Kenneth Fuchs

Kenneth Fuchs (1956 - ) is an American composer, conductor, and educator. He is currently Professor of Composition at the University of Connecticut.

Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, chorus, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, he created three chamber musicals, "The Great Nebula in Orion, A Betrothal," and "Brontosaurus", which were originally presented by Circle Repertory Company in New York City. His music is regularly performed in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

The London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of JoAnn Falletta, has recorded two discs of Fuchs’s music. The first, released by Naxos Records in August 2005, was nominated for two Grammy Awards. The second disc, which features music for horn, was released by Naxos in January 2008. Following the release of this disc, "Musicweb International" stated in February 2008, “Fuchs's distinctive voice is evident from the outset, and his flair for orchestral colours and sheer lyricism shine through.”

The highly successful disc "Kenneth Fuchs: String Quartets 2, 3, 4" performed by the American String Quartet was released by Albany Records in 2001. Following the release of this disc, the American Record Guide stated quite simply, “String quartet recordings don’t get much better than this.”

Fuchs received his Bachelor of Music degree (1979) in composition from the University of Miami and his Master of Music (1983) and Doctor of Musical Arts (1988) degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City. His teachers included Milton Babbitt, David Diamond, Vincent Persichetti, David Del Tredici, Alfred Reed and Stanley Wolfe. The University of Miami Frost School of Music named him Distinguished Alumnus for the Year 2000.

Fuchs has also been deeply committed to arts administration. He served as Head of the Department of Music at the University of Connecticut from 2005 to 2008. Prior to this, he served as Director of the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma from 1998 to 2005. Previous administrative positions include Dean of Students and Academics at the Manhattan School of Music (1990-1998), Assistant Dean of the School of Music at the North Carolina School of the Arts (1988-1989), and Assistant to the Associate Dean at the Juilliard School (1985-1988). He is currently a member of the Commission on Accreditation for the National Association of Schools of Music.

Kenneth Fuchs has been extremely active as a composer since 1973. He has written for orchestra, band, chorus, jazz ensemble, and chamber ensembles. His music is published by E.B. Marks Music, Theodore Presser Company, and Yelton Rhodes Music.

In April 2008, Steve Schwartz wrote on the Moderated Classical Music List,"Kenneth Fuchs studied with, among others, Babbitt, Diamond, and Persichetti. In sound, the bustling Persichetti exercises the dominating influence, but Babbitt probably wields more in Fuchs’s habits of construction. Most immediately, the sound of Fuchs’s music grabs your attention in ways similar to Copland’s. Bright, lean sonorities — high strings, widely-spaced chords, big-shoulder brass, and so on — prevail. Yet, also like Copland, Fuchs has more to offer than orchestration — namely, real matter and argument. Fuchs builds almost all the scores here out of limited sets of intervals or even specific pitches.... It’s all tonal, even mainly diatonic, although not really minimalist, if you care. However, the means allow Fuchs to take an individual approach to tonality. Key-change means less than rhythmic and textural change. The piece takes shape as we hear the basic building blocks — like individual tiles in a mosaic — slipping into place."

Recordings of his music include:

* Canticle to the Sun (Concerto for French horn and orchestra); United Artists (for Orchestra); Quiet in the Land (Idyll for flute, clarinet, English horn, viola, and cello); Fire, Ice, and Summer Bronze (Idyll for Brass Quintet After Two Works on Paper by Helen Frankenthaler); and Autumn Rhythm (Idyll for Woodwind Quintet After a Painting by Jackson Pollock). London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloist Timothy Jones, principal horn of the LSO. (Naxos Records 8.559335), 2008.
* Out of the Dark (Suite for Chamber Orchestra After Three Paintings by Helen Frankenthaler); Eventide (Concerto for English Horn, Harp, Percussion, and String Orchestra); and An American Place (for Orchestra). London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloists Thomas Stacy, English horn, and Timothy Jones, principal French horn of the LSO. (Naxos Records 8.559224), 2005.

This recording was nominated for two 2005 Grammy Awards in the categories "Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra (Thomas Stacy, English horn, and JoAnn Falletta for "Eventide") and "Producer of the Year, Classical" (Michael Fine).

* String Quartets Nos. 2, 3 & 4, American String Quartet, Albany Records (Troy 480), 2001.
* Christina’ s World (Idyll for Winds, Brass, and Percussion), “Christina’ s World,” University of Miami Frost School of Music Wind Ensemble, Albany Records (Troy 403), 2000.
* Face of the Night (After a Painting by Robert Motherwell), "New York Legends: Recitals with Principals from the New York Philharmonic," Thomas Stacy, English horn, Cala Records (CACD0511), 1997.
* Immigrants Still (Poem by Richard Wilbur), "Songs of Liberation," CONCORA, 2006.
* In the Clearing (Eight Poems by Robert Frost), "In the Clearing," Coro Allegro (Boston), 1998.

External links

* [http://www.kennethfuchs.com/ Kenneth Fuchs] Website
* [http://www.albanyrecords.com/ Albany Records] Website
* [http://www.calarecords.com/ Cala Records] Website
* [http://www.ebmarks.com/ E.B. Marks Music] Website
* [http://www.naxos.com/ Naxos Records] Website
* [http://www.presser.com/ Theodore Presser Company] Website
* [http://www.yrmusic.com/ Yelton Rhodes Music] Website
* [http://www.vingdesign.com/ Chris von Rosenvinge] Website

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