always enjoy playing Giacomo Puccini’s operas, no matter how many times I’ve played them before.
Do you have any professional training in this field?
I studied music at the Conservatory of Music in Quebec City (Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec) and at the Royal College of Music in London, England.
Who/what are your inspirations?
Albert Einstein did play the violin and also was a great physicist.
Anything else you would like to add?
Life doing both a full-time IT job and a part-time musical one, can be hectic at time but, no matter what, when I sit in the orchestra pit and play all this wonderful music, it fills me with joy. Because of the pandemic, the music world basically came to a full stop. Even though my life is much calmer now, I can’t wait to go back to the orchestra once it starts again.