Kucharzyk, Henry

Henry Kucharzyk

Biography

Born: 1955

Country: Toronto, Canada

Studies: University of Toronto

Teachers: John Beckwith, John Weinzweig

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Canadian composer of stage, orchestral, chamber, piano, and electroacoustic works that have been performed and recorded in North America; he is also active as a conductor, keyboardist, pianist, and producer.

Mr. Kucharzyk began his formal training as a composer at the University of Toronto with John Beckwith and John Weinzweig. He then received his Master’s degree from the Yale School of Music, where Earle Brown, Jacob Druckman and Morton Subotnick were among his teachers, and also pursued studies in computer music at Stanford University with John Chowning and Leland Smith.

Commissions have come from the CBC, the Esprit Orchestra, the Evergreen Club Gamelan, les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Nexus, Piano Circus (UK), Studio GRAME (France), the Toronto Dance Theatre, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, among others.

His works have been performed throughout Canada and also internationally, including performances at the Athens Festival, the Bourges Festival, the Huddersfield Festival, Musiques en Scène (Lyon), New Music America, and Wien Modern. As a conductor, he has led orchestral performances of his own works at EXPO ‘86, the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Place des Arts (Montréal), and the Wolftrap Festival.

He has had a long association with Arraymusic, first as Artistic Director for five years and now as its conductor. He also performs on keyboard and theremin in PHH!K, his electroacoustic duo with Peter Hannan and has released 27 CDs on Artifact, the label which he created in 1985.

Works for Percussion

Beating - Multiple Percussion; With Tape
Phase Variations - Percussion Quartet
Song in Five Colors - Percussion Quartet
Third Generation - Percussion Octet
Transit - Multiple Percussion
Walk the Line - Multiple Percussion; Strings