Stanislaw Skrowaczewski commands an extraordinary level of respect in the international musical community as both a major conductor and a highly regarded composer. The 2011-12 season marks his 52nd as a member of the Minnesota Orchestra’s artistic staff as well as the 52nd 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.

Skrowaczewski, one of the world’s leading Bruckner interpreters, takes the Orchestra Hall podium again in April 2012 to conduct the composer’s Eighth Symphony. Last season brought a crowning event for his lifetime focus on the Bruckner: conducting Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony at the abbey of St. Florian near Linz, Austria, where Bruckner had been a chorister and organist and is buried. Among his 2011-12 engagements are concerts with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony and NHK Symphony, as well as a tour of Japan with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie.

Born in Poland, Skrowaczewski began piano and violin studies at age 4, composed his first symphonic work at 7, 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 as advisor to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony, committing three years to each.

Many of Skrowaczewski’s works have received international awards, including his Concerto for Orchestra, which was 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. His 2009 composition, Music for Winds, was co-commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra with an international consortium of wind ensembles and orchestras including the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and Bruckner Orchestra Linz.

In April 2007 Skrowaczewski began a three-year tenure as principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony in Tokyo, which he now serves as honorary conductor laureate. He also has a close relationship with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, which he has served as principal guest conductor since 1994, and with which he has made many acclaimed recordings. Among them are 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. A comprehensive account of his life and work can be found in Seeking the Infinite: The Musical Life of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, by Frederick Harris, Jr., of MIT; it is available at seekingtheinfinite.com.

December 2011