- Stanisław Skrowaczewski
The classical music conductor Stanisław Skrowaczewski (born
October 3 ,1923 ) was born in Lwów,Poland (nowL'viv ,Ukraine ), and became best known for his work with theMinnesota Orchestra .As a child, he studied piano and violin; he was a very good pianist, making his debut in that capacity with Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor". Unfortunately, a hand injury ended his piano career.
After
World War II , Skrowaczewski became music director of theWrocław Philharmonic, then theKatowice Philharmonic, theKraków Philharmonic and the Warsaw National Orchestra. He studied composition withNadia Boulanger inParis . In 1956 he won the Santa Cecilia Competition for Conductors.At the invitation of
George Szell , Skrowaczewski conducted theCleveland Orchestra . In 1960 he was appointed music director of theMinneapolis Symphony Orchestra (which was renamed theMinnesota Orchestra under his tenure in 1968), a position he held until 1979, when he became conductor laureate. In 1981 theAmerican Composers' Forum commissioned the "Clarinet Concerto", which Skrowaczewski wrote for Minnesota Orchestra principal clarinetistJoe Longo , who premiered it in 1981.Between 1995 and 1997, Skrowaczewski served as artistic advisor to the
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra . From 1984 to 1991, he was principal conductor of theHallé Orchestra , and in 1988, was composer-in-residence for thePhiladelphia Orchestra 's summer season atSaratoga . He has guest-conducted that orchestra, and many others, all over the world.His complete set of recordings of the symphonies of
Anton Bruckner , made with theSaarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra , has received much acclaim. Another noted recording is his Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with theLondon Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the soloistGina Bachauer .Skrowaczewski's "Passacaglia Immaginaria", completed in 1995, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1997. Commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestral Association to honor the memory of Ken and Judy Dayton, it was premiered at
Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis , in 1996.The "Chamber Concerto" was commissioned by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in memory of
Leopold Sipe , their first music director. The "Concerto for Orchestra" received a Pulitzer nomination in 1999.He received the Commander
Order of the White Eagle , the highest order conferred by the Polish government, as well as the Gold Medal of the Mahler-Bruckner Society, the 1973Ditson Conductor's Award , and the 1976 Kennedy Center Friedheim Award.External links
* [http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/skrowaczewski.html Biography]
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