Tadeusz Żmudziński (9 July 1924, in

Chorzów Chorzów ( ; ; german: link=no, Königshütte ; szl, Chorzōw) is a city in the Silesia region of southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central cities of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population ...

– 17 October 1992, in

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

) was a Polish pianist and educator. In 1946, Żmudziński graduated with highest honours from the

University of Music in Katowice The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music is a school of music of university level in Katowice, in Poland. It is named for Karol Szymanowski. Studies The school offers full-time and part-time BA, MA and DA studies at two departments: Composi ...

, where he studied under Prof.

Władysława Markiewiczówna Władysława Markiewiczówna (5 February 1900 in Bochnia – 17 May 1982 in Katowice) was a Polish pianist and renowned educator. She studied in the Conservatory of the Musical Society in Kraków (nowadays Academy of Music in Kraków) in the p ...

. The following year he took lessons from Imre Ungar,

Walter Gieseking Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (5 November 1895 – 26 October 1956) was a French-born German pianist and composer. Gieseking was renowned for his subtle touch, pedaling, and dynamic control—particularly in the music of Debussy and Ravel; he made inte ...

and

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

. In 1949 he won 12th place at the

IV International Chopin Piano Competition The IV International Chopin Piano Competition ( pl, IV Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina) was held from 15 September to 15 October 1949 in Warsaw. The first competition after World War II, it was held in connection with ...

. He gave world premieres of several piano concertos, including those of

Bolesław Szabelski Bolesław Szabelski (3 December 1896 in Radoryż – 27 August 1979 in Katowice) was a Polish composer of modern classical music. While his style shifted and varied over the course of his life, he is best known for his atonal work composed duri ...

(1976), Robert Nessler (1961) and

Krzysztof Meyer Krzysztof Meyer (born 11 August 1943) is a Polish composer, pianist, and music scholar, formerly Dean of the Department of Music Theory (1972–1975) at the State College of Music (now Academy of Music in Kraków), and president of the Union of P ...

(1984). He was also famous for playing both Brahms' piano concertos at one recital. From 1961 he taught at the

Academy of Music in Kraków The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków ( pl, Akademia Muzyczna im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie) is a conservatory located in central Kraków, Poland. It is the '' alma mater'' of the renowned Polish contemporary composer Krz ...

, where his students included Andrzej Pikul and Mariola Cieniawa, from 1973 also in his ''alma mater'' in Katowice. Four times (1975, 1980, 1985, 1990) he was a member of the jury in the Chopin and

Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition The Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition is a music competition for young pianists that takes place in Bolzano, Italy. It was founded in 1949 by Cesare Nordio in memory of the pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni. History The fir ...

Bibliography

Chopin Institute
*Anna Woźniakowska, ''Tadeusz Żmudziński. Pianista i nauczyciel'' ("Tadeusz Żmudziński. Pianist and teacher"). Kraków 2002. Polish classical pianists Male classical pianists 1924 births 1992 deaths People from Chorzów Academic staff of the Academy of Music in Kraków Prize-winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century composers 20th-century male musicians Recipient of the Meritorious Activist of Culture badge {{classical-pianist-stub