Kenneth Daniel Fuchs (born July 1, 1956) is a Grammy Award-winning American composer. He currently serves as Professor of Music Composition at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

(Storrs).

Music

Kenneth Fuchs's fifth

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ab ...

recording with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

conducted by JoAnn Falletta won the 2018

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in the category Best Classical Compendium. The

Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

announced the accolade in the most coveted Classical category at the 61st annual awards ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, February 10, 2019. Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, voice, chorus, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

Lanford Wilson Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed." Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright ...

, he created three chamber musicals:''The Great Nebula in Orion, A Betrothal,'' and ''Brontosaurus'', which were originally presented by

Circle Repertory Company The Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by direc ...

in New York City. Fuchs's operatic monodrama ''Falling Man'' (text by

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as television, nuclear war, sports, the complexities of language, perf ...

, adapted by

J. D. McClatchy J. D. "Sandy" McClatchy (August 12, 1945 – April 10, 2018) was an American poet, opera librettist and literary critic. He was editor of the ''Yale Review'' and president of The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Life McClatchy was born ...

) was presented at the

National September 11 Memorial & Museum The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in New York City commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bomb ...

in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of 9/11. His music has achieved significant global recognition through performances, media exposure, and digital streaming and downloading throughout North and South America, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Australia. The

, under the baton of JoAnn Falletta, has recorded five albums of Fuchs's music for

American Classics. The first, released in August 2005, was nominated for two Grammy Awards ( Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) (Thomas Stacy, English horn, JoAnn Falletta, conductor) and

Producer of the Year The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non- classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

, Classical (Michael Fine)). The second album, which features music for horn, was released in January 2008. Following its release, MusicWeb-International stated, Fuchs's distinctive voice is evident from the outset, and his flair for orchestral colours and sheer lyricism shine through. The third album, recorded in August 2011 at London's historic Abbey Road Studios, was released in August 2012. Following its release, '' BBC Music Magazine'' stated, "Kenneth Fuchs writes tonal orchestral music of great imagination. He's a master of orchestral writing. On Naxos's third Fuchs recording, everything gets five-star treatment. The LSO under JoAnn Falletta sounds brilliant in a spacious Abbey Road recording. The album was included in the 2012

nominations for the category Producer of the Year, Classical (Tim Handley). The fourth album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 2013, featuring a program of vocal music based on texts by

, John Updike, and

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, was released in August 2014.

Gramophone Magazine ''Gramophone'' is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continued to edit the magazine until 1961. It was ac ...

featured the disc in its Awards Issue (October 2014), stating, "Fuchs claims his own expressive warmth and colour.... The performances are exemplary, from baritone Roderick Williams's commanding artistry to the bold, fresh playing of the London Symphony Orchestra under JoAnn Falletta's sensitive direction." The fifth album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 2017, featuring a program of concerti for piano, electric guitar, alto saxophone, and an orchestral song cycle for countertenor based on twelve poems of Judith G. Wolf, was released in August 2018. James Jolley, Editor-in-Chief of

stated, "The American composer Kenneth Fuchs now has quite a sizeable discography of his music on Naxos, invariably played by the LSO who have played a major role in inspiring him to write for the orchestra with impressive authority and imagination." The album won the 2018

Award in the category Best Classical Compendium ( JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer), announced by the

at the 61st annual awards ceremony in Los Angeles, February 10, 2019. Fuchs's seventh album for Naxos, released in August 2020, includes seven works for symphonic winds recorded by the

United States Coast Guard Band The United States Coast Guard Band is the premier band representing the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Established in 1925, the Coast Guard Band is stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, ...

. The album debuted at #9 on the Amazon Hot 100 Classical Releases and remained in the Top 20 for four consecutive weeks, an unprecedented achievement for an album of wind band music. Fuchs's album of chamber music was released by Naxos in April 2013 and includes ''Falling Canons'' (

Christopher O'Riley Christopher O'Riley is an American classical pianist and public radio show host. He was the host of the weekly National Public Radio program '' From the Top''. O'Riley is also known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative. Early life ...

, piano), ''Falling Trio'' (Trio21), and ''String Quartet No. 5 "American"'' (Delray String Quartet). The album received outstanding reviews in print and in online sources, including

Fanfare Magazine ''Fanfare'' is an American bimonthly magazine devoted to reviewing recorded music in all playback formats. It mainly covers classical music, but since inception, has also featured a jazz column in every issue. History and profile ''Fanfare'' wa ...

