About Walfrid Kujala

"Reed" all about it! Learn about Wally's musical life in this special presentation. Take a trip through time as Wally recounts his early days growing up, playing with the Huntington Symphony and more. Read Growing Up Musically (Page will open in new browser window) A Special Video Presentation. On Sunday, November 11, 2001, Wally's friends, family and colleagues gathered to honor him and his years of service with the CSO. A special concert was held at the event, arranged and conducted by Wally's son, Steve Kujala. This performance of Steve's composition "Piccolo Pops" was videotaped, and we are proud to present it here online. Play Video - "Piccolo Pops" Requires latest Quicktime Player. Click here to download Quicktime Player.   Walfrid Kujala joined the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner in 1954 as assistant principal flute, and in 1958 became principal piccolo. He was also principal flute of the Grant Park Symphony from 1955 to 1960. In 1962 he was appointed to the Northwestern University faculty as professor of flute. He had previously been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic from 1948 to 1954, and taught at the Eastman School of Music where he had received his BM and MM degrees and studied flute with Joseph Mariano. His previous teacher had been Parker Taylor. He has been a soloist with the Chicago Symphony under Sir Georg Solti, Fritz Reiner, Antonio Janigro and Seiji Ozawa, and has also appeared as soloist at the Stratford and Victoria Festivals in Canada. As a birthday present, his students and colleagues commissioned a flute concerto for him from Gunther Schuller in 1985, and the premiere was given by Mr. Kujala and the Chicago Symphony, conducted by Sir Georg Solti, in October, 1988. He has also performed the same concerto with the Spokane Symphony under the composer's direction at the Sand Point Festival in Idaho, and with the Rochester Philharmonic conducted by Robert Spano. In 1990 he gave the American premiere of the flute concerto by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara at the National Flute Association convention in Minneapolis. Mr. Kujala is a past president of the NFA and was a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He is the author of a textbook, The Flutist's Progress, and his most recent book, The Flutist's Vade Mecum of Scales, Arpeggios, Trills and Fingering Technique, was a 1996 winner of the Newly Published Music Competition of the NFA. He is a contributing editor for Flute Talk, and was a visiting professor of flute at the Sherherd School of Music at Rice University from 1995 to 1997. He retired from the Chicago Symphony in 2001, but still continues to teach at Northwestern University.   222 Main St. #504 Evanston, Illinois 60202 Phone: (847) 869-2998 * FAX: (847) 869-2933 E-mail:ProgPress@cs.com ©2008 by Progress Press