Wilkomirski

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Wilkomirski

Wilkomirski, distinguished family of Polish musicians:

(1) Alfred Wilkomirski, violinist and teacher; b. Azov, Russia, Jan. 3, 1873; d. Lodz, July 31, 1950. He began training in Tiflis, and then went to Moscow in 1898 to study with Hrimaly (violin) at the Cons. and with Bezekirsky (violin) and Kruglyov and G. Conus (theory) at the Phil. Soc’s Higher School of Music. In 1919 he settled in Poland. From 1920 to 1926 he was headmaster of a music school in Kalisz, and then was head of the Music Inst. in Lublin in 1926-27. He was a member of the Warsaw String Quartet in 1927-28. From 1929 to 1939 he was a prof. at Helena Kijeñska-Dobkiewicz’s Cons, in Lodz, and also was a lecturer at the Open Univ. and at a music school in Pabianice. From 1945 until his death he was a prof. at the State Higher School of Music in Lodz. He had 4 children who became musicians:

(2)Kazimierz Wilkomirski, cellist, conductor, pedagogue, and composer; b. Moscow, Sept. 1, 1900; d. Warsaw, March 7, 1995. He studied cello with Alfred von Glehn at the Moscow Cons. (1911-17), and also received private training in composition from Boleslaw Jaworski. He then studied composition with Roman Statkowski and conducting with Emil Mlynarski at the Warsaw Cons. (1919-23), where he received an honors degree. In 1934 he attended Hermann Scherchen’s conducting course in Switzerland. From 1926 to 1934 he was first cellist and a conductor with the Warsaw Phil. After serving as director of the Polish Cons, in Gdansk(1934-39), he was rector of the State Higher School of Music in Lodz (1945-47). From 1947 to 1952 he was director and conductor of the Opera and Phil. in Wroclaw. After holding these positions with the Baltic Phil. in Gdansk (1952-57), he again held them with the Opera and Phil. in Wroclaw (1957-62). He also served as a prof. at the conservatories in those cities. In 1963 he was appointed to the chair in chamber music at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw.

Works

orch: Sym. (1922); Jungfrau, symphonic poem (1930); Suita kaszubska (Cassubian Suite) for Winds (1946); Sinfonia concertante for Cello and Orch. (Krakow, Sept. 8, 1950). CHAMBER: 2 Preludes for Cello and Piano (1918); Scherzo for Cello and Piano (1918); Bailada for Cello and Piano (1918); Violin Sonata (1919); Poemat (Poem) for Cello and Piano (1924); Bailada for Violin and Piano (1926); String Quartet (Warsaw, March 3, 1942); Aria for Cello and Piano (1943); 12 Studies for Cello (1950). Piano: Sonata (1920). VOCAL: Requiem for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orch. (1923); Mass for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Organ (1937); Prorok (Prophet), cantata for Baritone and Orch. (1950); Kantata wrodawska (Wroclaw Cantata) for Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (Warsaw, Dec. 1951); Kantata gdanska (Gdansk Cantata) for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orch. (Gdansk, March 30, 1955); Kantata o sw. Jacku (Cantata about St. Jacek) for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orch. (Krakow, Oct. 20, 1957).

(3) Maria Witkomirska, pianist and teacher; b. Moscow, April 3, 1904; d. Warsaw, June 19, 1995. She was a student of Bryusova (theory) and Jaworski (piano) at the Moscow Cons., and then studied with Józef Turczyñski in Warsaw (1920). From 1934 to 1939 she was a prof. at the Gdansk Cons. In 1945 she joined the faculty of the State Higher School of Music in Lodz, where she held the piano chair from 1952. She also was on the faculty of the StateHigher School of Music in Warsaw from 1951, where she held its piano chair from 1964. She made tours as both a soloist and as a chamber music player.

(4) Józef Wilkomirsk,a cellist, conductor, and composer; b. Kalisz, May 15, 1926. He studied with Zdz-islaw Górzyñski and Wlodzimierz Ormicki at the State Higher School of Music in Lodz, and then attended the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw. He pursued training in conducting with Walerian Bierdiajew. In 1946 he became a cellist in the State Phil. in Lodz and in the opera orch. in Warsaw. In 1950-51 he was conductor of the State Phil. in Krakow. After serving as conductor of the State Phil. in Poznan (1954-57), he was music director of the Szczecin Phil. (1957-71). In 1978 he founded the Phil. in Walbrzych (later the Sudetes Phil.), which he subsequently led as music director.

Works

dramatic: Ballet-pantomime: Basn o królewiczu Jasnym (Fairy-Tale of the Fair Prince; 1972). ORCH.: Concerto for Harp and Chamber Orch. (1969); 2 sinfoniettas (1969, 1970); Zamek Królewski w Warszawie (Royal Castle in Warsaw), suite (1971); Poemat zatobny (Funeral Poem; 1973); Concerto for Orchestra (1973); Cello Concertino (1974). CHAMBER: Sonata for Solo Cello (1967); Mala suita (Little Suite) for Cello (1970); Violin Sonata (1971); Cello Sonata (1971); Piano Trio (1971); Double Bass Sonata (1972); Suita taneczna (Dance Suite) for Percussion Quartet (1972); Concerto for 4 Harps (1972); Viola Sonata (1975); Sonata for Solo Violin (1975); String Quartet (1975). VOCAL: Piesni milosne (Love Songs) for Soprano and Piano (1975; also for Soprano and Orch., 1976);

Wrzesniowy alarm (September Alarm) for Soprano, Baritone, Reciter, Chorus, and Orch. (1976).(5) Wanda Wilkomirska, violinist and pedagogue; b. Warsaw, Jan. 11,1929. She was only 5 when she began to study violin with her father, and at age 7 she made her public debut. After studies with Eugenia Umiñska and Irena Dubiska, she graduated with honors from the State Higher School of Music in Lodz in 1947. She completed her training with Ede Zathureczky in Budapest, and with Henryk Szeryng in Paris (1960). She won prizes in the Geneva (2^nd , 1946), Budapest (2^nd , 1948), Leipzig (4^th , 1950), and Poznan (2^nd , 1953) competitions. In addition to appearances in chamber music settings, she also was a soloist with orchs. in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Asia. In 1982 she went to Germany and in 1983 became a prof. at the Hochschule für Musik of Heidelberg-Mannheim.