Theodore Kuchar

Theodore Kuchar (born May 31, 1963) is an American and Ukrainian conductor of classical music and a violist.

Biography

Kuchar was born in 1963 in New York City.[1][2][3] He started to learn to play the violin at ten years of age, later switching to viola.[4] He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where his viola instructor was Robert Vernon, in 1982.[5][6]

In 1980, he was awarded a Paul Fromm Fellowship from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to study at Tanglewood Music Center.[5][7] He was the principal violist of orchestras in Cleveland, Helsinki, and Cape Town.[1][4][8]

In 1987 he became music director of the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra in Australia,[7] a post that he held until 1993.[3] 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.[1][9][10][11] He was also music director of the West Australian Ballet in Perth until 1993.[6]

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.[1] In that year he became artistic director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra.[5][12] After his contract with the Orchestra ended in 2000, he was awarded the title of Conductor Laureate for Life.[1][5] Under Kuchar's direction, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine became the most frequently recorded orchestra of the former Soviet Union,[5][12] with over 60 compact discs under Naxos Records and its Marco Polo label.[6] Theodore Kuchar's complete discography is numbered over 100 with over 90 records under Naxos Records.[13]

Between 1996 and 2006, he was music director and conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.[5][14] He founded the Sinfonia of Colorado, a chamber ensemble, in 1997; it was disbanded in 2002.[15] 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.[1][4] From 2002 to 2016 he was music director and conductor of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra.[16] From 2003 to 2018 he was music director and conductor of the Reno Chamber Orchestra.[17]

His current positions include:

Selected discography

  • Borys Lyatoshynsky. Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3. Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos/Marco Polo, 1994. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation gave the record an award for "Best International Recording of the Year" in 1994.[6][12]
  • Vasily Kalinnikov. Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995.
  • Sergei Prokofiev. Symphonies Nos. 3 and 7. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995.
  • Sergei Prokofiev. Symphony No. 5; The Year 1941 (Symphonic Suite). National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995.
  • Sergei Prokofiev. Symphony No. 6, Op. 111; Waltzes, Op. 110. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1995.
  • Sergei Prokofiev. Symphonies No. 1 "Classical"; No. 2; Dreams, Op. 6; Autumnal Sketch, Op. 8. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1996.
  • Benjamin Lees. Symphony No. 4 "Memorial Candles." Kimball Wheeler, mezzo-soprano; James Buswell, violin; National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1998.
  • Walter Piston. Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2; Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra. 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.[6][23]
  • Sergei Prokofiev. Symphony No. 4, Op. 112; The Prodigal Son (Suite). National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1999.
  • George Antheil. Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 6, McKonkey's Ferry. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2000.
  • Paul Creston. Symphonies Nos. 1–3. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2000.
  • Morton Gould. American Ballads; Foster Gallery; American Salute. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2000.
  • Richard Toensing. Flute Concertos; Of Angels and Shepherds. For the flute concertos: Leone Buyse, flute; National Symphony of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. CRI, 2001.
  • Roy Harris. Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2002.
  • Modest Mussorgsky. Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2003.
  • George Whitefield Chadwick. Symphony No. 2; Symphonic Sketches. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 2005.
  • Dmitri Shostakovich. Jazz & Ballet Suites • Film Music . National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Brilliant Classics, 2005.
  • Bedřich Smetana. Má Vlast; Complete Orchestral Works. Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Brilliant Classics, 2007.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Great Prokofievans: Theodore Kuchar. Archived 2011-01-05 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 1 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Smindak, Helen. Holiday Happenings in the Big Apple. The Ukrainian Weekly, 2 January 1994, page 8. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  3. 1 2 Bradley, Jeff. Kuchar Planning an Ambitious Year at Boulder Phil. Denver Post, 1 September 1997.
  4. 1 2 3 Witcher, T.R. An Unharmonious Ending. PeakArts Founder Karen Romeo May Be a Victim of the Boulder Arts Community's Haughty Ego. Westword (Denver, Colorado), 22 June 2000. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kent/Blossom Music, Kent State University. Biography of Kent/Blossom Music Conductor, Theodore Kuchar. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Price Rubin & Partners. Theodore Kuchar - Conductor. Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 7 August 2011.
  7. 1 2 Duckett, Richard. Peripatetic conductor: Globe-Trotting Kuchar Brings the Czech Symphony Orchestra to Worcester. Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 25 January 2009. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  8. ↑ Makes Good in Capetown. The Ukrainian Weekly, 10 April 1983, page 11. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  9. ↑ 2010 Theodore Kuchar Scholarship. Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine High Notes (Australian Festival of Chamber Music newsletter), Summer 2011. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  10. ↑ Townsville City Council. Theodore Kuchar Scholarship for Excellence in Music. Archived 2011-08-30 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 1 August 2011.
  11. ↑ Scholarship Opportunity for Young Orchestral Musicians. Magnetic Times (Magnetic Island), 4 July 2008. Accessed 1 August 2011.Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 3 National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. History of Orchestra. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "Theodore Kuchar- Bio, Albums, Pictures – Naxos Classical Music".
  14. ↑ Kuchar to Leave Boulder Post. Archived 2012-07-24 at archive.today Denver Musicians Association, 23 Nov 2004. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  15. ↑ Boulder Philharmonic Timeline. Daily Camera (Boulder, Colorado), 5 October 2007. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  16. ↑ Munro, Donald. Complexities, discord revealed as Kuchar leaves Fresno Philharmonic The Fresno Bee, 22 May 2016. Accessed 11 April 2018.
  17. ↑ Kuchar Named Music Director of Reno Chamber Orchestra. The Ukrainian Weekly, 18 May 2003. Accessed 7 August 2011.
  18. ↑ Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine website accessed 28 February 2023.
  19. ↑ Kent/Blossom Music, Kent State University. Theodore Kuchar - Resident Conductor. Archived 2010-07-03 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 1 August 2011.
  20. ↑ Reno Chamber Orchestra. Theodore Kuchar. Archived 2011-06-17 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 7 August 2011.
  21. ↑ Munro, Donald. Fresno Phil's Kuchar Adds Another Post to his Portfolio. Archived 2011-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Fresno Bee, 2 February 2011. Accessed 1 August 2011.
  22. ↑ Theodore Kuchar, Professor of Orchestral Conducting Archived 2022-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 30 September 2022.
  23. ↑ Critic's Choice: Ivan March. Gramophone, January 2000, page 44. Accessed 1 August 2011.
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