Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey
Concert pianist and composer, Professor
of Piano, choral conductor, chamber performer, clinician, conductor of piano
Master classes and workshops, collaborative pianist, founder and developer of
the Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey International Piano Competition.
“Saturday evening's performance
was so powerful and emotional that it actually moved some audience members to
tears. That's not surprising. After all, this same music once had monarchs and
czars reaching for their handkerchiefs. Even though there were no crowned heads
in Saturday evening's audience, Ms Knezkova-Hussey gave a performance fit for a
king”.
Daily Gleaner,
"What an extraordinary musician, with purely technical delights and
a stunning master of color".
"... rare sensitivity ... an authentic interpreter of the ideas of
the great creators."
Childhood and
Education
Born into a family of talented musicians, artists and writers within her
own geneology, Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey earned the attention of the musical world
from a very young age. She grew up living and breathing music into her heart
and soul, beginning her extensive musical education with violin studies when
she was only three and performed at her first public recital still under the
age of five. At seven she began taking piano lessons. Identified as a
prodigious child she lead all her classes at the elite Lvov Central Music
School, Ukraine, which she attended, completing eleven years of instruction in
only nine years, continuing her studies in piano at the prestigious Music
College of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Russia. Then she enrolled at
the famed Tchaikovsky Conservatory in
Continuing on from her
Ludmila’s international musical travels earned her acclaimed recognition
resulting in scholarships from the Czech Musical Foundation which allowed
further post-graduate studies during 1986 and 1987 in
Performance
Career and Concert tours
Besides her position as principal soloist of the West Bohemian Symphony
Orchestra and the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra in the
Ludmila’s celebrated performances took place in numerous countries such
as: the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Latvia, Mexico, Turkey,
Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, France, Hungary,
the Netherlands, Poland, the Ukraine, Switzerland, Spain, Romania, Australia,
Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia,
Liechtenstein, Mustique, Slovenia, Tajikstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Yugoslavia, Mexico, Georgia and
countless others. These performance tours have been presented at major concert
halls, prestigious universities and for notable concert organizations
worldwide.
In addition to many performances with chamber groups, Ludmila has
appeared as guest artist with numerous distinguished symphony orchestras
including L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (Canada), L’Orchestre de la Garde
Républicaine” from Paris (France), the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the
Marienbad Symphony Orchestra (Czech
Republic), the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), the WKO Symphony
Orchestra from Vienna (Austria), the Knox-Galesburg Symphony Orchestra, the
Johnson City Symphony Orchestra (USA), the Jenaer Philharmonie, the Deutsches
Kammerorchester Frankfurt am Main (Germany), the Orchestra de Camera
dell'Anglicum (Italy), the Budapest Chamber Orchestra (Hungary), the Latvian
Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra (Latvia), the Symphony Orchestra
of the National Philharmonic of Moldova
(Moldova), the Orquesta Nacional de Espana (Spain), the Polish Radio National
Symphony Orchestra (Poland), the Bucharest Chamber Orchestra (Romania), the Moscow
Symphony Orchestra (Russia ), the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (Slovak
Republic), the Swedish National Orchestra (Sweden), the (Crimea) State Symphony
orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Albania among many others.
Television
Appearances
Ludmila’s long artistic association with the media has facilitated
reaching even wider audiences through such distinguished channels as the Czech Television
Network, the Ukranian Television Network and “live recorded concerts” with the
Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey, by the Turkish National
Radio and Television Networks in addition to having been recorded in concert on two occasions in
Mexico. Subsequent major Canadian and American media exposure resulted from her
television debut performance of her own composition, the double concerto,
entitled "Tabula Rasa" (Erase the Slate) with
Radio
Appearances
Many of Ludmila’s
performances (including those of her original compositions) have been recorded
and broadcast over the airwaves of numerous radio stations, including various
major networks in
Professional
Teaching Experience
In addition to her orchestral accomplishments, Ludmila is an experienced
and respected teacher of music. She was a Professor at many European
Universities serving on the faculties of the Plzen Conservatory of Music, the
In Ludmila’s own words, she expresses: “I believe in passing on to my
students the work ethic of the great composers and artists of the past, which
has become my motto, a lifelong dedication to excellence, through hard work,
continuous growth, development and innovation. The best method of teaching is
to lead by example. When I teach, I try to impart to my students my own
philosophy of striving for the very best that I am capable of producing. I also
believe that it is necessary for students of music to be thoroughly familiar
with all styles and periods including as many culturally diverse forms of music
as possible. My own education in music has enveloped me in the worlds of so
many musicians and composers of all periods, countries and cultures. I must
share these experiences with my students while fostering their own creativity,
responsibility and a sense of purpose within, for without the latter two, the
first would have no outlet. My ultimate goal is to instil musicians with
excitement about the work they do and to do it to the best of their
abilities.”
