October 2005

  • Author By Kevin Allen
  • Publication date October 6, 2005

Polish Music Center Newsletter Vol. 11, no. 10

News

2005 Paderewski Lecture: Marta Ptaszyńska

Award-winning Polish composer and percussionist, Marta Ptaszyńska will give this year’s Paderewski Lecture on Friday, October 14, 2005 at 8 PM in Alfred Newman Recital Hall on the USC campus. As a synesthete, whose sensory perceptions are integrated so that a visual cue can trigger an aural response and vice versa, Ptaszyńska’s compositions are greatly influenced by color and form. Professor Ptaszyńska will share her experiences and personal insights into composing during the 2005 Annual Paderewski Lecture. Please join us for an evening of conversation with this award-winning composer and performances of her music, including the American premiere of Elegia in Memoriam John Paul II for solo viola and the West Coast premiere of her newest work, Pianophonia for solo piano. Performers include Amy Dissanayake and Yevgeniy Milyazskiy, piano; Juliana Gondek, soprano; Lauren Chipman, viola; and members of the USC Thornton School of Music Percussion Ensemble led by Professor Erik Forrester. Please see www.usc.edu/music/padlec for more information.

2005 Paderewski Lecture
14 October 2005, 8:00 PM
Alfred Newman Recital Hall
USC University Park Campus
Free Admission

Górecki World Premiere

During the 10th annual Festival of Polish Composers, held from October 13-15 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland (see below), H.M. Górecki’s new work, String Quartet No. 3, will be given its world premiere. The piece will be performed by one of world’s leading contemporary music ensembles, the Kronos Quartet, on October 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Church of Maksymilian Kolbe in Bielsko-Biała.

Bruzdowicz World Premiere

Bruzdowicz in the Polish Music Center at USC. Photo: Maja Trochimczyk, 2001

Joanna Bruzdowicz’s newest work, Fanfare for Celebration of Women in Music will have its world premiere in Los Angeles this month. The premiere will be played by the “Borealis Brass Ensemble” from Alaska during the Gala Concert of the International World Forum for Music (UNESCO) on October 3rd, 8:30 pm in the Ricardo Montalban Theatre. The forum will take place between the 1st and the 5th of October and is organized with a help of “Donne in Musica” Foundation (Patricia Adkins-Chiti, President). Joanna Bruzdowicz gave the 2003 Paderewski Lecture at USC, and she is pictured at the right during her visit.

Lutosławski Composition Competition

Photo by Betty Freeman, Los Angeles, 1993.

The Witold Lutosławski Society was founded in 2000 in Poland with purpose of protecting and promoting the artistic and spiritual heritage of Witold Lutosławski and to promote performance of his works. In this spirit, the Society announces its LUTOSŁAWSKI AWARD—International Composers Competition for 2005.

The competition is open to composers of all nationalities and ages. The following types of unpublished and un-premiered compositions will be considered: string quartet, works for violin and piano, cello and piano, oboe and piano, clarinet and piano, voice and piano (in any language, but must include an English translation) and piano duet. The use of tape and live electronics will not be permitted and the length of the work must be between 15 and 30 minutes. The deadline for submission of scores is 1 November 2005. For more information and entry details, visit www.lutoslawski.org.pl.

Paderewski Trio At Kosciuszko Foundation

The Kosciuszko Foundation’s Chamber Music Series is acknowledged as one of the most distinguished in New York. The Paderewski Trio will inaugurate the sixteenth season of this series on Sunday, October 16, at 3 PM. Rarely-heard works of Smetana, Lalo, and contemporary Polish composer Romuald Twardowski are featured in the concert, which is hosted by Candice Agree, of WQXR-FM. The program will be broadcast on WQXR on Sunday October 23 at 6 PM.

The Paderewski Trio is made up of Krzysztof Kuznik, violinist; Rafał Jezierski, cellist; and Juny Jung, pianist. Winners of the 32nd Artists International Annual Debut Prize in 2003, this is their third annual appearance in the KF Chamber Music Series. Born in Poznań, Poland, Rafał Jezierski, cello, first studied with his father, a professional cellist and singer. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, he is currently a completing his Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School, where he is studying with Bonnie Hampton. Krzysztof Kuznik, violin, graduated from both the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw and the Manhattan School of Music. A founding member of the Elsner String Quartet, he is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and frequently performs with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Korean born pianist Juny Jung is the music director and founder of the Simons’ Pond Music Festival in Pennsylvania. He graduated from both the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music.

