Theodore Kuchar
Encyclopedia
Theodore Kuchar is a Ukrainian American conductor
of classical music
and a violist
.
. He started to learn to play the violin
at ten years of age, later switching to viola. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music
, where his viola instructor was Robert Vernon
, in 1982.
In 1980, he was awarded a Paul Fromm Fellowship from the Boston Symphony Orchestra
to study at Tanglewood Music Center
. He was the principal violist of orchestras in Cleveland, Helsinki
, and Cape Town
.
In 1987 he became music director of the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra
in Australia, a post that he held until 1993. Between 1990 and 2006, he served as the first Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music
in Townsville; a Theodore Kuchar Scholarship for Excellence in Music was established there after his departure. He was also Music Director of the West Australian Ballet in Perth
until 1993.
In 1992 Kuchar was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, which changed its name to National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
in 1994. In that year he became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra. After his contract with the Orchestra ended in 2000, he was awarded the title of Conductor Laureate for Life. Under Kuchar's direction, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine became the most frequently recorded orchestra of the former Soviet Union
, with over 60 compact discs under Naxos Records
and its Marco Polo label.
Between 1996 and 2006, he was music director and conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
. He founded the Sinfonia of Colorado, a chamber ensemble, in 1997; it was disbanded in 2002. He was also professor and director of orchestral studies at the College of Music of the University of Colorado at Boulder
between 1996 and 2001.
His current positions include:
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and a violist
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
.
Biography
Kuchar was born in 1960 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He started to learn to play the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at ten years of age, later switching to viola. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland Institute of Music
The Cleveland Institute of Music is an independent music conservatory located in the University Circle district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States and is overseen by president Joel Smirnoff and Adrian Daly, dean....
, where his viola instructor was Robert Vernon
Robert Vernon
Robert Vernon is a classical violist and teacher.Robert Vernon has served as the Principal Violist of the Cleveland Orchestra since 1976. Vernon occupies the endowed Chaillé H. and Richard B. Tullis Chair, and along with Franklin Cohen has served longer in a Principal position than any other...
, in 1982.
In 1980, he was awarded a Paul Fromm Fellowship from the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
to study at Tanglewood Music Center
Tanglewood Music Center
The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops designed to provide an intense training and networking experience...
. He was the principal violist of orchestras in Cleveland, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, and Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
In 1987 he became music director of the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland.The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code. John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney...
in Australia, a post that he held until 1993. Between 1990 and 2006, he served as the first Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music
Australian Festival of Chamber Music
The Australian Festival of Chamber Music is a ten-day international festival focused on chamber music but also featuring tours of regional and remote Australia, fine food, master classes for musicians and lecture series by international scientists themed on the Great Barrier Reef.20 to 30 chamber...
in Townsville; a Theodore Kuchar Scholarship for Excellence in Music was established there after his departure. He was also Music Director of the West Australian Ballet in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
until 1993.
In 1992 Kuchar was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, which changed its name to National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is one of the principle orchestras of Ukraine....
in 1994. In that year he became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra. After his contract with the Orchestra ended in 2000, he was awarded the title of Conductor Laureate for Life. Under Kuchar's direction, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine became the most frequently recorded orchestra of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, with over 60 compact discs under Naxos Records
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
and its Marco Polo label.
Between 1996 and 2006, he was music director and conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
Boulder philharmonic orchestra
The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1958, is a fully professional orchestra based in Boulder, Colorado. It is the successor to the Civic Symphony Orchestra, and it is directed by Michael Butterman...
. He founded the Sinfonia of Colorado, a chamber ensemble, in 1997; it was disbanded in 2002. He was also professor and director of orchestral studies at the College of Music of the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
between 1996 and 2001.
His current positions include:
- Music Director of the FresnoFresno, CaliforniaFresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
Philharmonic Orchestra, a position to which he was appointed in 2001. - Music Director of the RenoReno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
Chamber Orchestra since 2003. - Resident Conductor at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival since 2004.
- Artistic Director of the Nevada Chamber Music Festival since 2005.
- Chief Conductor of the Janáček Philharmonic OrchestraJanáček Philharmonic OrchestraThe Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra is a noted orchestra based in Ostrava in the northeast of the Czech Republic. It is named after the famous Czech composer Leoš Janáček. The orchestra was established in 1954 and has toured all across the world...
since 2005. - Artistic Director of the Venezuela Symphony OrchestraVenezuela Symphony orchestraThe Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela was founded by a group of 26 professional musicians met at the invitation of the maestro Vicente Emilio Sojo following the dissolution on January, 1929 of the Union Filarmónica Nacional.This meeting took place January 15, 1930 in the Caracas Musical Declamation...
since 2011.
Selected discography
- Borys Lyatoshynsky. Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3. Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos/Marco Polo, 1994. The Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
gave the record an award for "Best International Recording of the Year" in 1994. - Vasily KalinnikovVasily KalinnikovVasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov was a Russian composer of two symphonies, several additional orchestral works and numerous songs, all of them imbued with characteristics of folksong...
. Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995. - Sergei ProkofievSergei ProkofievSergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
. Symphonies Nos. 3Symphony No. 3 (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 3 in C minor in 1928.-Background:The music derives from Prokofiev's opera The Fiery Angel. This opera had been accepted for performance in the 1927-28 season at the Berlin State Opera by Bruno Walter, but this production never materialised; in fact, the...
and 7Symphony No. 7 (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op.131, was completed in 1952, the year before his death. It is his last symphony.-Background:...
. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995. - Sergei Prokofiev. Symphony No. 5Symphony No. 5 (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major in Soviet Russia in one month in the summer of 1944.-Background:Fourteen years had passed since Prokofiev's last symphony....