Among Ludmila’s versatile interests are vocal accompaniment, directing
choirs and pedagogical piano composition. She often composes original works in
order for her students to work out their pianistical problems (similar to the
famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach’s collaboration with his students).
Ludmila’s interests of research in piano pedagogy include mainly the areas of
curriculum design, method evaluation, creative teaching strategies, lesson
planning, group piano teaching technique, and creation of the unique touch and
sound. She has collaborated with many
vocalists and instrumentalists.
In 1993 Ludmila established the Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey International
Piano Competition, which has attracted many gifted and talented pianists from
all over the world. This competition takes place in
Honours, Prizes, Awards and Special
Recognition
Numerous prestigious
accolades and awards have been bestowed upon her. Among them are an Honorary Doctorate from the University of
New Brunswick, Canada and she has been selected by the prestigious Maclean's Newsmagazine for the issue
entitled "The Brain Gain".
This issue highlighted 50 people who chose to make
Ludmila’s
Original Compositions and Commissioned Works
Beyond her excellence as a virtuoso concert pianist, Ludmila has been compared to such
illustrious composer-pianist predecessors as Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninoff, carrying on the link
to the great Masters of Classical Music through her works in the grand style of
the great Romantic Composers and Musicians. Her compositions range in duration from lengthy works such
as a grand opera-ballet of nearly 3 hours to an amazing 35 second miniature
fugue. She has been commissioned by various orchestras and organizations for
original works. Ludmila masters the most complex creations for full-sized
symphony orchestra and mixed choirs, but she also delights children and adults
alike with the most charming and funny shorter pieces. One of these is titled
“Plip Plop Drip Drop” inspired by an annoying dripping water fixture at
Ludmila’s home. Beyond his vast serious repertoire, the late musical giant Glenn
Gould also liked to diversify by composing and performing shorter, somewhat
light-hearted works such as “So You Want To Write A Fugue?” and did possess the
gift of “a talent to amuse”, to borrow a phrase from the late Noel Coward. Mr.
Gould also liked modern sound and film technology and was constantly
experimenting with it, leaving behind a rich legacy of audio-video gems to
broaden our understanding of his genius. Ludmila, like Gould, always injects
considerable “learnedness” into her compositions. Her works have been created
to celebrate ancient histories and civilizations, to express her personal quest
for world peace and a greater awareness of the hunger and suffering of billions
of people. She has composed romantic, mournful, meditative, scenic portraits
reflecting the wide range of her emotions towards everything she sees, hears
and feels. The volume of her work is continually increasing with the passage of
time. Beyond that, she too has been fascinated with audio-video recording and
is continually developing this interest. An avid reader of the great authors
and a lover of the masterpieces of painting, sculpture and architecture, she
also continues to write in the multiple languages she speaks and is a fine
painter of considerable talent.
As an active composer and
improviser, her masterworks included the 2004 Grand Opera-ballet “Traversees”.
Premiered as the first Opera documenting the Acadian history in the New World,
with music composed and scored by Ludmila, and a Libretto written by Acadian writer/dramatist,
New Brunswick’s Lieutenant Governor Hérménegilde Chiasson, it featured
“L’Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine”, from Paris, France.
Reaching coast-to-coast television audiences, the 90-minute Dreamsmith
Entertainment documentary “Flying on the
Moon – The Ludmila Story” was a state-of-the-art presentation initially
filmed and aired nationwide on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Opening
Night” series on
Ludmila’s
Collaboration with Composers
She has worked with
many notable composers of the 20th Century. Among them are:
Jan Hanus (1915-2004) * Jozef Palenicek (1914-2001) * Lubos Fiser( 1935-1999) *
Petr Eben (1929) * Ilja Hurnik (1922) * Jiri Pauer(1919) *
Jan Radzynski (1950),
Edison Denisov,
Vasilij Lobanov (1949)
Richard Gibson and
many others in
* from the
PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC
AFFILIATIONS
§
American Federation of Musicians Active Member
§
AFM (American Federation
of Musicians for the United States and Canada)
§ Association of Canadian Women Composers Active Member
§
Czech
Musicians Associations Active Member
§
§
§
SOCAN
(Society of Music Creators &
Publishers) Active Member
§
§
Opera New
§
§
Juno
Awards Association
§
East Cost
Music Award Member
§
§
Association acadienne des artistes professionuel du Nouveau-Brunswick
§
Glinka
Society,
§
Dvorak
Society,
“Ludmila is a
dazzling pianist with rare gifts that often bring audiences to a state of exhilaration.
Her gregarious personality and great sense of humour cross over the threshold
proscenium of the stage and leap into the audience. On less formal occasions,
her concerts will include delightful chatting about her life experiences and
she connects with her audience on an intimate level that makes her music a
personal and enchanting experience for everyone. The result is pure magic!!!
Standing ovations, the clapping of thousands of sore hands and roaring shouts
of “Bravo!!!” conclude every performance. She modestly expresses her
appreciation and leaves the concert hall.” –