Virko Baley
Encyclopedia
Virko Baley is a renowned Ukrainian
-American
composer
, conductor
, and pianist
. He was born in Radekhiv
, Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (in what is now the country of Ukraine), the only child of Petro (Peter) and Lydia Baley. Before he had celebrated his first birthday, Hitler's
army had invaded Poland
and World War II
had begun. The war defined Baley's early years, and gave him a very different view of life and the world than children born in the United States during those same years. His father was interred at the concentration camp in Auschwitz following the German invasion. Baley, his mother, uncles, aunts and grandmother were relocated to Slovakia
. The family was reunited on a farm in Germany near the end of the war to work as farm laborers, after which they relocated to Munich. From 1947 to 1949, the Baleys lived in a Displaced Persons camp in Regensburg
, Germany
.
Baley began formal music training in Germany and later studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory (currently the California Institute of the Arts).
Baley is a Distinguished Professor of music composition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
.
Baley is the former conductor of the Nevada Symphony Orchestra, and is the current guest conductor of the Kiev Camerata in Ukraine. He also co-directs N.E.O.N.
, Nevada Encounters of New Music and often collaborates with the New Juilliard Ensemble in New York. Baley composed the score to the 1991 Ukrainian film Swan Lake, The Zone.
In Spring 2007, Baley was commissioned by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University to finish his opera, Hunger, about famine.
As a producer, and through his record label TNC, Virko Baley has released a series of CDs containing rare recordings of Ukrainian pianist Sviatoslav Richter
and of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the latter earning him a Grammy Award
.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
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...
, and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. He was born in Radekhiv
Radekhiv
Radekhiv is a city in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine. It is administrative center of the Radekhiv Raion. Population is 9,230 .Ed Stelmach, the current premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, is descended from immigrants who arrived in Canada from Radekhiv....
, Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (in what is now the country of Ukraine), the only child of Petro (Peter) and Lydia Baley. Before he had celebrated his first birthday, Hitler's
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
army had invaded Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had begun. The war defined Baley's early years, and gave him a very different view of life and the world than children born in the United States during those same years. His father was interred at the concentration camp in Auschwitz following the German invasion. Baley, his mother, uncles, aunts and grandmother were relocated to Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. The family was reunited on a farm in Germany near the end of the war to work as farm laborers, after which they relocated to Munich. From 1947 to 1949, the Baleys lived in a Displaced Persons camp in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Baley began formal music training in Germany and later studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory (currently the California Institute of the Arts).
Baley is a Distinguished Professor of music composition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
.
Baley is the former conductor of the Nevada Symphony Orchestra, and is the current guest conductor of the Kiev Camerata in Ukraine. He also co-directs N.E.O.N.
N.E.O.N.
N.E.O.N. is the acronym for Nevada Encounters of New Music, a symposium and festival of contemporary music taking place yearly at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Directed by UNLV faculty composers Virko Baley and Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, N.E.O.N. began in 2007. The objective of this...
, Nevada Encounters of New Music and often collaborates with the New Juilliard Ensemble in New York. Baley composed the score to the 1991 Ukrainian film Swan Lake, The Zone.
In Spring 2007, Baley was commissioned by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University to finish his opera, Hunger, about famine.
As a producer, and through his record label TNC, Virko Baley has released a series of CDs containing rare recordings of Ukrainian pianist Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
and of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the latter earning him a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
Partial discography
- Jurassic Bird (Cambria CD-1077)
- Orpheus Singing (Cambria CD-1087)
- Dreamtime (Cambria CD-1090)
Partial list of works
- Hunger Opera in one act (1985; 1995–97; 2004- )
- Persona III (Luisa Triana) for flute and castanets (2008)
- Emily Dickinson Songbooks (2001–2008)
- Symphony No. 2: "Red Earth" for an orchestra of soloists (2004)
- Et lux perpetua... (rest in peace) (2004)
- Dreamtime Suite No. 4 for chamber orchestra (1999–2000)
- Persona II (Boris Lyatoshynsky) for clarinet solo (1999–2000)
- A Journey After Loves: A song-cycle for baritone and piano (1999)
- Symphony No. 1: Sacred Monuments (1985; 1997–1999)
- Klytemnestra, a dramatic scene (1997–98)
- Persona I for oboe solo (1997)
- Treny I - IV for 2 celli & soprano (1996–99; rev. 2002)