FUCHS, KENNETH  

In January 2008, Naxos released its second disc of music by Kenneth Fuchs, five compositions recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of JoAnn Falletta. The soloists on this disc hold principal positions in the orchestra. The works include: United Artists (for orchestra), Canticle to the Sun (concerto for French horn and orchestra, written for Timothy Jones, principal hornist of the LSO), Autumn Rhythm (Idyll for Woodwind Quintet After a Painting by Jackson Pollock), Fire, Ice, and Summer Bronze (Idyll for Brass Quintet After Two Works on Paper by Helen Frankenthaler), and Quiet in the Land (Idyll for Mixed Quintet).

In September 2003, the LSO, under the baton of JoAnn Falletta, featuring soloist Thomas Stacy, English hornist of the New York Philharmonic, recorded three of Fuchs’s orchestral works. The works include An American Place (for orchestra); Eventide (concerto for English horn, harp, percussion, and string orchestra)”; and Out of the Dark (suite for chamber orchestra). Naxos, in August 2005, released the disc on the American Classics label to positive acclaim. The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences honored the disc with two 2005 Grammy Award nominations in the categories “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra” (Thomas Stacy and JoAnn Falletta) and “Classical Producer of the Year” (Michael Fine).

In October 2001, Albany Records released the highly successful compact disc recording “Kenneth Fuchs: String Quartets 2, 3, 4,” performed by the American String Quartet. Following the release of this disc, a review in the July 2002 edition of the American Record Guide stated quite simply, “String quartet recordings don’t get much better than this.” Kenneth Fuchs has received numerous awards and honors for his compositions from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the American Bandmasters Association, and Meet The Composer.

Fuchs also has been resident at noted artist retreats including the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. He has written for orchestra, band, chorus, jazz ensemble, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, Fuchs created three chamber musicals, The Great Nebula in Orion, A Betrothal, and Brontosaurus, which Circle Repertory Company presented in New York City. His music is performed in the United States, Europe, and Japan, and it has been recorded by the American String Quartet, London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic Ensembles.

Kenneth Fuchs serves as Professor of Composition at the University of Connecticut. He received his bachelor of music degree in composition from the University of Miami (cum laude) and his master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees in composition from the Juilliard School. Dr. Fuchs’s composition teachers include Milton Babbitt, David Del Tredici, David Diamond, Vincent Persichetti, and Alfred Reed. His music is published by E.B. Marks Music Company, Theodore Presser Company, and Yelton Rhodes Music and has been recorded by Albany, Cala, and Naxos Records.

For more information about the music of Kenneth Fuchs, please visit the following sites: www.kennethfuchs.com, www.albanyrecords.com, www.calarecords.com, www.ebmarks.com, www.presser.com, www.yrmusic.com.

Review of Kenneth Fuchs’ music from Horn Call, the magazine of the International Horn Society, May 2009.

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