William Kuinka
| William Kuinka | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 28, 1916 Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | April 7, 2008 (aged 92) Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada |
| Alma mater | The Royal Conservatory of Music; Advanced School of Contemporary Music |
| Occupation | Mandolinist, bassist, guitarist, educator |
| Known for | Member of the Symphony Six |
William Kuinka (January 28, 1916 – April 7, 2008) was a Canadian mandolinist, bassist, guitarist, and educator. During his 1951-1952 season with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, he became known as a member of the Symphony Six, a group of six musicians under contract to the orchestra who were denied entry to the United States for a concert tour under suspicion of leftist activities.
William Kuinka was born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. He served in World War II and was part of an army show unit. After the war, he studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto with Charles Rose, John Weinzweig, John Moskalyk, and others; at the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, and in New York City. Kuinka played double bass with the CBC Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Pro Arte Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Self-taught in mandolin and guitar, he played mandolin with the Ivan Romanoff orchestra.
Kuinka played only one season (1951–1952) with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In November 1951 the Toronto Symphony Orchestra was invited to participate in the "Major Symphony Series" in Detroit, its first appearance in the United States, alongside major US orchestras from Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. In keeping with US immigration laws, the orchestra submitted its list of members for clearance. Seven musicians were not given clearance; this was later pared down to six: Kuinka, Dirk Keetbaas, Abe Mannheim, John Moskalyk, Ruth Budd, and Steven Staryk (later known as the Symphony Six), who were denied access to the United States under suspicion of leftist activities. The performers had associated openly with communist or communist front organizations in the vein of artistic collaboration, but denied the charges of political involvement. At the end of the season the orchestra did not renew its contracts with these musicians. This created a controversy in Canada.
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