Kenneth Fuchs

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 in Storrs.

Kenneth Fuchs is the first living American composer recorded by the Sinfonia of London and its conductor, John Wilson (conductor).

In July 2023, Chandos Records released Cloud Slant, Orchestral Works, Volume 1, which includes two works for full orchestra, a composition for strings, and a concerto for C and alto flute, performed by Adam Walker (flautist).

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, 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.

In 2008, the United States Air Force Academy Band (Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado) 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.

Fuchs's operatic monodrama Falling Man (text by Don DeLillo, adapted by J. D. McClatchy) was presented at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum 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 London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of JoAnn Falletta, has recorded five albums of Fuchs's music for Naxos American Classics.

The third album, recorded in August 2011 at London's 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."

This album was included in the 2012 Grammy Award nominations for the category Producer of the Year, Classical (Tim Handley).

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.

The fourth album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 2013, featuring a program of vocal music based on texts by Don DeLillo, John Updike, and William Blake, was released in August 2014.

Fuchs's album of chamber music was released by Naxos in April 2013 and includes Falling Canons (Christopher O'Riley, 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, Gramophone Magazine, 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 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.

Gramophone Magazine 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 Gramophone Magazine 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."

Fuchs recorded for Naxos five albums with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta, the last of which won the 2018 Grammy Award in the category Best Classical Compendium.

The Recording Academy announced the accolade in the 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, he created three chamber musicals:The Great Nebula in Orion, A Betrothal, and Brontosaurus, which were originally presented by Circle Repertory Company in New York City.

The album won the 2018 Grammy Award Award in the category Best Classical Compendium (JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer), announced by the Recording Academy 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 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.