- May 15, 2014
- 1:45 pm
- Patty Sheehy
Alum Helmuth Fuchs Combines the Concert Hall and the Classroom
This year marks the centennial year for adult education at Loyola and we are celebrating the anniversary by gathering stories of our alumni who want to share their Loyola experience, and how it has transformed their lives. SCPS changed its name a number of times but it has consistently served adult students.
Helmuth Fuchs received a BS in German with a minor in chemistry from University College in 1962, at the age of 31. Motivated by an particularly demanding undergraduate chemistry professor, he states: “I fell in love with the electron, the proton and the neutron,” and worked toward a career in chemistry. He received a Master’s degree in organic chemistry from New Mexico University in 1966. Later, in 1974 he earned a PhD in biochemistry from Fordham University. Upon receiving his doctorate, he began teaching chemistry at State of University of New York (SUNY) at Farmingdale.
In addition to Fuchs’ apptitude for chemisty, he is also exceptionally gifted in music. He began taking piano lessons at the age of nine and wrote his first composition at age 15 and had it performed at Avery Fischer Hall in New York City, at Carnegie Hall, and Weill Recital Hall in New York City, and at Jordan Hall in Boston. He also studied at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York City. His compositions have also been performed in concert halls in many parts of the world. In 1992, Fuchs’ “Schlummerlied” was performed at the White House for George H. W. Bush by celebrated concert pianist Ana Maria Trenchi de Bottazzi.
More recently, Fuchs was selected as “Composer-in-Residence” of the Chicago Philharmonia Orchestra and is featured on the Orchestra’s CD, “Classical Energy.” He has composed two sonatas, ten fantasies, five impromptus for piano in addition to others.
As an instructor and as a composer, Fuchs felt he “had the best of both worlds,” the classroom and the concert hall. When asked of his inspiration, he said: “Some pieces come to me in five minutes; some take years.”
Currently Fuchs is retired and spends his time either traveling or composing.
Source: “Love of Composing Complements Alum’s Career in Chemistry” by Gail Mansfield, Loyola Magazine, Late Summer/2005.
If you would like to share your story as an alum, please email it to scps@luc.edu. We would love to hear from you. Also, the Centennial Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 28. All University College, Mundelein College and SCPS alumni are invited to attend this exciting event where you can meet other alum to share stories of then and now. Learn more about the Centennial Celebration schedule and registration here.