Vadym Borysovych Hnedash (21 July 1931, Moscow, USSR - 15 May 2021, Chernivtsi, Ukraine) was an outstanding Soviet and Ukrainian conductor, a prominent representative of the Kyiv conducting school. Honoured Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1960), Honoured Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1973), People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1978). Long-time conductor of the Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Associate Professor (1978), Professor (1986) of the Department of Opera and Symphony Conducting at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine.
He studied at the Zhytomyr Music College named after V. Kosenko from 1946 to 1950 (violin class with Z. Reutzwald, conducting class with V. Dubrovsky) and at the Tchaikovsky Kyiv State Conservatory, conducting class (1950-1955) in the class of Professor, Honoured Artist of the Ukrainian SSR O. Klimov.
Since 1955 he has been conductor of the Opera Studio of the Kyiv State Conservatory. From 1956-1961, he was the conductor of the Donetsk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; he performed with prominent musicians of that time: E.Hillels, L.Oborin, D.Shafran, B.Goldstein, L.Kogan and many others.
From 1961-1989 he was the chief conductor of the Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
V.B. Hnedash trained a whole galaxy of conductors who occupy leading positions in the musical culture of Ukraine. Among them:
People's Artists of Ukraine: S. Lytvynenko, V. Zdorenko, V. Redia, V. Samofalov, A. Kulbaba;
Honoured Artists of Ukraine: S. Leonov, Y. Franz, V. Zubytskyi, V. Runchak, D. Morozov, S. Didok;
Honoured Artists of Ukraine: V. Agafonov, V. Skakun;
Conductors: V. Varakuta, V. Perevoznikov, I. Smetanin, A. Surzhenko, V. Deinega, I. Kazhdan, V. Vrublevsky and others.
Over the years of his work in the Symphony Orchestra of the Ukrainian Radio, Vadym Hnedash recorded more than a thousand pieces of Ukrainian and world classics for the Ukrainian Radio Foundation, and recorded music for 380 films. In fact, the symphony orchestra under his leadership became a creative laboratory, as it opened up a whole galaxy of young Ukrainian composers. The orchestra promoted and recorded not only works by composers of the Kyiv school, but also from Lviv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Simferopol, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Belarus, Russia and other former Soviet republics. All the famous violinists, pianists, and vocalists of the USSR collaborated with the Ukrainian Radio Orchestra and immortalised their recordings under the direction of Vadym Hnedash.
In concert programmes for many seasons, he promoted the works of Ukrainian composers: L. Kolodub, Zh. Kolodub, Y. Stankovych, L. Dychko, I. Karabyts and many others. Under his leadership, symphonic works by L. Revutsky and B. Lyatoshynsky were recorded, which are part of the golden fund of Ukrainian classical music.
In collaboration with many singers (B. Hmyrya, M. Hryshko, O. Taranets, D. Hnatiuk, E. Miroshnychenko, M. Kondratiuk, A. Mokrenko, A. Solovianenko, Y. Huliayev, A. Kocherha, V. Pyvovarov), he recorded pearls of Ukrainian folk songs and world classics.
During the time when V.B. Hnedash headed the orchestra, violinists under his leadership gained mastery and became leading world-class musicians: I. Kushnir, F. Goldenberg, P. Droshcha; flutists: V. Pshenychnyi, S. Savchenko; oboists: L. Holtzman, M. Sevruk, Y. Pinchuk; clarinetists: Pendyshchuk, M. Spaso, O. Gunchenko, L. Miliavskyi; French horn players: K. Maha, V. Kaptiurov, S. Malkov, M. Golets, M. Bukoviak; bassoonists: P. Yakovets, R. Ivanchenko, D. Lebets, M. Kamyshnyi, Y. Konrad; trombonists: V. Kyslyy, V. Sheludko; tuba player B. Moiseenko and others.
Awards and titles
Chevalier of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree
He was a professor of the Department of Opera and Symphony Conducting at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine.
