Olgierd Straszyński (29 November 1903 – 12 January 1971) was a Polish

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

, member of Polish resistance in World War II and music director of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra in 1945–1946.

Childhood and education

His father was Stanisław Straszyński, an engineer and director of railroad construction, and his mother was Aniela Straszyńska. His grandfather was Polish opera singer . He began his musical education, as a violinist, in Kyiv. In 1921 he moved with his family to Warsaw, where he graduated from high school in 1923. In 1930 he graduated as a conductor under

Grzegorz Fitelberg Grzegorz Fitelberg (18 October 1879 – 10 June 1953) was a Polish conductor, violinist and composer. He was a member of the Young Poland group, together with artists such as Karol Szymanowski, Ludomir Różycki and Mieczysław Karłowicz. Life ...

Career

He debuted as a conductor in 1930 at the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, and from 1932 he worked at Polskie Radio. During the German occupation of Poland in World War II, he joined the Polish resistance movement. He participated in hiding of Polish cultural property, including manuscripts of

Fryderyk Chopin The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the American Grammy and the UK's BRI ...

and

Stanisław Moniuszko Stanisław Moniuszko (; May 5, 1819 – June 4, 1872) was a Polish composer, conductor and teacher. He wrote many popular art songs and operas, and his music is filled with patriotic folk themes of the peoples of the former Polish–Lithuania ...

, from the Germans, conducted secret symphonic concerts, published Polish patriotic songs, and during the Warsaw Uprising he was the music director of the underground

Błyskawica radiostation The Błyskawica radio station (''"Lightning" radio station'') was an insurgent radio transmitter broadcasting from Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, since 8 August 1944 until the end of the struggle. The transmitter was constructed by An ...

. After the fall of the uprising he was deported by the Germans to

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

, however, he eventually escaped and returned to Poland. In 1945–1946, he was the first post-war music director of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1949 he became a conductor of an orchestra in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

, in 1954–1956, he was a conductor of the Philharmonic in

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

, and in 1957–1960, as artistic director, he developed the Philharmonic in Olsztyn.

Personal life

His son is , conductor of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw.

References

1903 births 1971 deaths Polish conductors (music) 20th-century conductors (music) People from Mariupol Burials at Powązki Cemetery Polish resistance members of World War II Escapees from German detention {{Poland-conductor-stub