Tomas Svoboda

Full biography Tomas Svoboda

Tomas Svoboda was a Czech-American composer who was born on December 7, 1939, in Jaroměř, Czechoslovakia. He passed away on November 16, 2022, at the age of 82. Svoboda was a prolific composer who created works in a wide variety of genres, including chamber music, orchestral works, and piano music. He started playing the piano at a young age and began composing at the age of 10.

Svoboda studied music composition at the Prague Conservatory and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. After he completed his studies, he worked as a music teacher and composer in Czechoslovakia. In 1967, he immigrated to the United States, where he worked as a professor of music at Portland State University in Oregon from 1969 until his retirement in 2006.

Throughout his career, Svoboda received numerous awards and commissions for his work. He was the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation/Meet The Composer Award , among many others. He also wrote works for a variety of prominent musicians, including renowned clarinetist David Shifrin, who premiered his Clarinet Concerto in 2008.

Svoboda's music is known for its modernist language, incorporating elements of atonality and dissonance. However, he also incorporated traditional elements of classical music, such as formal structures and balance. His music has been performed by many notable orchestras and ensembles around the world.

In addition to his work as a composer, Svoboda was known for his dedication to his students and his passion for teaching music. He was deeply involved in the Portland music community and worked tirelessly to promote classical music in the region.

Svoboda's passing is a great loss for the classical music world, but his contributions to the field will not be forgotten. His legacy lives on through his music and the numerous students he inspired over the course of his career.