Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors
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The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors (
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
: ''Międzynarodowy Konkurs Dyrygentów im. Grzegorza Fitelberga'') is one of Poland's premier
conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duti ...
competitions. Named in honour of
Grzegorz Fitelberg Grzegorz Fitelberg (18 October 1879 – 10 June 1953) was a Polish conductor, violinist and composer. He was a member of the Young Poland group, together with artists such as Karol Szymanowski, Ludomir Różycki and Mieczysław Karłowicz. Life ...
(1879–1953), the competition was admitted as a member of the
World Federation of International Music Competitions The World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) is an organization based in Geneva, Switzerland that maintains a network of the internationally recognized organisations that aim to discover the most promising young talents in classi ...
(WFIMC) based in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
IN 1980. The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors was founded in 1979 by
Karol Stryja Karol Stryja (2 February 1915 in Cieszyn – 31 January 1998 in Katowice) was a Polish conductor and teacher. Stryja, son of a tailor, was born in Cieszyn and finished elementary school, gymnasium and teachers' seminary there. Since 1934 he wo ...
, student of Fitelberg and director of the
Silesian Philharmonic The Filharmonia Śląska w Katowicach ( en, Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice) is a music institution in Katowice, Silesia, Poland. The Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice was founded in 1945. The first concert of the orchestra took place on 26 of M ...
, who led all its editions until his death in 1998. According to composer Witold Lutosławski: "Fitelberg made a large contribution to Poland’s composing heritage. He was a pivotal figure in promoting young Polish music, without whom creators of the time would not have been able to develop their talents and gain necessary experience". It is open to all young conductors who are under 35 years of age on its opening day. The repertoire includes a range of music styles, including
Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
,
Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
and
20th-century classical music 20th-century classical music describes art music that was written nominally from 1901 to 2000, inclusive. Musical style diverged during the 20th century as it never had previously. So this century was without a dominant style. Modernism, impressio ...
, including works by Polish composers. The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors is held in
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
every 5 years (10th edition, 2017). In previous years, the competition was held at 4-year intervals. The 6th edition will take place in 2023.


