Alfred Leopold Kunz (26 May 1929 – 16 January 2019) was a German-Canadian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

, and

arts administrator Arts administration (alternatively arts management) is a field in the arts sector that facilitates programming within cultural organizations. Arts administrators are responsible for facilitating the day-to-day operations of the organization as we ...

from New Hamburg, Ontario.

Early life

Kunzwas born in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, and grew up in this rural area."Storied piano free to good home: must love music and tradition"
''Guelph Mercury'', Aug 17, 2014 by Valerie Hill. He later moved with his family to Kitchener where he took private music lessons. He studied at

Toronto Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edwar ...

as well as privately in composition and conducting in Toronto from 1949 to 1955. In 1965 he completed the state examinations in choral conducting at the Musikhochschule Mainz and was assistant conductor of the opera of the

Staatstheater Mainz The Staatstheater Mainz (Mainz State Theatre) is a theatre in Mainz, Germany, which is owned and operated by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated on the Gutenbergplatz, the complex comprises two theatres which are connected by an undergrou ...

Career

Kunz began teaching music in

Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...

, in 1955. In 1959, he founded the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Orchestra and Choir. He worked at several factory jobs before being hired as director of music at the University of Waterloo, a position he held for fifteen years. In 1965, Kunz became the founding conductor of the Concordia Club Choir, and continued in this position until 2013."Choral conductor and composer Alfred Kunz dies at 89".
''Waterloo Region Record'', Jan 16, 2019 He directed the Waterloo Regional Police Male Chorus from 1973 to 1984. In 1985 he founded the Millennium Choir, and served as its director until 2015.
by Helen Hall, ''Kitchener Citizen'', November 5, 2015 Throughout his career Kunz composed hundreds of musical works, many for unaccompanied choir.Nick Strimple.
Choral Music in the Twentieth Century
'. Amadeus Press; 1 November 2005. . p. 202. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

on June 14, 2001. Kunz resided in New Hamburg near

Baden, Ontario Baden ( ) is a suburban community and unincorporated place in Wilmot, Ontario, Township of Wilmot, Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It was named after Baden-Baden, Germany; the approximate population as of 2015, ...

; he continued to organize community choral activities until his health deteriorated in 2017. He died on January 16, 2019, following a heart illness. His papers have been archived at the Waterloo University library."Alfred Kunz fons"
Waterloo University.

References

External links

Official Website of Alfred Kunz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunz, Alfred 1929 births 2019 deaths Canadian arts administrators Male conductors (music) Canadian male composers Canadian people of German descent Musicians from Saskatchewan People from Neudorf, Saskatchewan Musicians from Kitchener, Ontario 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian conductors (music) People from Wilmot, Ontario