The Kosciuszko Foundation building is located at 15 E. 65th St., between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Tickets for the concert are $30 ($25 for KF members) and include a reception and discussion with the artists after the concert. Call (212) 734-2130 for reservations. www.kosciuszkofoundation.org

“Lutosławski’s Piano”

This October, the Witold Lutosławski Society will inaugurate a cycle of concerts dedicated to the piano music of the 20th century. The event is produced in cooperation with Warsaw Royal Castle. It is no coincidence that the concerts will take place in the Castle, because the piano that has been used in concerts at the castle for the last 10 years was donated by Lutosławski. It is the same instrument that is pictured with the composer in all the photos from his studio.

The first recital of the cycle will take place on October 9 and will be dedicated mostly to French music (with the exception of Bukoliki by Lutosławski). Included in this concert is the Polish premiere of Préludes by Henri Dutilleux and an un-published piece by Claude Debussy, Les soir illuminés par l’ardeur du charbon. The soloist will be a renowned French pianist, Jean-Pierre Armengaud. Also included on the program are three pieces by Erik Satie and other works by Dutilleux and Debussey.

Before the concert, at 5:00 pm, the Society will award medals in recognition of the propagation of the music by Witold Lutosławski. This is he first time the medals are awarded and the recipients are: Danuta Gwizdalanka, Martina Homma, Krzysztof Meyer, Irina Nikolska, Jadwiga Paja-Stach, Charles Bodman Rae, Zbigniew Skowron, Steven Stucky and Adrian Thomas. The medals will be presented by the honorary member of the Society, Andrzej Wajda.

New Music In Edmonton

If you have ever felt the least bit intimidated by the expressions “Modern Classical Music” or “New Music”, or if you have believed that contemporary music is difficult to listen to or understand, then you need to set the record straight in your own mind. The Edmonton Composers’ Concert Society is presenting THE OCTOBER EVOLUTION: or, everything you ever wanted to know about newest sounds.

In commemoration of the Society’s 20th Anniversary season, the ECCS is presenting this Festival of New Music for Edmonton audiences throughout the month of October. During seven very different concerts you will be privileged to hear at least 49 unique and individual compositions written by 29 different composers representing 5 different nations performed by 12 musicians and ensembles. If that’s not enough to whet your musical appetite, a total of 13 of the works to be performed will be World Premičres and many of them are written by and/or performed by Polish musicians. Please see more information at: ECCSoctoberEvolution.pdf

Pomeranian Phil A National Institution

On the 1st of October, the Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz was given the status of “National Institution” by the Polish Minister of Culture, Waldemar Dąbrowski. In Bydgoszcz, the Opera Nova also has a similar status and, in the region, soon there will be a National Museum of Contemporary Art in Toruń. For the honored institutions this status means greater prestige and financial support of the Ministry of Culture.

Stars At The National Opera

World-famous Spanish tenor, Placido Domingo and highly acclaimed German director, Achim Freyer will be the stars of the 2005/2006 artistic season at the National Opera in Warsaw – Grand Theatre. Placido Domingo will perform the part of Siegmund in Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre on October 22nd. This performance will be led by an outstanding Polish conductor, Jacek Kaspszyk. According to Kazimierz Kord, director of the Opera, the October 15 Polish premiere of Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chenier, directed by Polish filmmaker and opera director Mariusz Treliński is another very important upcoming event (read more about this opera in the October 2004 Newsletter).

As far as the future of the National Opera is concerned, in celebration of next year’s 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the National Opera has invited Achim Freyer to prepare the staging of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. The performance will take place on the 16th of June, 2006. The company has commissioned a children’s opera from Krzysztof Penderecki, which should be ready in the coming four years. Kord has also announced plans for creating a master school to attract and keep in the country young and talented Polish singers. In addition to artistic development, there are plans for improving the sound characteristics of the hall and restructuring personnel structures of the institution.

Kowalski In Concert

Talented Polish pianist, Paweł Kowalski will be performing around Poland during the month of October. The artist will play in Kalisz, Łódź, Kraków, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw and Toruń. In the programs you will find, among others, piano concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Paderewski and Kilar.

Paweł Kowalski is one of Poland’s most versatile musicians, with long list of performances and recordings all around the world. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, from which he graduated with honours in 1989 and at the Vancouver Academy of Music on a personal grant from Witold Lutosławski. His current repertoire includes over 50 piano concertos, chamber music and jazz compositions. For information about the artist go to:www.pawelkowalski.art.pl

International Day Of Music

The International Day of Music was established in 1973 by the International Music Advisory Board, with Sir Yehudi Menuhin as chairman, and the first one took place on October 1, 1975. According to guidelines of the Board, the goal of this day is to support the promotion of music on all the levels of society, spreading the ideas of peace, friendship, cultural evolvement and exchange of experiences and understanding so strongly propagated by the UNESCO. These intentions are realized through various artistic events: concerts, meetings with artists, competitions, expositions, TV and radio programs, press articles and recordings. One of the original propositions was to celebrate this day in the cities by a few minutes of silence during which time you would only be able to hear the music performed live in the public places. Concerts have been organized around the globe. Check local listings for events in your area.

Festivals

Festival Of Polish Composers

The 10th Festival of Polish Composers will take place from October 13-15 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. This festival is organized by the Bielsko-Biała Culture Center under patronage of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. This year’s edition is dedicated to works of Krzysztof Penderecki, who will be conducting several of the concerts. Besides the music of Penderecki, there also will be the world premiere of the new String Quartet No. 3 of Górecki by the Kronos Quartet on October 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Church of Maksymilian Kolbe.

For a program of the festival go to: www.bck.bielsko.pl/docs/f_prog.htm

Festival Of Baroque Strings And Bows

The Poznań Festival of Baroque Strings and Bows is being organized for the first time this year from October 1st -9th. The main ensemble is the Baroque Orchestra Arte dei Suonatori. Many of the musical guests are from Denmark, England, Japan, Finland and Italy. From the huge repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, the organizers have chosen pieces written for instruments which produce sound by way of strings: violins, violas, cellos, basses and also viola da gamba, lutes, viole d’amore, viole da braccio, liras and instruments that are no longer part of the standard instrumentation.

The official web page (in Polish) of the festival is: www.barokowesmyczki.pl/2005.

Poznań Verdi Days

Between September 17 and October 13, in the Grand Theatre in Poznań, the 5th annual festival of operas by Giuseppe Verdi is happening. The key event this year was a premiere of Don Carlos directed by Gianfranco de Bosio on September 24. In October the audiences will be able to see seven operatic titles by Verdi: Otello, Traviata, Rigoletto, Macbeth, Don Carlos, Aida and Nabucco.

For the info on the Festival go to: www.opera.poznan.pl.

Festival Of Musical Confrontations

The Garden of Arts and Sciences Society and the Museum of Anna and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz in Stawisko present the 6th Festival of Musical Confrontations – In the salon and in the garden. It will take place between 17-23 October in Podkowa Leśna. The program consists of chamber music and songs by Stanisław Moniuszko, performed by Patrycja Piekutowska, Maria Szwajger Kułakowska, Wojciech Świtała with the Camerata Quartet, Tomasz Strahl, Klaudiusz Baran, and Agnieszka Kozło as well as Julita Mirosławska – soprano, Katarzyna Rzymska – mezzo-soprano, Ewelina Wojciechowska – mezzo-soprano, Krzysztof Ciupiński-Świątek – tenor, Michał Janczak – baritone and Maciej Nerkowski – baritone. Additionally there will be a concert of the poetic songs of Grzegorz Turnau, a concert of Polish, Byelorussian, Ukrainian and Jewish music performed by Di Galitzyaner Klezmorim Trio and a jazz concert performed by Włodek Pawlik.

For a detailed program go to: www.polmic.pl.

International Percussion Festival

Between 17-23 October this festival will take place in Wrocław, Opole, Piekary Śląskie and Poznań. This is the 14th edition of the festival and it is organized by Polish Percussive Association. The stars of the festival include Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), Tommy Aldridge, Mike Mangini, Tony Royster Jr. (drum-set). In addition to performances, many of the artists will also teach master-classes. The festival is also accompanied by two competitions: 4th National Drum-set competition and 3rd Open Vibraphone Competition.

For the Festival program go to: www.polmic.pl.

Awards

Penderecki Honored In Korea

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki has received the “Honoris Causa” Docorate from the Seoul National University. He is the first artist in history to receive this kind of recognition from this institution. The president of the University, Dr. Un-Chan Chung stressed in his speech that Penderecki has been one of he most well known composers for over half the century. He also pointed out the prominent connection of the artist to the cultural life in the Korea, among them many concerts and musical workshops. In 1992 Penderecki wrote his Symphony No. 5 “Korean” to commemorate the anniversary of the country’s independence. There was a concert of Penderecki’s music performed by violinist Min Kim and the Korean Chamber Ensemble conducted by the composer in celebration of the occasion.

