Volodymyr Runchak 
composer and conductor

VOLODYMYR RUNCHAK, COMPOSER

(b. 1960 in Lutsk, Ukraine)

 

Ukrainian composer of orchestral, chamber and choral music. V. Runchak

studied accordion at the Music College of Lutsk from 1975 to 1979 and

graduated as accordionist, conductor and composer from the National

Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv in 1986. He is a member of the

National Composers Union of Ukraine, the National All-Ukraine Music

Union, EUROPE-EUROPE (Germany) Int’l Assoc. of Composers, and the

Ukrainian Chapter of ISCM.

 

Among his honors are:

First Prize in the All-Ukrainian Accordion Competition (1984)

First Prize in the International Composition Competition (Choral Works), Ukraine-USA, (1998)

Prize in the International Composition Competition (Choral Works), Germany, (1998)

Grand Prix in the International Composers Competition (Accordion Works), Poland (2003)

First Prize in the International Composition Competition (Saxophone Works), Thailand (2006)

Second Prize in the International Composition Competition (Trumpet Works), USA (2008)

Grand Prix in the International Composition Competition (Accordion Works), USA (2008)

High recognition for “Merit to Polish Culture” (2005)

 

V. Runchak’s music can be characterized as a combination of emotionality,
accurateness of form, depth and spirituality, humor – in essence aiming at newness
He is a very prolific composer - 4 symphonies, Requiem, 4 chamber symphonies,
concertos, non-concertos, countless chamber works, huge and complicated choral works,
solo instrumental and vocal works. His works have been performed by well-known artists,
ensembles and orchestras in almost all European and some Asian countries at numerous festivals
and concerts, and were published and recorded in Ukraine and abroad, at:

4’33” Musikverlag (Munich, Germany)

Edizioni Musicali, “Agenda” (Bologna, Italy)

New Consonant Music (Brussels, Belgium)

Astra (Lodz, Poland)

Kyiv Choir Library (Kyiv, Ukraine)

 

V. Runchak is the Artistic Director of the contemporary music series “New Music in Ukraine” which he founded in 1988. Supported by various foreign embassies, this series has been responsible for dozens of contemporary music concerts throughout Ukraine every year, some of them performed by the “New Music in Ukraine” chamber ensemble conducted by V. Runchak.

 

Concerts (composer, conductor) at International Festivals: “A-DEvantgarde,” “Darmstadter Ferien Kurse fur Neue Musik,” Brandenburgisches Colloquium fur Neue Musik,” “Young Euro Classic,” “18 Dresdner Tage der zeitgenossischen Musik,” “ Pfingstwerkstatt Neue Musik –Rheinsberg” (Germany); “Almeida” (England); “Muzicki Biennale Zagreb” (Croatia); “Sixth International Review of Composer” (Yugoslavia); “Avant-garde plus…VI Moscow Forum,” “Petro- Pavlo Assembles” (Russia); “ppIANISSIMO,” “Musica Nova” (Bulgaria); “Oggimusica” (Switzerland);“Semaien Europeene des Musiques d’Aujourd’hui,” “Trois Nuits d’Ete,” “Grand Festival d’Art Slave”(France); “Incontri Internationali con la Musica Contemporanea,” “Settimane Musicali Internationali,” “Musicattuale – Bologna,” “Trieste Contemporanea,” “Nuovi Spazi Musicali,”“ 3 Millennium Sonus Festival,” “Festival di Nova Consonanza” (Italy); “Saptamana Fest” (Romania); “IX Lubelskie Forum Sztuki Wspolczesnej,” “15 Dni Muzyki Kompozytorow Krakowskich” (Poland), “Shanghai Spring International Festival” (China), “The Days of New Music” (Moldova); “Maison de Schonberg Vienna” (Austria); “Antwerp International Festival of chamber music (Belgium)”; “IV World Saxophone Congress” (Slovenia), “Mata Festival” (USA), “Is Arty” (Lithuania); “Roaring Hooves- VI” (Mongolia); “Zilele Muzicu Contemporane” (Romania), “Dialogue of Cultures” (Azerbaijan); “Kyiv Music Fest,” “Contrasts,” “Two days and two nights of new music,” “Musical Premiers of Season,” “Baroque and Avant-garde,” “Music nova Sacra,” “Avant-garde, Classic, Jazz,” “Golden Kyiv Choir-Fest”and others.

 

“V. Runchak found his personal balance between the stylistic and technological limitations and the new freedom.

In his works one can hear the courage of the author’s expression which goes far beyond the limit of belonging to

any composer’s school.  Often, the avant-garde means are the only means for him.”

                                                                                                                                        -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung