Josef Chuchro

Czech classical cellist and educator. Born July 3, 1931 in Prague (former Czechoslovakia), died August 19, 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic. Soloist of The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since 1961.

At the age of six, he studied piano, and later (since 1939) his father's organ. In 1943 he became a pupil of Miloslav Köck in cello playing, in 1944–46 he was a private pupil of Karel Pravoslav Sádlo, with whom he then studied at the Prague Conservatory (1946–50) and at the Academy of Performing Arts (1950–53). From 1950 he performed solo independently, from 1961 he was appointed soloist of the Czech Philharmonic. In 1965 he graduated from the Prague Conservatory, where he later worked as a teacher (1965-92). Since 1967 he has been a teacher at AMU (1969 associate professor, 1990 professor). 

In the years 1990–97 he was the dean of the Faculty of Music at the Academy of Performing Arts, from 2000 to 2003 he headed the department of string instruments at HAMU. Since 1961 he has been a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic. Chuchro works on juries and conducts master classes in the Czech Republic and abroad.