, and MusicWeb-International. Fuchs's recent orchestral commissions include ''Piano Concerto 'Spiritualist' (After Three Paintings by Helen Frankenthaler'', ''Poems of Life (After Twelve Poems by Judith G. Wolf for Countertenor, violoncello, and Orchestra)'', ''Glacier (Concerto for Electric Guitar)'', ''Bass Trombone Concerto'' (scored for both orchestra and band), and ''Rush (Concerto for Alto Saxophone'' (scored for both orchestra and band). In 2013, the

Wheeling Symphony Orchestra The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is a regional orchestra based in Wheeling, West Virginia. Since its founding in 1929, the orchestra has performed at the historic Capitol Music Hall. Temporary Relocation In May 2007, the "Capitol" closed its door ...

invited Fuchs to compose a fanfare-overture, ''Forever Free'', to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the State of West Virginia. Fuchs created a version of the work for band, which was performed by ensembles throughout the State to celebrate the occasion. In 2012, the United States Air Force Band of Flight ( Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio) commissioned Fuchs's celebration fanfare for brass and percussion ''From the Field to the Sky''. The work, dedicated to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, was premiered under the baton of Lieutenant Daniel W. Boothe on November 3, 2012. In 2008, the United States Air Force Academy Band (

Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...

) commissioned Fuchs's work for band ''United Artists''. Following performances on tour throughout the U.S., the band recorded the work under the baton of Colonel Larry H. Lang for inclusion on the disc ''Windscapes'', which was released in December 2009. The work was simultaneously published and released by the Hal Leonard Corporation, the world's largest music print publisher. Since its release the work has been played by high school and college bands throughout the United States and in China. Subsequently, Hal Leonard published two other works scored for band, ''Discover the Wild'' and ''Forever Free''. The Adrian Symphony Orchestra in Michigan appointed Fuchs as composer in residence for the 2009–10 seasons. In collaboration with music director John Thomas Dodson, the residency included world premiere performances of five works. The residency concluded with the premiere of ''Divinum Mysterium'' (concerto for viola and orchestra) on April 10, 2010. The concerto was composed especially for London Symphony Orchestra principal Paul Silverthorne, who performed the premiere in Adrian. Silverthorne recorded the work with the LSO for Fuchs's third Naxos disc on August 19, 2011.

Marin Alsop Marin Alsop ( �mɛər.ɪn ˈæːl.sɑːp born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor, the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate ...

selected Fuchs as one of ten composers in residence for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in August 2007. Alsop conducted the world premiere of the original orchestral version of Fuchs's work ''United Artists'', following which critic Jason Victor Serinus wrote in the

American Record Guide The ''American Record Guide'' (''ARG'') is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935. History and profile The magazine was founded by Peter Hugh Reed in May 1935 as the ''American Music Lover''. It chang ...

, "the work's dramatic, resounding chords and gloriously ringing flourishes constitute a modern fanfare of sorts." The highly successful album ''Kenneth Fuchs: String Quartets 2, 3, 4'' performed by the American String Quartet was released by

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. See also * List of record labe ...

in 2001. Following the release of this disc, the

stated quite simply, "String quartet recordings don't get much better than this." Fuchs received his Bachelor of Music degree (1979) in

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

where he graduated Omicron Delta Kappa. He earned a Master of Music (1983) and Doctor of Musical Arts (1988) degrees from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. His teachers included Milton Babbitt, David Diamond,

Vincent Persichetti Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, he was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own wo ...

David Del Tredici David Walter Del Tredici (born March 16, 1937) is an American composer. He has won a Pulitzer Prize for Music and is a former Guggenheim and Woodrow Wilson fellow. Del Tredici is considered a pioneer of the Neo-Romantic movement. He has also be ...

Alfred Reed Alfred Reed (January 25, 1921 – September 17, 2005) was an American neoclassical composer, with more than two hundred published works for concert band, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble to his name. He also traveled extensively as a ...

and Stanley Wolfe. The University of Miami Frost School of Music named him Distinguished Alumnus for the Year 2000. The University of Miami Band of the Hour Association inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2008.

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

, the national music fraternity, named Fuchs a Signature Sinfonian in 2009. The designation "recognizes alumni members who have achieved a high standard of accomplishment in their field or profession, thereby bringing honor to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity." Fuchs has also been deeply committed to arts administration. He served as Head of the Department of Music at the

from 2005 to 2008. Prior to this, he served as Director of the School of Music at the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

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 The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

(1988–1989), and Assistant to the Associate Dean at the

(1985–1988). Fuchs served as a member of the Commission on Accreditation for the

National Association of Schools of Music The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Reston ...

(2003–2009), evaluating music curricula at collegiate institutions throughout the United States. He served as an on-site evaluator to such institutions as the Cleveland Institute of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Arizona State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Washington. Kenneth Fuchs has composed scores for orchestra, band, solo instruments, voice, chorus, standard and mixed chamber ensembles, and musical theater. His music is published by Bill Holub Music, Edward B. Marks Music Company (an imprint of Round Hill Music) represented by Keiser Southern Music,

Hal Leonard Corporation Hal Leonard LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Curre ...

Theodore Presser Company The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuing music pub ...

, and Yelton Rhodes Music. Kenneth Fuchs Fuchs has been awarded artist residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts (New Smyrna Beach, Florida); The Hermitage (Manisota Key, Florida); The MacDowell Colony (Peterborough, New Hampshire); The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico (Taos); and Yaddo (Saratoga Springs, New York). His professional memberships include ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers); American Composers Forum; College Music Society; Dramatists Guild; National Association of Schools of Music, and The Recording Academy. 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."

