Stanislaw Skrowaczewski commands an extraordinary level of respect in the international musical community as both a major conductor and a highly regarded composer. The 2009-10 season marks his 50th anniversary as a member of the Minnesota Orchestra’s artistic staff as well as the 50th consecutive season in which he has led Orchestra subscription concerts. As music director of the Orchestra from 1960 to 1979, he was a key figure in the creation of Orchestra Hall; since concluding his tenure he has continued his affiliation with the Orchestra as conductor laureate. In February 2010 he returns to the Orchestra Hall podium to conduct works of Mozart and Brahms as well as the U.S. premiere of his latest composition, Music for Winds, which the Minnesota Orchestra co-commissioned with an international consortium of wind ensembles and orchestras including the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and Bruckner Orchestra Linz.
Born in Poland, Skrowaczewski began piano and violin studies at age four, composed his first symphonic work at seven, gave his first public recital at 11, and two years later performed and conducted Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. In 1956 he won the International Competition for Conductors in Rome, which led to regular engagements with leading orchestras throughout North America and Europe. In addition to guest conducting widely and composing actively, he has held numerous significant posts, serving as principal conductor of the Hallé Orchestra from 1984 to 1991 and three years each as advisor to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and to the Milwaukee Symphony.
Many of Skrowaczewski’s works have received international awards, including his Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned and premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra and shortlisted for a Pulitzer Prize in 1999. In October 2007 the Orchestra presented the world premiere of his Flute Fantasies, Il Piffero della Notte, with Principal Flute Adam Kuenzel as soloist.
In April 2007 Skrowaczewski began a three-year tenure as principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony in Tokyo. He also has a close relationship with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, which he served from 1994 to 2007 as principal guest conductor, and with which he has made many acclaimed recordings. Among them are complete cycles of the complete Beethoven and Bruckner symphonies—the latter winning the Cannes 2002 Award for Best Orchestral Recording—and, more recently, a much-praised set of the complete Schumann symphonies. He regularly conducts major orchestras in England, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, France and other European countries.
In 2004, Skrowaczewski received the McKnight Distinguished Artist Award, recognizing his decades of contributions to Minnesota arts and culture. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Minnesota, Hamline University and New England Conservatory of Music.
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