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Kucharzyk, Henry (b. 1953, Toronto).
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.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: henrykis@rogers.com
Street address: Mr. Henry Kucharzyk, 925
Longfellow Ave., Mississauga, ON L5H 2X9, Canada
Telephone: 905 274 5057
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE: Personal History (3 act stage work, text
by Patrick Kennedy, slides by Robert Mulder), actor, 8 dancers, mixed chorus,
clarinet (+ bass clarinet), double bass (+ bass guitar), piano/synthesizer,
theremin, percussion, tape, live electronics, 1983-85 (all three acts, Popular Science, 1983; Pushing Buttons, 1984; Generation, 1985, may be performed
separately); Venus Ascending (dance
music, choreography by Karen Jamieson), MIDI-keyboard (+ digital sampler), 1995
(also shortened concert version for 2 players)
ORCHESTRAL: Walk the Line, percussion, string
orchestra, 1982; Chromatics, small
orchestra, 1986; Collisions, 1986; Figure in a Landscape, violin,
orchestra, 1991; Noli me tangere,
1991; Prosthetic, Part 1 (concerto), any
MIDI-controller, orchestra, 1995; Satu
suara, gamelan orchestra, 1996; Some
Assembly Required, wind orchestra, 1998; Prosthetic, Part 3 (concerto),
any MIDI-controller, large orchestra, 1998; Overture
(after Monteverdi), spatial
orchestra, 2000; Entrance (after Satie), 2000; Music for an Atrium, small orchestra (8 winds, 6 brass), 2000; Companion Work to ‘Overture’, 2000; Corral (for Michael
J. Baker), violin, brass band,
2000
CHAMBER MUSIC: Lacroceande, violin, piano, 1975; Eyemusic, oboe, piano, 2 percussion,
1977; Phase Variations, 2 marimbas, 2
percussion, 1977, revised 1979; Soledad,
cello, 1978; The Walls (Have Ears), flute, trombone, viola,
cello, percussion, 1978; The Whole, the Parts, drone ad libitum, flute/alto
flute, bassoon/trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, 1979; One for the Underdog, tenor saxophone,
trumpet, double bass, piano, drumkit, 1981; Co-opposition, amplified ensemble (alto
saxophone, trumpet, viola, cello, double bass, piano [+ electronic organ], 2
percussion), 1982; Impulse, guitar,
1983; Seventh Wind, accordion, 1983,
revised 1985; Quartet: for Missing Persons, clarinet, cello,
piano/organ/synthesizer, percussion, 1984 (also expanded as Quintet: for Missing Persons, clarinet, viola, double bass, synthesizer,
percussion, 1985); Off the Floor,
trumpet, 2 synthesizers, 2 percussion, 1987; Second Generation, sampler, gamelan ensemble, 1987; Attactics, 4 saxophones, 2 synthesizers,
2 percussion, 1988; Us and Them, bass
clarinet, trumpet (with signal processing), bass guitar (+ double bass), MIDI-keyboard,
2 percussion, 1990; Song in Five Colours,
4 percussion, 1990; All Thumbs, bass
clarinet (+ clarinet), trumpet, double bass, piano, 2 percussion, 1991 (version
of work for piano); Rose, baroque
flute, harpsichord, 1992 (also versions for flute, piano, 1992; recorder [with
processing], synthesizer, 1992); Third
Generation, 8 percussion, 1992; Amnesia,
flute (+ alto flute), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), violin, viola, cello, piano,
percussion, 1993; Chrome Chaser,
clarinet (+ bass clarinet), 3 saxophones, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, electric
guitar, violin, cello, double bass, piano, drumkit, percussion, 1993; Gemini Variations, 2 MIDI-controllers,
1993 (collaboration with Peter Hannan); heard,
keyboard, percussion, any 4 players, 1994; Room,
clarinet, trumpet, violin, double bass, 2 percussion, 1994; Nomad, string quartet, 1996; Music of Veena, veena, mrdanga, ensemble
(clarinet, cello, piano), 1996; Prosthetic, Part 2, MIDI-wind controller, digital
sampler (with harmonizer), 1997; Venus,
2 MIDI-controllers (both + digital sampler), 1997 (shortened concert version of
dance music); Dexter Sinister, theremin
(+ sampler), lightning (+ sampler), 1999; Intervals
1-4, clarinet, trumpet, violin,
double bass, piano, 2 percussion, 1999 (part of collage Chemin de Ronde; collaboration with Michael J. Baker,
Linda C. Smith, composers from
Studio GRAME); Flock, spatial ensemble (clarinet,
trumpet, violin, double bass, piano, 2 percussion), 2001
CHORAL: Mis-o-nay-ism,
mixed chorus, percussion, 1979-81; supercoolrainbowspecial,
children’s chorus, piano, 2002
VOCAL: A Letter to Walt (text by Walt Whitman),
soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, prepared piano, percussion (all
except piano + voice), 1980; Aquapella,
3 female voices, tape, water, 1992; Terror
and Erebus (oratorio, text by Gwendolyn MacEwen), baritone, flute, 2
clarinets, French horn, 5 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, double bass, harp,
keyboard, percussion, 1997
PIANO: Seven Ways, 2 pianos, 1990; All Thumbs, 1991 (also version for
ensemble); Valsø, 1993; Also Heard, 6 pianos, 1998
ELECTROACOUSTIC: Yes, tape, 1979; Play Dot Sam, computer, 1981; Targeting,
4-track tape, 1981; Imagination (Yes), trombone, tape, 1982; Non coupable, prepared piano, tape,
1983; Art of Mix, 8-track tape, 1985;
Beating, percussion (+ synthesizers,
sampler), tape, 1986; Hybrid Intersection,
live electronics, 1997 (collaboration with Peter Hannan); Music for Fireworks, live electronics, 1998 (collaboration with
Peter Hannan)
(Last updated on September 16, 2002)
