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Karol Miarka Prize for Wojciech Kilar
2003-10-27
Wojciech Kilar was awarded by the Karol Miarka Prize. The prize is announcement yearly by the Managing Board of the Silesia Province.
The ceremony was take place on October 23 in Pielgrzymowice.
Wojciech Kilar was born in Lvov on 17 July 1932. When the Bolsheviks entered Lvov in 1944, he had to leave his native town. After short periods spent in Krosno, Rzeszów and Kraków he settled in Katowice. Between 1946-47 he studied piano with K. Mirski in the secondary music school in Rzeszów. In 1947 he made his debut there at the Young Talents' Competition playing his own Two Children's Miniatures (2nd prize). Between 1947-48 he attended the music lyceum (a secondary music school) in Kraków studying piano with M. Bilińska-Riegerowa and harmony (privately) with A. Malawski; he continued his piano studies in the secondary music school in Katowice with W. Markiewiczówna. At the same time he took private composition lessons with B. Woytowicz. Between 1950-55 he studied with B. Woytowicz (piano and composition) at the Higher State Music School in Katowice. He graduated in 1955 gaining a diploma with distinction. In the same year he received 2nd prize for his Small Overture at the Symphonic Works Competition during the 5th Youth Festival in Warsaw. This work, still in neoclassical style, was placed in the programme of the first Warsaw Autumn festival of contemporary music in 1956. Between 1955-58 he was a post-graduate student of B. Woytowicz. In 1957 he took part in the International Summer Courses of New Music in Darmstadt. On receiving a French government scholarship, he studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris between 1959-60. In 1960 he won the award of the Lili Boulanger Foundation in Boston for his Béla Bartók in Memoriam Ode. He also appeared as a pianist performing his own works. Between 1979-81 he was vice-president of the Main Board of the Polish Composers' Union. In 1977 he became a founder member of the Karol Szymanowski Society in Zakopane and was its vice-president for two terms. He is also a member of the Podhale Highlanders' Union. In 1991 Krzysztof Zanussi made a television film entitled Wojciech Kilar. In 1999 the composer received an honorary doctorate from Opole University. Since 1999 he has been a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Letters. In 2002 he received a Commander's Cross with a Star of the Order of the Restoration of Poland.
He is the winner of many prizes, including: Lili Boulanger Composition Award in 1960 Minister of Culture and Arts Award: 2nd Degree in 1967, 1st Degree in 1976 Polish Composers' Union Award in 1975 Katowice Voivodship Award in 1967, 1971, 1975 and 1980 Katowice City Award in 1975, 1992 State Award 1st Degree in 1980 A. Jurzykowski Foundation Award in New York in 1984 Artistic Award of the Committee of Independent Culture of the "Solidarity" Independent Self-governing Trade Union in 1989 The Award of the Three Uprising Wings in 1990 Katowice TV Award in 1990 The Award of the President of the Film Committee in 1991 The Award of the American Composers' Society for the music to Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1993 W. Korfanty Award in 1995 " Lux ex Silesia" Award of the Katowice Metropolitan Archbishop in 1995 K. Kieślowski Award granted by the Bank Cultural Foundation in 1996Sonderpreis des Kulturpreises Schlesien des Landes Niedersachsen in 1996 “Artur" - the honorary award of the Film Museum in Łódź during the First Film Music Festival, held on 10-11 May 1997 in Łódź The Grand Award of the Foundation of Culture in 2000 “A Golden Sceptre" of the Foundation of Polish Culture in 2000, "Caesar" in 2003, "Orzeł 2003" Prize, "Golden Duck" in 2003 and "The Ring of Bethlehem Sages" Award in 2003.
He also won awards at many film festivals: "Golden Grapes" at Łagów for the music to The Red and the Golden (1970) and The Romantic (1971) The award at the International Film Festival in Cork, Ireland, for the music to The Glass Ball (1973) and Da un paese lontano. Papa Giovanni Paolo II (1981) Awards at the Gdańsk festival for the music to The Promised Land, A Quarterly Balance, The Line, From Nowhere to Nowhere (1975) and The Spiral (1978) An award for the music to Da un paese lontano. Papa Giovanni Paolo II in Catania in 1981 Prix Louis Delluc for the music to Le roi et l'oiseau (1980) ASCAP Award 1992 in Los Angeles for his music to Bram Stoker's Dracula as well as Best Score Composer Award for a 1992 Horror Film in San Francisco "A Golden Duck" and "Eagles 2000" for the music to Pan Tadeusz (2000) “Eagles 2001" for the music to Life as a Fatal Disease Communicated Through Sex.
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