History - NOSPR
History
2024-2020
2019-2010
Maestro Lawrence Foster appointed as Artistic Director and 1st Conductor of NOSPR. Domingo Hindoyan appointed as 1st Guest Conductor.
NOSPR joins ECHO, an organisation of Europe’s best concert halls.
International tour, NOSPR concerts at the DR Koncerthuset Kopenhagen and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
International Classical Music Awards (ICMA). ICMA 2018 Special Achievement Award.
International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) International Classical Music Award (ICMA) in the Best Collection category for the "Szymanowski, Lutosławski" album / NOSPR, Alexander Liebreich, Gautier Capuçon.
The prize Koryfeusz Muzyki Polskiej 2015 for the Opening Festival of the new seat of the NOSPR.
1st edition of the Katowice Kultura Natura Festival. Concerts of London Sinfonietta and András Schiff
Inaugural Concert and a great Opening Festival of the news seat with participation of such stars as Krystian Zimerman, Piotr Anderszewski, Piotr Beczała. Concerts of Wiener Philharmoniker and London Symphony Orchestra.
Last concert at the old seat, including Richard Strauss’s „Elektra” performed by Christine Goerke (soprano).
Second sea journey on the „Dar Młodzieży” on Fryderyk Chopin’s 200th birthday anniversary, concerts conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk in Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and France.
2009-2000
Jacek Kaspszyk appointed as artistic director.
Midem Classical Awards in the „Contemporary music” category for recordings of Krzysztof Penderecki’s works performed by NOSPR conducted by the composer himself, published by DUX.
Fryderyk award in the „Album of the year archive recordings” category for the „Dyrygenci polscy: Henryk Czyż” record and Fryderyk award in the „Album of the year contemporary music” category for a record in the „Dzieła narodowe” series with Henryk Mikołaj
A sea journey on the „Dar Młodzieży” on the 70th anniversary of the orchestra’s foundation and Jerzy Maksymiuk’s 70th birthday, concerts in Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
A concert in Münster - 40th anniversary of the premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s „St Luke’s Passion”.
First edition of the NOSPR-organised biennale – Festiwal Prawykonań „Polska Muzyka Najnowsza” [Festival of Premieres: Polish Modern Music].
Fryderyk award in the orchestral music and best recording of Polish music categories for the „Dyrygenci polscy: Grzegorz Fitelberg (nagrania historyczne 1948-53)” record, published by Polish Radio.
A marathon of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s works on his 70th birthday.
NOSPR’s concert at the Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, conducted by Antoni Wit, during the opening of the Polish Year in Austria.
Diapason d'Or for a record containing Karol Szymanowski’s „Stabat Mater” recorded for EMI by NOSPR, conducted by Antoni Wit.
Prix International du Disque Cannes Classical Awards in „20th century orchestral music” for Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalila symphony, recorded for NAXOS by NOSPR, conducted by Antoni Wit.
Fryderyk award in orchestral music for the „Dyrygenci polscy: Jan Krenz” record, published by Polish Radio.
Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa appointed as general director and programme director, Gabriel Chmura appointed as artistic director.
1999-1990
Official naming of the institution: Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia - Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Separating WOSPR from the organizational structure of Polish Radio in Warsaw.
Tournée do Brazylii, dwa koncerty.
Establishment of Polskie Radio - S.A. (Polish Radio) in Warsaw, which included the to Grand Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (WOSPR) in Katowice.
A ceremonial concert on Lutosławski’s 80th birthday, conducted by Antoni Wit, broadcast in 17 countries.
Diapason d'Or award for a recording of Sergei Prokofiev’s piano concertos by Kun Woo Paik and WOSPRiTV conducted by Antoni Wit.
A radio recording of the premiere of Lutosławski’s „Symphony No. 4", conducted by the composer himself.
Ornette Coleman with Prime Time and WOSPR performs „Skies of America” for the first time.
A tour of Hongkong, eight concerts.
A tour of Switzerland and Spain, 14 concerts, including one at the Seville Expo.
Martha Argerich joins the NOSPR to perform Schumann's Piano Concerto, Alexandre Rabinovitch plays the Piano Concerto KV459 by Mozart.
22 concerts in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
1989-1980
A recording of Krzysztof Penderecki’s “St Luke’s Passion” for Decca Internationa, conducted by the composer himself.
Olivier Messiaen during a visit in Katowice attends NOSPR concert in st. Peter and Paul church.
A concert at Warsaw’s Grand Theatre celebrating 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Krzysztof Penderecki and Lukas Foss, with Barbara Hendricks and Liv Ullmann.
A tour of US, 26 concerts, including in Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.
