Hans Kindler

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Johannes Hendrikus Philip "Hans" Kindler (January 8, 1892 – August 30, 1949) was an American cellist and conductor.

Kindler was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands where he attended the Rotterdams Conservatorium.

In 1914, he was offered first cello chair with the Philadelphia Orchestra where he played for--depending on the source--six or sixteen years. He gave first performances of works by Ravel and Schoenberg and Ferruccio Busoni dedicated an arrangement of Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue for cello and piano to him. He founded the National Symphony Orchestra in 1931 and was its conductor until 1949, performing many works of new composers. The Kindler Foundation Trust Fund was established in 1983 by the Kindler Foundation to offer concerts and to commission new chamber music in his memory.

According to the WPA Guide to Washington, originally published in 1942: "Potential symphony players had left Washington during the years of musical drought, and Kindler found it necessary to combine local talent with musicians imported from New York, Philadelphia and Boston." However even in the worst year of the Great Depression Kindler managed to create his orchestra.^[1] According to violinist Milton Schwarz, "He was a famous cellist and the first chair of the cello section of the Philadelphia Orchestra. I had heard of him and heard him play. He was indeed very fine."^[1]

A former player wrote in his memoirs that Kindler "would make nasty, hurtful comments. I think this was to cover up his considerable inadequacies as a conductor. There were different concertmasters and assistants every season because they couldn't stand Kindler or Kindler was dissatisfied with them."^[1]

He died on August 30, 1949 at Watch Hill, Rhode Island.