Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra
| Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
Official logo |
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| Founded | 1909 |
| Concert hall | Kraków Philharmonic Concert Hall |
| Principal conductor | Michał Dworzyński |
| Website | www |
The Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra or the Symphony Orchestra of the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic (Polish: Orkiestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii im. Karola Szymanowskiego) is a professional symphony orchestra based in Kraków, Poland. The national status of the orchestra is represented in its program of events including weekly symphonic concerts in the Wawel Royal Castle, or at the Jagiellonian University famous Collegium Novum, and at prominent Kraków churches. The company is more active professionally than any other philharmonic orchestra in the country.
The Symphony Orchestra now residing in the Kraków Philharmonic came into being in 1945. It was the first professional symphony orchestra in postwar Poland, formed at the local concert hall during the Soviet offensive. The first postwar director as well as the conductor of the historic first performance held on February 3, 1945; three months before the end of World War II in Europe, was Professor Zygmunt Latoszewski, survivor of the Warsaw Uprising.
Although the attempts to create the first modern-type symphony orchestra in the city go back to the 18th century under the Austrian rule, the professional team was assembled in Kraków only during the imminent collapse of Austria-Hungary (1909), on the initiative of patriotic composer and music director Feliks Nowowiejski (b. 1877).
Soon after the return of Poland's sovereignty at the end of World War One, the company was reinstated, with an inaugural concert held on May 18, 1919 for the centennial anniversary of Stanisław Moniuszko's birthday, featuring 80 musicians. In 1931 a brand new concert hall (pictured) was built at Zwierzyniecka street. The resident orchestra was active there until the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland, with the last performance held on May 21, 1939, under the direction of Bronisław Wolfstahl.
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Wikipedia