Discography

Recordings of Fuchs's music include: * Point of Tranquility (Seven Works for Symphonic Winds).

conducted by Adam Williamson. ( Naxos Records 8.573567), 2020. * Piano Concerto ''Spiritualist'' (After Three Paintings by Helen Frankenthaler); Poems of Life (Twelve Poems by Judith G. Wolf for Countertenor and Orchestra); Glacier (Concerto for Electric Guitar and Orchestra); Rush (Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra).

conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloists D.J. Sparr, electric guitar; Jeffrey Biegel, piano; Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor; and Timothy McAllister, saxophone. ( Naxos Records 8.559824), 2018. WINNER of the 2018

in the category Best Classical Compendium ( JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer). * Orion Nocturne, including “Orion Nocturne,” completed 2005; Johanna Cox Pennington, oboe, Albany Records (Troy 1737), 2018. * New Music for Violin and Piano, including “Duo for Violin and Piano,” 2013, Julie Rosenfeld, violin, Albany Records (Troy 1717), 2018. * Falling Man (for Baritone Voice and Orchestra, text by

, adapted by

); Movie House (Seven Poems by John Updike for Baritone Voice and Chamber Ensemble); Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Four Poems by

for Baritone Voice and Chamber Ensemble).

conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloist Roderick Williams, baritone. ( Naxos Records 8.559753), 2014. * String Quartet No. 5 ("American"; Falling Canons (Seven Canons for Piano); Falling Trio (for Piano, Violin, and Violoncello). Christopher O'Riley, piano; Trio21 (Jeffrey Biegel, Kinga Augustyn, Robert DeMaine); Delray String Quartet (Mei Mei Luo, Tomas Cotick, Richard Fleischman, Claudio Jaffé). ( Naxos Records 8.559733), 2013. * Atlantic Riband (for Orchestra); American Rhapsody (Romance for Violin and Orchestra); Concerto Grosso (for String Quartet and String Orchestra); Discover the Wild (for Orchestra); and Divinum Mysterium (Concerto for Viola and Orchestra).

conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloists Michael Ludwig, violin, and Paul Silverthorne, principal viola of the LSO. ( Naxos Records 8.559723), 2012. Nominated for a 2012

in the category Producer of the Year, Classical (Tim Handley). * Evensong (for Horn and Guitar), “Horn Constellation: Jacek Muzyk,” JoAnn Falletta, guitar; Summit Records (DCD-563), 2011. * United Artists (Fanfare-Overture for Winds, Brass, and Percussion), "Windscapes", United States Air Force Academy Band, 2009. * 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 Helen Frankenthaler (December 12, 1928 – December 27, 2011) was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades (early 1950s u ...

); and Autumn Rhythm (Idyll for Woodwind Quintet After a Painting by

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloist Timothy Jones, principal horn of the LSO. ( Naxos Records 8.559335), 2008. * On Silver Wings (Fanfare-Overture for Winds, Brass, and Percussion), "On Silver Wings", United States Air Force Band of Liberty, 2006. * Immigrants Still (Poem by

Richard Wilbur Richard Purdy Wilbur (March 1, 1921 – October 14, 2017) was an American poet and literary translator. One of the foremost poets of his generation, Wilbur's work, composed primarily in traditional forms, was marked by its wit, charm, and gentle ...

), "Songs of Liberation", CONCORA, 2006. * An American Place (for Orchestra); Eventide (Concerto for English Horn, Harp, Percussion, and String Orchestra); Out of the Dark (Suite for Chamber Orchestra After Three Paintings by

conducted by JoAnn Falletta with soloists Thomas Stacy, English horn, and Timothy Jones, principal French horn of the LSO. ( Naxos Records 8.559224), 2005. Nominated for two 2006 Grammy Awards in the categories Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (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 After a Painting by

Andrew Wyeth Andrew Newell Wyeth ( ; July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) was an American visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century. In his ...

), "Christina's World", University of Miami Frost School of Music Wind Ensemble, Albany Records (Troy 403), 2000. * In the Clearing (Eight Poems by Robert Frost), "In the Clearing", Coro Allegro (Boston), 1998. * Face of the Night (After a Painting by

Robert Motherwell Robert Motherwell (January 24, 1915 – July 16, 1991) was an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, and editor of ''The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology''. He was one of the youngest of the New York School, which also inc ...

), "New York Legends: Recitals with Principals from the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

," Thomas Stacy, English horn, Cala Records (CACD0511), 1997.

Private life

Kenneth Fuchs resides in Mansfield Center, Connecticut. His life

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

since 1980 is graphic designer Chris von Rosenvinge. They were married in Connecticut on April 28, 2009, the first day of their thirtieth year as a couple.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuchs, Kenneth 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers American male conductors (music) 1956 births Living people American LGBT musicians University of Connecticut faculty University of Miami Frost School of Music alumni Juilliard School alumni University of Oklahoma faculty Manhattan School of Music faculty North Carolina School of the Arts faculty Juilliard School faculty Pupils of Vincent Persichetti 21st-century classical composers 21st-century American composers 20th-century American composers Naxos Records artists 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians