The Arthur Rubinstein Łódź Philharmonic () is a professional
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
based in
Łódź
Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, Poland. It was founded in 1915 by composer and conductor
Tadeusz Mazurkiewicz and
Gotliba Teschnera, a cello instructor and bookstore owner. The men organized the orchestra initially as a temporary ensemble to play for a benefit for impoverished musicians. The orchestra was made up of approximately 60 musicians, both professional and amateur. The enthusiastic reception of this benefit concert drew the patronage of industrialist
Karol Wilhelm Scheilbler, who provided the finances necessary to make the orchestra a permanent ensemble. Mazurkiewicz was appointed the orchestra's first director.
In 1934 the orchestra ceased activities, but resumed performances in 1938.
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
halted concerts again, with performances resuming following the end of the war. Initially after the war, it was called the Municipal Philharmonic. Beginning in 1949, it was called the State Philharmonic in Łódź. In 1984, it was renamed after
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist. .
[Ewa Niedźwiecka: Łódź w PRL-u. Łodź: Dom Wydawniczy Księży Młyn sięży Młyn Publishing House 2011, p. 115. ISBN 978-83-7729-000-2.]
The orchestra's current home is the Łódzki Dom Koncertowy, a concert hall built for the orchestra that was inaugurated in 2004. Conductor
Lech Dzierżanowski has served as the orchestra's General and Artistic Director since 2007.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodz Philharmonic
Culture in Łódź
Musical groups established in 1915
Polish orchestras
1915 establishments in the Russian Empire
Concert halls in Poland
Organisations based in Łódź