Wrocław Music Awards

On the 29th of September in the Music Hall of the “Oratorium Marianum” University, the board of the Wrocław Musical Awards, comprised of journalists and music critics, honored the most important musical events and personalities of the year. This year the board also recognized supporters of musical life with 6 additional prizes.

In the category of the Music Supporter of the season:

  • ING Silesian Bank for the generous support of the musical culture
  • “Farewell to Africa” for a constant support of musical initiatives

In the category of the Creative Personality of 2004/2005:

  • Agata Zubel for the artistic success of the recent years

In the category of the Event of the Season:

  • Jerzy Semkow for the unforgettable interpretation of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony during the 39th Wratislavia Cantans Festival this year

In the category of the Debut of the Season:

  • Stefan Gąsieniec

In the category of the Initiative of the Season:

  • Festival “Musica Electronica Nova”

The event was graced by a performance of the 1995 Warsaw International Chopin Competition winner – Philippe Giusiano.

Lutosławski Society Awards

For the first time ever, the Witold Lutosławski Society will award medals in recognition of propagation of the music by Witold Lutosławski. This year’s recipients are: Danuta Gwizdalanka, Martina Homma, Krzysztof Meyer, Irina Nikolska, Jadwiga Paja-Stach, Charles Bodman Rae, Zbigniew Skowron, Steven Stucky and Adrian Thomas. The medals will be presented by the honorary member of the Society, Andrzej Wajda on October 9, 2005 at the Warsaw Royal Castle, before the first recital in the new series “Lutosławski’s Piano” .

Calendar of Events

OCT 1: Concert of the Laureates of the 3rd International F. Liszt Piano Competition. Program: works by Chopin & Liszt. Witold Lutosławski Philharmonic, Wrocław, Poland. 7:00 pm. www.filharmonia.wroclaw.pl/

OCT 1: Recital by Yoonjung Han, the 2005 Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition Laureate. Moores Opera House, Houston, TX. 7:30 PM. 713-743-3009.

OCT 1: “From Chopin to Moniuszko – A Landscape of Polish Meadows”—a musical ballet and revue, combining Polish music and modern choreography. Featuring Michał Drewnowski on piano. Sabat Theatre, Warsaw, Poland. 8:00 pm.

OCT 2: Dozynki – Polish Harvest – 2005. Events include a performance by the dance group Lowiczanie, presenting the annual traditional harvest celebration. $5 Admission. Polish Club: 3040 22nd Street at Shotwell, San Francisco, CA. Call 1-415-285-4336 for more information.

OCT 4: Premiere of Joanna Bruzdowicz’s newest work, Fanfare for Celebration of Women in Music. Performed by the Borealis Brass Ensemble (Alaska). International World Forum for Music (UNESCO), Ricardo Montalban Theatre, Los Angeles, CA. 8:30 pm.

OCT 4: The Consulate General of Mexico in L.A. presents Carlos Velasco, musician/composer from Mexico City in the company of musician/composer from Israel Yuval Ron and Polish actress/writer Elizabeth Leibel. Sala Rafael De La Colina, 2401 W. 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90057.

OCT 8: If you have a Polish passport, you can participate in the Polish Presidential Elections – All day in Los Angeles, CA and San Jose, CA. See more information at www.polishconsulatela.com/Polish/wybory_2005.htm .

OCT 8: The Akademos Quartet from Warsaw. San Francisco, CA at 2 pm and San Jose, CA at 8 pm. Tickets: www.ticketguys.com/distinguishedartists.www.akademos.art.pl.

OCT 9: The Akademos Quartet from Warsaw. Pacifico, CAat 3 pm. Tickets: www.ticketguys.com/distinguishedartists. www.akademos.art.pl.

OCT 11: Ars Cameralis of the Łódź Philharmonic presents: WHITE AND RED on the 156th anniversary of Chopin’s death. Program: F. Chopin – songs and mazurkas edited by Pauline Viardot. Performers: Jolanta Bobras – soprano; Danuta Połczyńska – mezzo-soprano; Marek Pająk – piano. Philharmonic Chamber Hall, Narutowicza Street 20/22, Łódź, Poland. 7:00 pm. http://www.filharmonia.lodz.pl/en/repertuar_pazdz2005.asp

OCT 14: Polish Music Center presents the 2005 PADEREWSKI LECTURE, featuring composer-percussionist Marta Ptaszyńska. Performances by Amy Dissanayake, piano, Juliana Gondek, soprano, and members of the USC Thornton School of Music Percussion Ensemble led by Prof. Erik Forrester. USC, Alfred Newman Hall, Los Angeles, CA. 8:00 pm. Reception to follow. For more information, visit:www.usc.edu/music/padlec/

OCT 15: Premiere of Górecki’s new work, String Quartet No. 3. Kronos Quartet. Festival of Polish Composers, Church of Maksymilian Kolbe, Bielsko-Biała, Poland. 8:00 pm.