; The Year 1941 (Symphonic Suite)The Year 1941 (Prokofiev)-Background:Prokofiev, along with other composers, was evacuated to Caucasus when Germany started attacking the Soviet Union in 1941. It was under such circumstances that Prokofiev began work on this symphonic suite .-Movements:The whole suite lasts for around 15 minutes.#In the Struggle#In the...
. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995. - Sergei Prokofiev. Symphony No. 6, Op. 111Symphony No. 6 (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor in 1947.-Background:The symphony, written as an elegy of the tragedies of World War II, has often been regarded as the darker twin to the victorious Symphony No...
; Waltzes, Op. 110Waltz Suite (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev composed his Waltz Suite in 1946-7. The waltzes are extracted from 3 of his works: the opera War and Peace, the ballet Cinderella, and music to the film Lermontov.-Movements:The suite is composed of 6 waltzes:...
. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995. - Sergei Prokofiev. Symphonies No. 1 "Classical"Symphony No. 1 (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev began work on his Symphony No. 1 in D major in 1916, but wrote most of it in 1917, finishing work on September 10. It is written in loose imitation of the style of Haydn , and is widely known as the Classical Symphony, a name given to it by the composer...
; No. 2Symphony No. 2 (Prokofiev)Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 2 in D minor in Paris in 1924-5, during what he called "nine months of frenzied toil". He characterized this symphony as a work of "iron and steel".- Structure :...
; Dreams, Op. 6; Autumnal Sketch, Op. 8. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1996. - Benjamin LeesBenjamin LeesBenjamin Lees was a contemporary U.S. composer of Art music, born in Harbin, China, raised in San Francisco and lived in Palm Springs, California.-Early life:...
. Symphony No. 4 "Memorial Candles." Kimball Wheeler, mezzo-soprano; James Buswell, violin; National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1998. - Walter PistonWalter PistonWalter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
. Violin Concertos Nos. 1Violin Concerto No. 1 (Piston)Walter Piston's Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra was written in 1939 and dedicated to violinist Ruth Posselt. On the 18th of March 1940, Posselt, backed by the National Orchestral Association under Léon Barzin gave the first performance at Carnegie Hall.The work is in three...
and 2Violin Concerto No. 2 (Piston)Walter Piston's Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra was written between 1959 and 1960 on commission from the Ford Foundation and violinist Joseph Fuchs and dedicated to him...
; Fantasia for Violin and OrchestraFantasia for Violin and Orchestra (Piston)Walter Piston's Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra was commissioned in 1970 by Mario di Bonaventura, music director of the Hopkins Center Congregation of the Arts at Dartmouth College, who conducted the world premiere on March 11, 1973, performed by the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra with Salvatore...
. James Buswell, violin; National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1998. This was named a "Record of the Year" for 1999 by Gramophone in January 2000. - Sergei Prokofiev. Symphony No. 4, Op. 112Symphony No. 4 (Prokofiev)Symphony No. 4, Op. 47/112 is actually two works by Sergei Prokofiev. The first, Op. 47, was written in 1929 and premiered in 1930. The second, Op. 112, is a large-scale revision from 1947...
; The Prodigal Son (Suite). National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1999. - George AntheilGeorge AntheilGeorge Antheil was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author and inventor. A self-described "Bad Boy of Music", his modernist compositions amazed and appalled listeners in Europe and the US during the 1920s with their cacophonous celebration of mechanical devices.Returning permanently to...
. Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 6, McKonkey's Ferry. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2000. - Paul CrestonPaul CrestonPaul Creston was an Italian American composer of classical music.Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self‐taught as a composer. He was an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, initiated into the national honorary Alpha Alpha chapter...
. Symphonies Nos. 1-3. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2000. - Morton GouldMorton GouldMorton Gould was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and composition. His first composition was published at age six...
. American Ballads; Foster Gallery; American Salute. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2000. - Richard ToensingRichard ToensingRichard Toensing is an American composer and music educator. He studied composition at St. Olaf College and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1967...
. Flute Concertos; Of Angels and Shepherds. For the flute concertos: Leone Buyse, flute; National Symphony of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. CRI, 2001. - Roy HarrisRoy HarrisRoy Ellsworth Harris , was an American composer. He wrote much music on American subjects, becoming best known for his Symphony No...
. Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2002. - Modest MussorgskyModest MussorgskyModest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
. Pictures at an ExhibitionPictures at an ExhibitionPictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...
; Night on the Bare MountainNight on Bald MountainNight on Bald Mountain is a composition by Modest Mussorgsky that exists in, at least, two versions—a seldom performed 1867 version or a later and very popular "fantasy for orchestra" arranged by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, A Night on the Bare Mountain , based on the vocal score of the "Dream Vision...
. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2003. - George Whitefield ChadwickGeorge Whitefield ChadwickGeorge Whitefield Chadwick was an American composer. Along with Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what can be called the New England School of American composers of the late 19th century—the generation before Charles Ives...
. Symphony No. 2; Symphonic SketchesSymphonic SketchesSymphonic Sketches was composed by George Whitefield Chadwick from about 1895 to 1904. Each of the four movements is inspired by a scene depiction, much like snapshots in an album, drawings, or vignettes...
. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2005. - Bedřich SmetanaBedrich SmetanaBedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
. Má VlastMá vlastMá vlast is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. While it is often presented as a single work in six movements and – with the exception of Vltava– is almost always recorded that way, the six pieces were conceived as individual works...
; Complete Orchestral Works. Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Brilliant Classics, 2007.
External links
- Stevenson, Joseph. Biography at AllMusic.com
- Fantastique/Perlman/Wine Auction Interview with Theodore Kuchar (video), 14 April 2010