Božidar Kunc (June 18, 1903, Zagreb – April 1, 1964, Detroit) was a Croatian composer and pianist. Božidar Kunc was born on July 18, 1903, in Zagreb, the fourth child of accountant Rudolf Kunc (1867–1932), a scion of the
Kunz van der Rosen family of Graz, and Ljubica Smičiklas (1873–1936).
BOZIDAR KUNC, 60, DIES AT CONCERT; Pianist Stricken in Detroitߞ Sister Was Next on Stage
April 2, 1964
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April 2, 1964, Page 33
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DETROIT, April 1 (AP)—Bozidar Kunc, Yugoslav composer and pianist, collapsed tonight after performing with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Ford Auditorium and died shortly afterward. His age was 60.
Mr. Kunc played a concerto of his own composition before an audience of 1,900. He was stricken just as his sister, Zinka Milanov, Metropolitan Opera soprano, following him as a soloist, was finishing her song. She had acknowledged a gift of flowers and walked offstage to find her brother dying.
A doctor called from the audinece worked vainly over Mr. Kunc. Meanwhile, the conductor, Sixten Ehrling, kept the orchestra in its performance.
Mr. Kunc had taken two bows alone and one with Mr. Ehrling before walking offstage following his 20‐minute performance.
He and Miss Milanov had come from New York to perform in an orchestra fund‐raising concert sponsored by the Croatian Board of Trade of Detroit.
Mr. Kunc's wife, DeElda, and sister accompanied him in an ambulance to Receiving Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Kuncs' 1½‐year‐old daughter, Ivana, was to be baptized here tomorrow.
Mr. Kunc Wrote two piano sonatas, a concerto for piano and orchestra, a concerto for violin and orchestra, and nine symphonies. He also composed a string quartet, a piano trio, a piano quartet, and more than a dozen songs.
Mr. Kunc frequently accompanied his sister in renditions of his own songs. They were heard together on several occasions at Town Hall and Carneige Hall and in other cities.
A native of Zagreb, Mr. Kunc attended the Academy for Music there and studied composition and piano under private tutors. In 1928 he won $ 5,000 prize for the best composition on Yugoslav themes.