Jerzy Semkow
Jerzy Semkow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 October 1928 Radomsko, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland |
| Died | 23 December 2014 (aged 86) Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1950s–2000s |
| Employer | See list of orchestras |
| Style | Classical |
| Awards | Ordre des Arts et des Lettres |
Jerzy Semkow (12 October 1928 – 23 December 2014) was a Polish conductor.
Biography
[edit]
Semkow was born in Radomsko, Poland, but later took French citizenship and resided in Paris. He studied in Kraków and Leningrad. His conducting mentors included Erich Kleiber, Bruno Walter and Tullio Serafin. He was an assistant conductor with Yevgeny Mravinsky with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.[1]
Semkow held posts as artistic director (1958–59) and principal conductor (1959–62) of the of the National Opera in Warsaw, principal conductor of the Royal Danish Opera and the Royal Danish Orchestra in Copenhagen (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 Orchestra (1975–79),[1] 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 over a 40-year period, including guest appearances over 24 consecutive seasons from 1986 to 2009.[2]
Semkow lectured on music at the University of Colorado 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.
He was awarded the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2000) and received honorary doctorates from the Chopin University of Music (2005) and the Łódź Music Academy (2013).
Semkow died near Lausanne, Switzerland, on 23 December 2014, aged 86. His biography was published the same year, authored by Małgorzata Komorowska.
References
[edit]- 1 2 Miller, Sarah Bryan (23 December 2014). "Jerzy Semkow, ninth music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. dies". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ↑ Stryker, Mark (24 December 2014). "Jerzy Semkow, favorite DSO guest conductor, dies at 86". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
External links
[edit]
- Jerzy Semkow at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Archived 21 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine)
- "'Był księciem batuty'. Jerzy Semkow nie żyje", Polskie Radio, 2014 (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