OCT 18: Ars Cameralis of the Łódź Philharmonic presents a program of Polish chamber music: K. Szymanowski – String quartet No. 2; J. Zarębski – Quintet in G minor, Op. 34; E. Chausson – Concerto in D major for piano, violin and string quartet, Op. 21. Performers: Paweł Kowalski – piano; Jan Stanienda – violin; and the Kwartet Śląski [The Silesian Quartet] (Szymon Krzeszowiec – violin, Arkadiusz Kubica – violin, Łukasz Syrnicki – viola, Piotr Janosik – cello). Philharmonic Chamber Hall, Narutowicza Street 20/22, Łódź, Poland. 7:00 pm. http://www.filharmonia.lodz.pl/en/repertuar_pazdz2005.asp

OCT 23: Daniel Kamiński, percussion DMA recital, Michael Powers, conductor. Music by Stravinsky, Abe, Mancini, Rogiewicz (American premiere). USC, Alfred Newman Hall, Los Angeles, CA. 11:00 am.

OCT 23: Marek Drewnowski, Special Chopin Concert for Festival Miami. 7.00 p.m., University of Miami, Miami, FL. www.chopin.org/specialevents.html
OCT 28: The Łódź Philharmonic presents: Piano Virtuosos, featuring the winner of the 15th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw; Bogna Forkiewicz, soprano; Adam Kruszewski, baritone; and Tadeusz Wojciechowski, cond. Program: F. Chopin – Piano concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 or Piano concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 and G. Fauré – Requiem Op. 48. Philharmonic Concert Hall Narutowicza Street 20/22, Łódź, Poland. 7:00 pm. http://www.filharmonia.lodz.pl/en/repertuar_pazdz2005.asp

OCT 29: The Celebrity Orchestra (Andrzej Rozbicki, dir.) presents an evening of opera arias with TV personality Boguslaw Kaczyński, featuring Grażyna Brodzińska-soprano, Dariusz Stachura-tenor, and Victor Dudar-bass from the Polish and Ukrainian National Operas. Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, Canada. 3:30 & 7:30 PM . Tickets: (905) 306 6000 or 1-888-805-8888. www.rozbicki.com/Upcoming_Events/upcoming_events.html.

Chopin Month

Remembrance And Revival

October is a month traditionally associated with Chopin. As the golden light of the Polish autumn fades into melancholy mists of late fall, which envelop the Mazovian lowlands of central Poland, we are compelled to reflect on Chopin’s untimely death in Paris on October 17th 1849. His burial took place at the St. Madelaine’s Church in the heart of Paris two weeks later on October 30th, where there was a huge public display of grief at so great a promise that was forever lost.

Or was it? It seems that ever since that October day, Chopin’s music has continued to reach ever greater circles of fans. At first, his friends and colleagues have carried the torch of Chopin’s music. Since then, generation after generation of musicians and musicologists has continued to pass on the legacy of this unparalleled composer and audiences have clamored for every available opportunity to hear his music. Although the love of Chopin is a worldwide phenomenon, great Polish virtuosos—Paderewski and Hoffman especially—have made their own magnificent contributions to the establishing of Chopin’s music on the world stage.

Ever since 1899, the Warsaw Music Society (renamed Frederic Chopin Institute in 1934 and once again changed to the Frederic Chopin Society in 1950) has dedicated its activities to publishing Chopin’s music, organizing and sponsoring scholarly research, and promoting Chopin’s music in concert. As a result, the International Chopin Piano Competition was inaugurated in 1927 and, since that time, every five years hundreds of young pianists converge on Warsaw to demonstrate their ability in interpreting Chopin’s music. This competition-the oldest and most prestigious piano competition in the world-has an incredible roster of laureates that includes some of the greatest pianists of our time: Lew Oborin, Stanisław Szpinalski, Alexandre Uniński, Witold Małcużyński, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, and Krystian Zimerman, among others.

