One of the greatest Polish composers and a leading figure in 20th-century Polish music; composer, pianist, and conductor. Born on 25 January 1913 in Warsaw, he died there on 7 February 1994. Lutosławski’s youthful works were still impacted by French Impressionism, while the first post-war decade was under the influence of native folklore. A breakthrough in the composer’s style came with Funeral Music (1954–1958), in which he proposed a new look at the harmonic material – operating with all twelve tones, but with a reduced number of intervals.
Born on 5th May 1819 in Ubel, d. on 4th June 1872 in Warsaw, Moniuszko came from a landowning family in the area of Minsk. He learnt music first in Warsaw, then in Minsk and Berlin. Then he settled in Vilnius, where for 18 years he had a busy artistic career as a composer, organist at St John’s Church, organiser of artistic events, and teacher.
Born in 1929 in Eppendorf, Saxony, passed away in 1995 in Berlin, Müller was a German playwright, writer, poet, editor, and director. In 1951, Müller’s parents fled to West Berlin, while he moved to East Berlin.
Born in 1971 in Oława, Mykietyn graduated from Włodzimierz Kotoński’s composition class at the Academy of Music in Warsaw (1997; now the Chopin University of Music). In 1993, he made his debut at the Warsaw Autumn festival with a piece titled La Strada. In the same year, his 3 for 13 was awarded the 1st prize at the International Rostrum of Com-posers in Paris in the category of composers under 30 years of age (in 2000 it was presented at the Midem Classique in Cannes). 1995 saw his Epiphora winning the 1st prize at the 4th International Rostrum of Electroacoustic Music (IREM) in Amsterdam in the same category.
He studied composition with Aleksander Lasoń at Katowice’s Academy of Music and with Steve Rouse at the University of Louisville, receiving scholarships from the ‘Young Poland’ programme of the National Centre for Culture Poland and the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Born in 1990, a jazz pianist and composer. One of the most frequently awarded jazz musicians of the young generation studied at Krakow’s Academy of Music, and later at Berklee College of Music.
World-famous pianist, composer and educator, but also a politician and champion of Poland’s independence. He learned at Warsaw’s Music Institute (1873–1878), where he later taught the piano. In 1882 and again in 1884 he studied twice for half a year in Berlin. His piano studies with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna were made possible by Helena Modrzejewska’s support. He was a lecturer in harmony and counterpoint at Strasbourg Conservatory.
One of the most significant twentieth-century Polish composers, Palester is often seen as a “successor to Karol Szymanowski.” He studied piano at the Krakow Institute of Music and at the conservatory in Lwów (now L’viv), as well as art history as the University of Warsaw and composition and music theory at Warsaw Conservatory.