Flutists and Principal piccolo in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954-) has Professor of Flute in Northwestern University's School of Music since 1962. He has also been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic, and former principal flutist of the Grant Park Symphony, as well as a former President of the National Flute Association. Born in Warren, OH, Kujala performed in the Huntington, WV symphony, while attending high school (he also studied with the principal flutist). Kujala then continued at Rochester's Eastman School of Music, where he received a bachelors and masters degree. He joined the Eastman faculty, and played in the Rochester Philharmonic, before becoming the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's assistant principal flute in 1954 under Fritz Reiner (in 1957, he switched to piccolo). >From 1955-1960, Kujala was also principal flute of the Grant Park Symphony.
In honor of his 60th birthday, Kujala's students and friends commissioned a flute concerto from composer Gunther Schuller -- Kujala performed the premiere with the Chicago Symphony (under the leadership of Sir Georg Solti), in October 1988.
Kujala's father, a bassoonist, steered his son to the flute, to -- as he puts it -- "save" him from reedmaking. Kujala's children are also musical -- Steve is also a flutist, a studio musician and composer in Los Angeles who has been nominated for a Grammy Award for a jazz recording. Daniel is a freelance cellist in Philidelphia. Daughter Gwen, ostensibly a lawyer with Chicago firm Kirkland and Ellis, plays the violin in a number of chamber groups. His wife Sherry, also a flutist, has an MBA from NU's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Got a correction? Click
Here
Pages linking to this one include:
