American Flutist Walfrid Kujala has Died, Aged 99

Kujala, who played flute and piccolo in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra until 2001, has passed away following a short illness

Born in 1925 in Warren, Ohio, Walfrid Kujala served as flute and piccolo of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1954 until 2001 and was a professor of flute at the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music from 1962 to 2012.

He started flute lessons in the seventh grade and later studied with Parker Taylor, who was the principal flute of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, where Kujala would serve as second flute from 1939 until 1942.

At the Eastman School of Music, he studied with Joseph Mariano — then the principal flute of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Kujala joined the latter between 1948 and 1954, plus served on Eastman’s faculty around the same time. 

Amid his studies, he undertook two and a half years of military service in the US Army, where he was in the 86th Infantry Division Band from 1943 until 1946. He was also briefly a member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. 

Kujala was appointed assistant principal flute of the CSO in 1954; he was later principal piccolo from 1957 until 2001. During his tenure, he performed with four music directors: Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, Sir Georg Solti, and Daniel Barenboim. Additionally, he was principal flute of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra from 1955 to 1960.

As soloist, he appeared with the CSO with conductors including Reiner, Solti, Seiji Ozawa, Antonio Janigro, and Lawrence Foster, and performed at the Stratford and Victoria festivals in Canada, as well as in recitals, chamber music concerts, and masterclasses across the US.

In 1962, he joined the faculty of Northwestern University, where he taught for 50 years before retiring in 2012. He was also the author of several books on flute pedagogy and contributed articles and editorials to a range of publications. 

Additionally, he was a founding board member of the National Flute Association, where he later served as president, vice president, and board chair. In his retirement, Kujala was a member of the CSO Alumni Association and served on its board of directors for several years.

“Professor Kujala was a central figure in the flute community of the United States and abroad,” said John Thorne, associate professor of flute at the Bienen School of Music, in a tribute. “Wally helped to define the piccolo not only as an orchestral instrument but as a solo instrument. He was beloved by his many students and colleagues, and his legacy lives on in all those he influenced throughout his long life.”

“Wally continued to be an active part of my life far beyond the Northwestern University flute studio and throughout my career,” added former student Jennie Oh Brown, who is now executive director of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. “I frequently spotted him at concerts, ever effusive and smiling, and taught by his side for many summers. For generations of NU flutists and others who knew him, the world is changed by his absence.”

Kujala is survived by his wife, Sherry. He was preceded in death by his former wife Alice and survived by their three children, five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and former daughter-in-law. 

Our condolences to his family, friends, students, and colleagues.