Komorous, Rudolf

Rudolf Komorous

Biography

Born: December 08, 1931

Country: Czech

Studies: Academy of Musical Arts, Prague

Teachers: Pavel Borkovec

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Czech-born Canadian composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed very successfully across Europe and North America.

Mr. Komorous studied bassoon (with Karel Pivonka) at the Prague Conservatory of Music from 1946-52, and then studied both bassoon (with Pivonka) and composition with Pavel Borkovec at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague from 1952-59.

He was first bassoonist in the Prague Opera Orchestra from 1952-59 and 1961-68. In 1957, he won first prize at the Concours International d’Exécution Musicale in Geneva and from 1959-61, he taught bassoon and chamber music at the Central Conservatory in Beijing.

Upon his return to Czechoslovakia, he was co-founder (and bassoonist from 1961-68) of Musica Viva Pragensis, an ensemble that specialized in the performance of new music. Mr. Komorous immigrated to Canada in 1969 and lectured as Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1970-71. He then moved to Victoria and began teaching at the University of Victoria in 1971, where he became Professor of Composition and Theory and later became Director of the School of Music. From 1989-94, he served as Director of the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.

Arraymusic, the Esprit Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Orchestra, New Music Concerts, the SWF-Sinfonieorchester, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Vancouver New Music Ensemble, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, among others, have performed his works.

In addition, soloists such as pianists Cornelius Cardew, Eve Egoyan and Frederic Rzewski, guitarist Norbert Kraft and baroque flautist Elissa Poole have played his music, which has also been conducted by Michael J. Baker, Ernest Bour, George Corwin, Alex Pauk, Jac van Steen, Simon Streatfeild, and Owen Underhill.

Works for Percussion

Olympia - Percussion Duo