This year 325 candidates entered the 15th International Chopin Competition. The preliminary round was, for the first time, held in public on September 29th, and after hearing 257 candidates from 35 countries, the jury accepted 80 performers into the competition. Among them are 20 pianists from Poland, 19 from Japan, 6 from the USA, 5 from South Korea, 4 each from Canada, Russia and Taiwan, 3 each from China, Finland and France and 1 each from Austria, Belgium, Byelorussia, Hong Kong, Spain, Germany, Serbia, Sweden and Ukraine. Poland will be represented by 5 female and 15 male pianists: Piotr Banasik, Michał Białk, Rafał Blechacz, Stanisław Drzewiecki, Paweł Filek, Szczepan Kończal, Jacek Kortus, Jędrzej Lisiecki, Aleksandra Mikulska, Aleksandra Mozgiel, Maciej Piszek, Monika Quinn, Marian Sobula, Marek Szlezer, Piotr Szychowski, Gracjan Szymczak, Krzysztof Trzaskowski, Natalia Wandoch, Katarzyna Wasiak and Sławomir Wilk. Only 30 of these will be allowed to pass to the semi-finals, and the final 12 participants will compete for the prizes by performing one of the two Concertos for Piano and Orchestra by Chopin. The Competition will end on October 22nd. Most performances will be carried by Polish Radio (only in real time at www.polskieradio.pl/chopin) and Polish TV (archived and live at www.itvp.pl), and there will also be daily updates in the Competition Newspaper ( www.konkurs.chopin.pl). Please use these excellent resources to bring this wonderful event into your own home, and to remember the great life and talent of Frederic Chopin wherever you are.

Other articles related to the Competition:

All events related to the Competition are listed at www.infochopin.pl/en/artykuly.php/88 and information about the Competition is atwww.infochopin.pl/en/wydarzenia.php/202/.
Also see the icon below in our Calendar of Events for related concerts/events.

Anniversaries

Born This Month

  • 3 October 1882 – Karol SZYMANOWSKI, composer, pianist, (d. 29 March 1937)
  • 3 October 1923 – Stanisław SKROWACZEWSKI, composer and conductor
  • 4 October 1910 – Eugenia UMIŃSKA, violinist
  • 6 October 1885 – Karol STROMENGER, teacher, composer, publicist, music critic (d. 1975)
  • 9 October 1924 – Regina SMENDZIANKA, pianist
  • 10 October 1910 – Henryk SWOLKIEŃ, music critic, composer
  • 14 October 1910 – Lech MIKLASZEWSKI, children’s song writer, author of popular radio music shows for children, music publicist (d. 1992)
  • 16 October 1867 – Ferdynand HOESICK, music critic, publisher (d. 13 April 1941)
  • 18 October 1879 – Grzegorz FITELBERG, conductor, violinist, composer (d. 10 June 1953)
  • 20 October 1819 – Karol MIKULI, pianist, composer, conductor, Chopin’s student (d. 21 May 1897)
  • 20 October 1935 – Henryk SWOLKIEŃ, composer, publicist, music promoter (d. 1990)
  • 25 October 1868 – Michał ŚWIERZYŃSKI, composer, conductor (d. 30 June 1957)
  • 30 October 1904 – Alfred GRADSTEIN, composer, activist (d. 29 September 1954)

 

Died This Month

  • 1 October 1990 – Andrzej KRZANOWSKI, composer, accordion player (b. 1951)
  • 1 October 1861 – Tekla Justyna KRZYŻANOWSKA, pianist, Chopin’s mother (b. September 1780)
  • 7 October 1854 – Adolf CICHOWSKI, Chopin’s friend, officer and civil servant (b.1794)
  • 17 October 1849 – Fryderyk CHOPIN, composer and pianist (b. 1 March (also listed as February 22) 1810)
  • 17 October 1938 – Aleksander MICHAŁOWSKI, pianist, composer, Tausig’s student (b. 5 May 1851)
  • 18 October 1962 – Maria SZCZEPAŃSKA, musicologist (b. 13 May 1902)
  • 21 October 1837 – Michał Józef GUZIKOW, folk musician (b. 1806)
  • 27 October 1991 – Andrzej PANUFNIK, composer and conductor (b. 24 September 1914)
  • 30 October 1912 – Jan Karol GALL, composer and conductor (b. 18 August 1856)
  • 31 October 1952 – Adolf CHYBIŃSKI, musicologist (b. 29 April 1880)