Trivia

Rudel was conductor at New York's City Center (not to be confused with Lincoln Center) for a time. While there, he conducted several notable revivals of classic Broadway musicals, among them "Show Boat," "Carousel," "Brigadoon," and "Finian's Rainbow.".

He was nominated for Broadway's 1963 Tony Award as Best Conductor and Musical Director for a revival of "Brigadoon.".

At age 5, he began formal music training. He regularly attended performances of the Vienna State Opera. By age 16, he had written two short operas.

His father died in 1938. Two months after Germany annexed Austria, he, his mother, and a younger brother made their way to New York. He supported the family as a stock clerk, delivery boy, and switchboard operator while continuing his music studies. He graduated from the Mannes School of Music in 1942, and became an American citizen in 1944.