Theodore Kuchar

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

Theodore Kuchar
Теодор Кухар
Born	(1963-05-31) May 31, 1963 (age 62) New York City, New York, United States
Occupation(s)	Conductor, 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], where from 2005 to 2018 he was artistic director of the Nevada Chamber Music Festival.^[18][19]

His current positions include:

• Principal Conductor of the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine since 2022.^[20]
• Resident Conductor at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival since 2004.^[21]
• Chief Conductor of the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra from 2005 to 2012.^[22]
• Artistic Director of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra since 2011.^[23]
• Professor of Orchestral Conducting at Houghton University since 2022.^[24]

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]
• 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][25]
• 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.

Notes

1. Ukrainian: Теодор Кухар, romanized: Teodor Kukhar