| Milan Kymlicka | |
| Birth Date: | 15 May 1936 |
| Birth Place: | Louny, Czechoslovakia |
| Death Place: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Milan Kymlicka (Czech: Milan Kymlička; 15 May 1936[1] – 9 October 2008) was a Czechoslovak and Canadian arranger, composer and conductor. He was known for his composition of film and television scores,[2] including those for the animated television series Rupert, Babar, The Busy World of Richard Scarry and The Adventures of Paddington Bear and the live-action television series Lassie and Little Men. He received a Genie Award in 1996 for his work on Margaret's Museum.
Kymlicka was born in Louny, Czechoslovakia.[3] He earned degrees from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and the Prague Conservatory. At the latter institution he was a pupil of Emil Hlobil.
Kymlicka began his work as a composer in his native country and by 1967, he had produced 20 film scores, a ballet, a cello concerto, several works for solo piano, a number of string quartets, and created the theme for an animated television series.[4]
After the Prague Spring in 1968, Kymlicka emigrated to Canada, where he settled in Toronto, Ontario.[5] By the early 1970s, he was working as a studio arranger/conductor at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1974, Kymlicka became a naturalized Canadian citizen. That year, he arranged music for and conducted the Hamilton Philharmonic, accompanying pop musician Ian Thomas;[6] his arrangements were included on some of Thomas' recordings in the 1970s.[7]
Kymlicka continued working as a composer, arranger, and conductor for film, television, and radio.[8] [9] His composition "Four Valses" was recorded by pianist Antonín Kubálek in New York.[10]
Kymlicka died in Toronto in 2008. Among his last released works was Závoj tkaný touhami (originally by Tanita Tikaram), arranged for the 2008 album Ohrožený druh.