John Kuchmy

Kuchmy, John

John Kuchmy. Violinist, pianist, b Winnipeg 28 June 1912, naturalized UK 1973, d New Malden, Surrey, Eng, 20 Dec 1988. John Kuchmy studied violin under John Waterhouse and piano with Leonard Heaton in Manitoba. After winning the 1929 gold medal of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music at age 16, he studied on scholarship at the Royal College of Music from 1931, with Isolde Menges (violin) and Herbert Fryer and Mabel Lander (piano). Kuchmy then made the UK his home, and became co-principal violin and deputy concertmaster (leader) of the Markova-Dolin Ballet orchestra. In 1938 he joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham, also performing regularly with them for the Glyndebourne Opera. Kuchmy briefly served with the RAF in 1939 before rejoining the London Philharmonic, and was featured with that organization in the film Battle for Music. Kuchmy also played, on a freelance basis, with both the BBC Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He was married to Canadian pianist Cornelia Gayowsky Kuchmy. He retired from the London Philharmonic in 1985.

John Kuchmy also occasionally performed as a pianist. He played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 several times in the UK with the London Philharmonic. He also performed Variations for Piano on an Ukrainian Folksong, written for him by Sir Malcolm Arnold, at Wigmore Hall in 1949.