Choirmaster Pavel Kuhn dies aged 64

The Czech music scene has lost a remarkable personality. Pavel Kuhn, the founder and long-time conductor of the Kuhn Mixed Choir, died last Sunday at the age of 64. During four decades as choirmaster, Pavel Kuhn recorded more than 30 albums and film soundtracks and his choirs performed successfully around the world under the batons of a number of world-renowned conductors.

Choirmaster Pavel Kuhn dies aged 64

Pavel Kuhn, photo: CTK

Pavel Kuhn started his musical career as a young boy in a children's choir led by his parents. During his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts he brought together a women's chamber ensemble which later became the core of the Kuhn Mixed Choir. Its first performance dates back to 1958 and Pavel Kuhn soon turned the new ensemble into a choir of an exceptionally high standard. Its qualities have been acknowledged in the course of the choir's almost 45-year existence by the concert-going public and music critics not only in the Czech Republic, but in a series of European countries where the choir made regular guest appearances.

The exceptionally wide repertoire of the choir embraces a cappella compositions from the Renaissance right up to contemporary music. Works of the Romantic period have a special place in the repertoire and the Kuhn Mixed Choir is considered a pioneer in the presentation of a cappella performances of world Romanticism to Czech concert halls and recording studios.

The ensemble closely cooperated with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and also performed with the Czech Philharmonic, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and other Czech and foreign orchestras. The choir has also made many appearances at the Prague Spring International Music Festival.

Pavel Kuhn did not confine his activities solely to classical music. Since the 1960s his choir cooperated with a number of jazz and pop-music orchestras and Pavel Kuhn himself recorded the singing part on one album by Czech jazz flautist Jiri Stivin.

Pavel Kuhn also received a number of honours for his work, most recently in 2000 when he obtained the European Gustav Mahler Award, presented by the European Union of Arts.