Jerzy Szymański

Jerzy Szymański (born March 9, 1927 in Toruń , then Greater Pomeranian Voivodeship ( Województwo Wielkopomorskie ); † July 4, 2015 in Danzig ) was a Polish opera singer ( bass ).

Life

Jerzy Szymański was born into a musical family. He received piano lessons as a child , but had to interrupt piano studies because of the Second World War . However, due to the difficult economic circumstances in the post-war period, he was unable to resume his piano studies. He joined the church choir in his hometown of Toruń. From 1946 he learned singing with Konstancja Święcicka at the State Music School in Toruń ( Zespół Szkół Muzycznych im. Karola Szymanowskiego w Toruniu ). During this time he sang with the vocal quartet “Kwartet Zenona Jarugi” at the Pomeranian-Polish Radio in Toruń ( Pomorska Rozgłośnia Polskiego Radia w Toruniu ).

He initially worked as a concert singer, but then received an invitation to study opera singing from Zygmunt Latoszewski , one of the founders of the opera studio at the Baltic Opera in Danzig ( Opera Bałtycka ) and later conductor of the Baltic National Philharmonic and the Baltic Opera. From 1949 he studied singing with Kazimierz Czekotowski at the State University of Music ( Średnia Szkoła Muzyczna ), where he graduated in 1953. He won awards and prizes at various singing competitions, including a. at the International Singing Competition in Geneva , at the Moscow Singing Competition “Beautiful Voices” and at the International Singing Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch .

In October 1949 he became a permanent member of the Baltic Opera Danzig ( Opera Bałtycka ). Until 1977 he was a permanent member of the Gdansk Baltic Opera for almost thirty years. He also sang regularly with the Baltic Philharmonic (Danzig) . From 1953 he also sang regularly on the Polish Radio in Gdansk. His repertoire included more than 45 major operatic roles. His important stage roles included: Zbigniew in Das Gespensterschloss , Stolnik in Halka , Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville , Falstaff in The Funny Wives of Windsor , Mephisto in Margarethe , King Philip in Don Carlos , Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin and the title role in Boris Godunov .

Szymański was professor of singing for more than 20 years. He first taught at the Academy of Music in Danzig ( Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku ), and later at the Academy of Music in Bromberg ( Akademia Muzyczna im. Feliksa Nowowiejskiego w Bydgoszczy ). He trained many well-known Polish singers, a. a. Józef Figas, Wojciech Lewandowski, Andrzej Kosecki, Jerzy Mechliński, Piotr Kusiewicz and Piotr Kubowicz.

Szymański has received numerous awards for his artistic and educational work, including a. the Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( Złoty Krzyż Zasługi ), the Order of Polonia Restituta ( Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski ), the Music Prize of the City of Gdańsk ( Nagrodę Muzyczną Miasta Gdańsk ), the Prize of the State Ministry of Art and Culture ( Nagroda Minztuki Culture ) and the Rector's Prize of the Music Academies in Gdansk and Bromberg.

Szymański died in Gdansk at the age of 88. The memorial service took place on July 17, 2015 in the Oliva Cathedral ( Bazylika Katedralna w Gdańsku-Oliwie ) in Gdansk. Then Szymański was buried in the Gdańsk Oliva Cemetery ( Cmentarz Oliwski ) in the Oliwa district .

Web links

Zmarł Jerzy Szymański, były solista Opery Bałtyckiej (obituary; Polish)
Odszedł prof. Jerzy Szymański - legenda Opery Bałtyckiej (obituary; Polish)
Zmarł prof. Jerzy Szymański (Obituary of the Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku; Polish)
Jerzy Szymański (sound document; aria from Don Giovanni )

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Zmarł Jerzy Szymański, były solista Opery Bałtyckiej obituary Trojmiasto.pl of July 13, 2015; accessed on October 2, 2015.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Professor Jerzy Szymański; ur. 9 marca 1927 r. w Toruniu - zm. 4 lipca 2015 r. w Gdańsku life data, obituary and audio document on Youtube la.lv of July 12, 2015; accessed on October 2, 2015.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Odszedł prof. Jerzy Szymański - legenda Opery Bałtyckiej obituary NASZ Gdańsk . Retrieved October 2, 2015.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Zmarł prof. Jerzy Szymański obituary; Internet presence of the Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku, July 10, 2015. Accessed October 2, 2015.

personal data
SURNAME	Szymański, Jerzy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Polish opera singer (bass)
DATE OF BIRTH	March 9, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH	Toruń , then the Greater Pomeranian Voivodeship
DATE OF DEATH	4th July 2015
Place of death	Gdansk , Poland

[Trojmiasto-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Zmarł Jerzy Szymański, były solista Opery Bałtyckiej obituary Trojmiasto.pl of July 13, 2015; accessed on October 2, 2015.

[youtube-2] Professor Jerzy Szymański; ur. 9 marca 1927 r. w Toruniu - zm. 4 lipca 2015 r. w Gdańsku life data, obituary and audio document on Youtube la.lv of July 12, 2015; accessed on October 2, 2015.

[NASZ-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Odszedł prof. Jerzy Szymański - legenda Opery Bałtyckiej obituary NASZ Gdańsk . Retrieved October 2, 2015.

[AMUZ-4] Zmarł prof. Jerzy Szymański obituary; Internet presence of the Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku, July 10, 2015. Accessed October 2, 2015.