Theodore Kuchar[a] (born May 31, 1963) is an American and Ukrainian conductor of classical music and a violist.
Quick Facts Born, Occupation(s) ...
Theodore Kuchar |
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| Born | (1963-05-31) May 31, 1963 (age 61)
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| Occupation(s) | Conductor, violist |
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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:
- 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]
- Sergei Prokofiev. Cinderella Suites Nos. 1-3, Scythian Suite "On the Dnieper". Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra; Theodore Kuchar, conductor. Naxos, 1994.
- 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][24]
- 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.
Bradley, Jeff. Kuchar Planning an Ambitious Year at Boulder Phil. Denver Post, 1 September 1997.
Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine website accessed 28 February 2023.
