Around the Music Festival

One of Poland’s leading conductors, Kazimierz Kord, died on April 29. He was 90 years old. He has long been Principal Conductor of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra (1977–2001) and has led the orchestra on numerous overseas tours.

He was born in the Jewish quarter of Krakow, Podgouge. After studying piano at the Katowice Conservatory, he studied abroad at the Leningrad Conservatory in the former Soviet Union.

After returning to Poland, he studied conducting at the Krakow Conservatory and began conducting as the chief conductor and artistic director of a local musical theater.

After that, he performed as guest performers at the Gertnerplatz State Theater in Munich, Germany, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He was also the music director of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice from 1969 to 1973.

After becoming Principal Conductor of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra in 1977, he has also been Principal Conductor of the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (–1986) in Baden-Baden, Germany since 1980.

Photo：Paweł Nowak