In his position as the associate conductor for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Bradley Thachuk is responsible for conducting subscription concerts, Pops concerts, all education and outreach concerts, and the Fort Wayne Ballet, in addition to being music director for the Fort Wayne Youth Symphony. He previously held the position of interim music director for the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in Canada. Thachuk served as conducting assistant for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras in 2000–01 and has a continued association with these orchestras as a part-time cover conductor.
Thachuk has conducted orchestras and opera in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, the United States and Canada. He made his European debut conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic in the Czech Republic. His professional debut in Canada took place at the Orchestra Canada convention when he was selected for the Young Conductor’s Showcase, leading the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. From 2000–02 he was the Opera Conductor for Miami University (Ohio), and from 1995–98 he held the position of music director for the Brampton Symphony Orchestra in Ontario. Recent engagements have included his Estonian debut with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and debuts with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, the Parnu City Orchestra (Estonia), the Oregon East Symphony and the Richmond Symphony, where the Richmond Times-Dispatch described his interpretations as “sweepingly expressive”. Most recently, in September 2007, Thachuk was asked to step in last minute and rehearse the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for their opening concert of the season due to the delayed arrival of music director, David Robertson. Last season he returned to the Oregon East Symphony for performances of La Bohème in conjunction with Portland Opera Works.
In 2005, Thachuk was selected from an international field by legendary violinist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and world-renowned conducting teacher Jorma Panula, to make his debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada as part of a young conductor showcase concert. Other recent awards include being named the 2000 recipient of the David Effron Conducting Fellowship at the Chautauqua Festival in New York.
A conductor with varied interests, Thachuk has been involved in numerous projects. An advocate of contemporary music he has led many world premieres and U.S. premieres of works by composers including John Estacio, Ronald Royer, Doug Opel, Arcangel Castillo Olivari and Robert Baker, in addition to being co-founder and conductor of the contemporary music group, the Cygnus Ensemble in Canada. As an active opera conductor, he made his U.S. operatic debut in 1997 conducting Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. The same year he made his European operatic debut, conducting Don Giovanni at the Teatro del Giglio in Lucca, Italy, where he held the position of staff conductor for two years with the Opera Theatre of Lucca. He has also toured as the conductor for the Australian rock group Air Supply and conducted the soundtrack for the film The Eternal Husband.
Bradley Thachuk received his masters degree and began doctoral studies in conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Born in Toronto, he began his musical studies at the age of 5 on the classical guitar. Following further studies in guitar, french horn and piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Thachuk received a bachelor of music performance in guitar from the University of Toronto. |
