Ulf-Diether Soyka


Ulf-Diether Soyka is an Austrian composer, conductor and lecturer.
WWW soyka-musik.at

Musical creation and compositional style

Soyka was born in Vienna, Austria. He prefers to write music for the concert hall, for orchestra, chamber music, choral works and operas. His compositional style was described by Dr. Werner Pelinka in 1987 in the cultural magazine morgen:
Soyka also investigated connections between chromatic and micro-interval music. Since 2007 he brought out his publication about micro interval composition theory. In 2012 he also brought out his opera Ninja, in which micro-tonality is assigned mainly to one of the principal characters, the Robot Androido, in order to underline the “emotions” of this character adequately.

Selected compositions

List of works

Soykas work list includes the following work groups:
  • op. 1 Masses, oratorios, religious music;
  • op. 2 Chamber music for smaller ensembles;
  • op. 3 larger chamber ensembles;
  • op. 4 String/Chamber orchestra;
  • op. 5 Instrumental concertos;
  • op. 6 Song;
  • op. 7 Film, Dance, Entertainment music and Audio art;
  • op. 8 School music;
  • op. 9 Keyboard instruments solo;
  • op. 10 Orchestra;
  • op. 11 Choir;
  • op. 12: Operas;

Conductors activities

Ulf-Diether Soyka prefers conducting his own works. He has conducted at
  • Konzerthaus Vienna
  • ORF-Hall Vienna
  • Großer Musikvereinssaal Vienna
  • Austrian Music Days in Bulgaria 2001 - 2003
  • Repertoire: W.A.Mozart, J.Haydn, L.van Beethoven, F.Schubert, J.Brahms …
  • World premieres of works of composers who had to leave Germany in 1938.

Education

Soyka completed his diploma studies with Friedrich Cerha and Otmar Suitner as well as the teaching profession for musical education at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

Awards

  • 1975 and 1977 scholar of the Alban Berg Foundation
  • 1980 and 1987 Theodor-Körner-Composition award
  • 1981 scholar of City of Vienna for composition
  • 1983 Austrian State grant for composition
  • 1983 Support prize for music in Lower Austria
  • 1985 Culture prize in Klosterneuburg
  • 1985 Composer's prize in Tolima/Columbia
  • 2002 Composer's prize for choir music to texts from Wilhelm Busch
  • 2008 AICE culture composer's prize for choir music

Functions in the music life

1979- 1981 teaching representatives at the University for Music and Dramatical Art in Vienna, 1982-1983 high school-teacher, 1983 Austrian state scholar for composition. He then worked as a freelance composer and occasional conductor. Soyka wrote numerous commissioned compositions within the next years, and since 2000 he has been working as an assistant professor of Music Theory and Composition at the Prayner Conservatory in Vienna.

Further long-term functions: High school teacher, leader of a church choir, member of the executive board in the Austrian composer federation, subject lectures at English and Australian Music-Universities, music journalism for many cultural journals, management of music symposia, functions in AKM, ÖGZM, music labour union etc., expert of the Viennese summer seminars for new music, founder and manager of an ensemble for new music, coordination of the “Pro-Arte-Orchestra”, founder and concert organiser of „Project First Performances“, lecturer at the intercultural Ekmelik Symposium Salzburg 1986, and much more.

Family

Soyka has three grown sons.