A tour of Spain. 5 concerts, including concert at Festival International de Santander and Plaza de Toros in Alicante.
Karol Szymanowski’s „Stabat Mater” recorded for EMI by WOSPRiTV, conducted by Antoni Wit, called record of the year 1985 by the „Gramophone” magazine.
Concert in Barbican Hall in London. A tour of Great Britain, 11 concerts.
John Paul II listens to WOSPRiTV’s concert in the Christ the King cathedral in Katowice, conducted by Antoni Wit. The programme includes Wojciech Kilar’s „Victoria”.
Premiere of Wojciecha Kilar’s „Exodus” conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk during 25th Warsaw Autumn festival.
Two concerts at International Music Festival Prague Spring.
First concert at a new seat - former Centre for Management and Specialists’ Education Centre in then Dzerzhinsky Square (now plac Sejmu Śląskiego - Silesian Parliament square).
1979-1970
EMI recording of Witold Lutosławski’s music awarded the Schallplattenpreis and the Diapason d'Or.
European tour: France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, 24 concerts.
German Phonographic Academy Award in opera for the „Boris Godunov” recording for EMI. Furthermore, the album received the German Schallplattenpreis, Italian music critics’ Grand Prix and the Grand Prix du Disque.
Marian Wallek-Walewski appointed as director, Jerzy Maksymiuk as artistic director and 1st conductor.
A tour of US and Canada, 47 concerts, including Carnegie Hall. The programm included Wojciech Kilar’s „Krzesany”.
The first recording of the original version of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov” in history, conducted by Jerzy Semkow for EMI.
Participation in 9th Chopin Competition, conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk, and the first meeting with Krystian Zimerman, the 9th edition laureate.
A tour of Iran, 2 concerts.
Garrick Ohlsson’s concert conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk, Chopin’s pieces previously recorded for EMI.
Tadeusz Strugała appointed as director and artistic director, Jerzy Maksymiuk appointed as 1st conductor.
WOSPRiTV’s concert conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki. His first performance in Poland as a conductor. His symphony No. 1 among the pieces performed.
The orchestra’s first stereophonic recording - Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s „Symphony No. 4" recorded in the Plebiscytowa 3 studio.
Four foreign journeys (GDR, France, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Austria), 21 concerts and three opera shows (the latter in Taormina).
1969-1960
The ensemble changes its name to Grand Polish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra (WOSPRiTV).
Premiere of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s „Muzyczka III”, conducted by the composer himself.
A tour of Great Britain, Belgium and France, 19 koncerts. One of the British concerts was recorded by the BBC.
A tour of the Netherlands and Great Britain, seven concerts. In Edinburgh the orchestra performed Dmitri Schostakovich’s pieces with him in the audience.
Premiere of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s „Genesis I” in Kraków, conducted by the composer himself.
A concert of WOSPR, conducted by Stanisław Wisłocki, with Isaak Stern.
1959-1950
Premiere of Witold Lutosławski’s „Musique funèbre” conducted by Jan Krenz.
Inauguration concert at the new seat at Plebiscytowa 3, called Radiowy Dom Muzyki [The Radio House of Music] (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, conducted by Jan Krenz) and 10th anniversary of the orchestra’s presence in Katowice.
Two concerts with maestro Kirill Kondrashin and Tatiana Nikolajewa.
The first record. Grzegorz Fitelberg and Jan Krenz conducted the orchestra to record pieces by Moniuszko, Lutosławski, Szymanowski and others.
1949-1940
The first post-war, and the second in the orchestra’s history, foreign tour - six concerts in Czechoslovakia.
Premiere of Witolda Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 1, conducted by Grzegorz Fitelberg, for whom the piece was dedicated. The concert took place at the Katowice Philharmonics concert hall.
Grzegorz Fitelberg a leader again, the ensemble becoming the Grand Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
1939-1930
Third „Koncert wawelski” [Wawel Concert], the last public appearance before the outbreak of World War II.
NOSPR’s first concert in Katowice, celebrating the opening of the local Polish Radio broadcasting house.
First foreign tour. The ensemble played three concerts at the World Exhibition in Paris and returned home with two Gold Medals - for the orchestra and for Grzegorz Fitelberg.
Europe-wide concert on the 10th anniversary of the International Broadcasting Union.
The first radio concert of the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra lead by its artistic director and first conductor, Grzegorz Fitelberg.
Upcoming events
Stars of the Polish avant-garde / Penderecki, Górecki, Panufnik
Chamber Hall
Silesian String Quartet / British Fantasy on the 110th anniversary of the birth of Andrzej Panufnik
Chamber Hall
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