Tomáš Svoboda (December 6, 1939 – November 17, 2022) was a French-born Czech-American contemporary classical composer and pianist, whose debut took place in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

on September 7, 1957, with the world premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (''Of Nature'') with the FOK Prague Symphony conducted by Václav Smetáček. Svoboda's catalog contains over 200 compositions, including six symphonies and five concerti. His music is performed worldwide and recordings of more than 50 works have now been released. Svoboda's Piano Trios CD recording received a 2001 "Critics Choice Award" from 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 chan ...

and his Marimba Concerto received recognition in a 2003

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for the

Oregon Symphony The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the "Portland Symphony Society" in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. It ...

Biography

Svoboda was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. A Professor Emeritus from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

, Svoboda composed his first music at age nine. He was a professor at PSU for 27 years. There have been over 1,200 performances of his music. Svoboda died in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

on November 17, 2022, at the age of 82. He had suffered a major stroke in 2012.

Works

Selected recordings

* ''Children's Treasure Box, Vols. 1-4, for Piano''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 026), Recording by Tomas Svoboda. * ''Chamber Works, Vol. 1, With Clarinet''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 016), Recording by members of Oregon Festival of American Music & Tomas Svoboda. * ''Four Visions, Music for 1, 2 & 3 Pianos''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 013), Recording by Daniel Wiesner, David Svec & Tomas Svoboda. * ''Nine Etudes in Fugue Style, Vols. 1 & 2, for Piano''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 015), Recording by Tomas Svoboda. * '' Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda'',

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. In May 2024, Albany Records wa ...

: Troy 604, Recording by the Oregon Symphony. * ''Piano Concertos''
Artisie 4 Recordings
(1006), Recording by the Dayton Philharmonic. * ''Piano Trios''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 008), Recording by Lubomír Havlák, Jitka Vasankova & Tomáš Svoboda. * ''Piano Works, Vol. 1, for Piano''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 006), Recording by Tomáš Svoboda. * ''String Quartets, Vols.1 and 2''
North Pacific Music
(NPM LD 022), Recording by the Martinů Quartet.

References

External links

Tomas Svoboda Official Website

Oregon Public Broadcasting, Oregon Art Beat episode of Thursday April 6, 2006 featured Mr. Svoboda and his wife, Jana.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Svoboda, Tomas 1939 births 2022 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Czech male musicians 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century Czech male musicians Concert band composers Czech classical composers Czech classical pianists Czech male classical composers Czech music educators Male classical pianists Musicians from Paris