Jerzy Semkow (12 October 1928 – 23 December 2014) was a Polish

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

. Semkow was born in

Radomsko Radomsko () is a city in southern Poland with 44,700 inhabitants (2021). It is situated on the Radomka river in the Łódź Voivodeship. It is the county seat of Radomsko County. Founded in the 11th century, Radomsko is a former royal city located ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, later took French citizenship and resided in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He studied in Cracow and Leningrad. His conducting mentors included

Erich Kleiber Erich Kleiber (5 August 1890 – 27 January 1956) was an Austrian, later Argentine, conductor, known for his interpretations of the classics and as an advocate of Neue Musik. Kleiber was born in Vienna, and after studying at the Prague Conser ...

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a Germany, German-born Conducting, conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French people, French cit ...

, and

Tullio Serafin Tullio Serafin (1 September 18782 February 1968) was an Italian conductor and former Musical Director at La Scala. Biography Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19t ...

. He was an assistant conductor with

Yevgeny Mravinsky Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky () (19 January 1988) was a Soviet and Russian conductor, pianist, and music pedagogue; he was a professor at Leningrad State Conservatory. Biography Mravinsky was born in Saint Petersburg. The soprano Yevgen ...

with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. Semkow held posts as artistic director of the National Opera in Warsaw (1958-1959), principal conductor of the National Opera in Warsaw (1959–62), principal conductor of the Royal Danish Opera and the Royal Danish Orchestra in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

(1966–76), as well as music director of the Orchestra of Radio-Televisione Italiana (RAI) in Rome. In the US, Semkow served as music director of the

St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony o ...

Orchestra (1975–79), and as music advisor and principal conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic (1985–89). He was a regular guest conductor of the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and of the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

over a 40-year period, including guest appearances over 24 consecutive seasons from 1986 to 2009. Semkow lectured on music at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

and conducted master classes at Yale University and New York's Manhattan School of Music. He recorded commercially with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for the Vox/Turnabout label. Awarded the French order Arts et Lettres (2000) and received honorary doctorate from the Music Academy in Warsaw (2005) and from Music Academy in Łódź (2013). Semkow died near

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

on 23 December 2014, aged 86. His biography was published the same year, authored by

Małgorzata Komorowska Małgorzata () is a common Polish female given name derived through Latin ''Margarita'' from Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), meaning "pearl". It is equivalent to the English "Margaret". Its diminutive forms include Małgośka, Ma ...

References

External links

Jerzy Semkow
at the

Orchestra
Polish Radio, '"Był księciem batuty". Jerzy Semkow nie żyje' 24 December 2014 (article in Polish)

1928 births 2014 deaths Naturalized citizens of France Polish emigrants to France Polish male conductors (music) French male conductors (music) 21st-century Polish conductors (music) 20th-century French conductors (music) 21st-century French conductors (music) People from Radomsko 20th-century Polish male musicians 21st-century Polish male musicians 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians Music directors of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Music directors of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra {{poland-conductor-stub