Henry Alexander Kucharzyk, Canadian composer, musician, radio host, record producer, teacher and conductor, passed away quietly on January 28 after living with Parkinson’s Disease for more than three decades. He was the best friend and husband of Susan Cash and the doting father of Alexandra (Asza) Wood Kucharzyk. He leaves behind a large family of in-laws, nieces and nephews, god- children, steadfast friends, relatives in Poland and Ohio and scores of musicians who have lost one of their keenest, most talented collaborators. They will all miss his empathy, his peacefulness and the magnificent sense of humour he held onto even in the hardest of times.

Henry began performing publicly while still in high school. By 1973, in early works like
“Woody’s Club” and “Bottom’s Up”, written for his band Toulouse, it was already clear he was a formidable talent. He then began his formal training as a composer at the University of Toronto with
John Beckwith and John Weinzweig and continued on to a master’s degree in composition at Yale University, where Earle Brown, Jacob Druckman and Morton Subotonick were among his teachers.

Returning to Toronto, he quickly gained a reputation as “one of Canadian music’s explorers.” The more than fifty works in his catalogue reflect his interests in digital and analog music, spatialized sound, choreography, and unconventional instrumental forces. From 1982-1988, Henry was the artistic director of Arraymusic, Canada’s premier new music ensemble, with whom he toured Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Greece. His commissions included works for the Toronto Symphony, Nexus, Esprit Orchestra, Evergreen Club, New Music Concerts, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. His three-act-electronic opera “Personal History” was produced by the Banff Centre and featured on a live national broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Outside of the new music scene, Henry arranged songs for the band Cowboy Junkies. His music has been used for dances on YouTube [https://youtu.be/l9LzLGrDFNY] and for short films. His recording company, Artifact Music, released more than 40 discs of new Canadian music. Some of his most compelling works, such as PHHK!, were late-career performances and recordings with Vancouver’s Peter Hannan that saw the creation of futuristic pop featuring non-tactile controllers.

His long association with modern dance led him to create “choreographed” musical works in which movement and sound are inextricably linked. He worked with leading choreographers Carol Anderson, Peggy Baker, Paul Andre Fortier, Christopher House, James Kudelka, Yvonne Ng, Karen Rimmer, Tedd Robinson, Holly Small and Doug Varone. His 2022 work on the dance film ‘Sweet Sorrow” was the final chapter in his decades-long partnership with his wife Susan Cash, a poignant punctuation in their collaborative relationship in life, love and art. In 2023 the film won an honourable mention for its music in the Bare Bones Music & Documentary Festival.

Henry will be forever missed by in-laws Rick Cash, Vickie Fagan, Martin Cash, Susan Brasher, Tricia Cash, Andrew Cash, Michelle Shook, Peter Cash, Tammy Cash, Barbara Jo Cook and Dave Cook; by nieces and nephews Damien, Madi, Emma, Sameer, Charlie, Lucy, Bella, Daniel, Taylor, Megan, Samantha, Jesse and Austin; by extended family Sandy Pandya, Lyne Wagner, Thi Ly, Stephen Ranger, Anne Madigan, Stephen Madigan, Mary Madigan Lee, Bob, Frankie and Sean Megna; by relatives in Ohio and Poland, Krzysztof, Wojciech, Jola, Maria and Kate Kucharzyk, Henry Emily and Dave Janklow, Leszek Buk and by a cadre of friends whom he held close for more than fifty years, Paul McGrath, Claude Morrison, Rick Sacks, Barbara Smyth and Hanna Podkowa.

Please join us in honoring the life of Henry Kucharzyk at The Cameron House 408 Queen St., W, Toronto on February 9 from 3-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Henry’s name to the Brain Donation Program, Movement Disorders Centre Research Fund through the UHN Foundation at foundation@uhn.ca

All of Henry Kucharzyk’s music scores are available through the Canadian Music Centre https://cmccanada.org