The competition

The Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors is one of the most prestigious performance competitions in Poland, since 1982 belonging to the
World Federation of International Music Competitions The World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) is an organization based in Geneva, Switzerland that maintains a network of the internationally recognized organisations that aim to discover the most promising young talents in classi ...
in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
. It is addressed to artists younger than 39. Its renown and the prestige associated with winning any place on the podium open a path to a world carrier for young conductors. Since its very beginning, the competition has been organised by the
Silesian Philharmonic The Filharmonia Śląska w Katowicach ( en, Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice) is a music institution in Katowice, Silesia, Poland. The Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice was founded in 1945. The first concert of the orchestra took place on 26 of M ...
, which ever since the first years of its existence has been strongly connected with the figure of the patron of the competition. He was a regular on the stage of this institution, where he performed together with the
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), is one of Poland's radio orchestra and premier musical institutions. It was founded in 1935 in Warsaw. In 1945 the orchestra was re-established in Katowice and since 2006 it has become a "Nati ...
. His ideas were implemented in the Philharmonic in
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
with particular respect by its director of many years,
Karol Stryja Karol Stryja (2 February 1915 in Cieszyn – 31 January 1998 in Katowice) was a Polish conductor and teacher. Stryja, son of a tailor, was born in Cieszyn and finished elementary school, gymnasium and teachers' seminary there. Since 1934 he wo ...
, Grzegorz Fitelberg’s student, the only one Fitelberg had ever prepared for the diploma. After two all-Poland’s editions (1970 and 1974), on Fitelberg’s 100th birthday, the 1st International Competition for Conductors commemorating him was held, with Karol Stryja as his initiator. Ever since then, the Silesian Philharmonic has been an extremely important centre of educating and discovering new conducting talents. The competition is accompanied by measures which contribute to commemorating its patron – one of the most acclaimed Polish conductors. They comprise not only initiatives promoting the competition itself, but also publications, exhibitions, and studies resulting in monographs. Since its very beginnings, the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors has been attracting distinguished personalities. Such artists as Stanisław Wisłocki, Karol Stryja,
Sir Charles Groves Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (10 March 191520 June 1992) was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors. After accompanying positions and conducting v ...
, Juozas Domarkas,
Jan Krenz Jan Krenz (14 July 1926 – 15 September 2020) was a Polish composer and orchestra conductor. Biography During World War II, Krenz studied piano with Zbigniew Drzewiecki and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski. From 1945 to 1947, he studied at th ...
, Pierre Colombo, Marianne Granvig, Tadeusz Strugała, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, as well as winners in previous editions of the competition, including Chikara Imamura, Michael Zilm, Mirosław Błaszczyk, Marek Pijarowski, Jerzy Salwarowski,
Patrick Fournillier Patrick Fournillier (born 26 December 1954 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French people, French Conducting, conductor, particularly associated with opera and with the works of Jules Massenet. He studied in Paris with Louis Fourestier and Pierre Derva ...
, Andreas Weiss, Victoria Zhadko, Tomasz Bugaj, Piotr Gajewski,
Eugeniusz Knapik Eugeniusz Knapik (born July 9, 1951, in Ruda Śląska) is a Polish pianist and composer of classical music best known for his 1980 chamber piece String Quartet No. 1. Knapik studied composition and piano with Henryk Górecki (1933–2010) a ...
, Jorma Panula, and Ken Takaseki have sat on the jury of the competition. Over the years, the group of winners has included such names as
Claus Peter Flor Claus Peter Flor (born 16 March 1953, Leipzig) is a German conductor. Flor studied violin and clarinet at the Robert Schumann Conservatory in Zwickau. He continued his music studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Weimar and the HMT Felix ...
,
Uri Mayer Uri Mayer (born August 4, 1946, in Târgu Mureș, Romania) is Romanian-born Canadian violist and conductor. Mayer moved to Israel at a young age, and studied at the Conservatory of Music of Tel-Aviv and the University of Tel-Aviv. His conducting ...
,
Tadeusz Wojciechowski Tadeusz Wojciechowski (b. 13 June 1838 in Kraków, d. 21 November 1919 in Lwów) was a Polish historian, professor, and rector of the University of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine; then in the Austro-Hungary). One of the founders of the Polish Historic ...
, Anton Zapf, Makoto Suehiro, Jin Wang,
Shin-ik Hahm Shinik Hahm (born 1958) is a Korean American conductor and a professor in the Practice of Conducting and Music Director of the Yale Philharmonia. Hahm has led North American, South American, European, and Far Eastern orchestras. Recent appeara ...
, Hidehiro Shindori,
Achim Fiedler Achim Fiedler (born 1965) is a German conductor. Biography Born in Stuttgart in 1965, Achim Fiedler studied violin at the Hochschule für Musik in Köln, in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and conducting at the Musikhochschu ...
, Massimiliano Caldi, Tomáš Hanus, Charles Olivieri-Munroe, Stephen Ellery,
Aleksandar Marković Aleksandar Marković may refer to: * Aleksandar Marković (conductor) * Aleksandar Marković (politician) Aleksandar M. Marković ( sr-cyr, Александар Марковић; born 22 May 1981) is a politician in Serbia. He has served in the N ...
, Modestas Pitrenas,
Marko Ivanović Marko Ivanović ( sr-cyr, Марко Ивановић; born July 24, 1962) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player. He is currently serving as the general manager for Borac Čačak of the Basketball League of Serbia. Pos ...
,
Eugene Tzigane Eugene Tzigane (IPA – Ju:dʒi:n tsi'ga:n) (real name: Gene McDonough) is a symphonic and operatic conductor. He's serving as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Kuopio Symphony Orchestra in Kuopio, Finland, since 2023. Biography Tzigan ...
, Lin Chen,
Sean Newhouse Sean Newhouse is an American orchestral conductor. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 2007, he studied at the Tanglewood Music Center. In 2010, he was appointed assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. On February ...
, Daniel Smith, Marzena Diakun, Azis Sadikovic, as well as Su-Han Yang, Bar Avni, and Modestas Barkauskas, who triumphed at the 10th International Competition for Conductors. The 1st-8th editions of the competition were held every four years, the subsequent ones – every five years. The 11th edition of this event has been planned six years after the previous one, in 2023, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Grzegorz Fitelberg’s death. The groundwork for the 11th edition was provided already in 2021, with the announcement of a grant from the budget of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund within the scheme of the programme “Music”, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance. Preparations to the 11th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors comprise – without limitations – concerts, exhibitions, and masterclasses. Their goal is to revive the memory of Grzegorz Fitelberg, to promote Polish music, to search for new conducting talents, and to emphasise the role of the Silesian Philharmonic as the organiser of the competition as an institution that really influences the shape of the world’s leading music scene. Prize money is not the only thing awarded to the winners. There is a number of extra-statutory awards – invitations to prestigious international orchestras (such BBC Symphony Orchestra,
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (Symphony Orchestra of Milan Giuseppe Verdi) is an Italian orchestra based in Milan. The orchestra refers to itself as ''La Verdi'' colloquially. The orchestra's primary residence is the ''Auditor ...
, or Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra) and to the most prestigious Polish institutions to conduct concerts. Therefore, the role of the competition is to assist the most distinguished conductors in starting their international careers and to discover young talents, who will soon delight audiences all over the world with their interpretations.


Prize winners


Laureates by country


See also

* Music of Poland *
Chopin International Piano Competition The International Chopin Piano Competition ( pl, Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina), often referred to as the Chopin Competition, is a piano Music competition, competition held in Warsaw, Poland. It was initiated in 1927 a ...
* Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors Conducting competitions Culture in Katowice Polish music Polish awards Awards established in 1979 1979 establishments in Poland