KRZYSZTOF MEYER  

Krzysztof Meyer was born on 11 August 1943 in Kraków. From the age of five he studied the piano and, from 1954, theory and composition with Stanisław Wiechowicz. After graduating from the Chopin State Secondary School of Music in Kraków Meyer continued his studies at the College of Music there, graduating with distinction in composition in 1965, in the class of Krzysztof Penderecki and in theory a year later. In 1964, 1966, and 1968 he was a student of Nadia Boulanger in France. During the years 1965–1967 Meyer appeared as pianist with the group MW2 Ensemble, giving concerts of contemporary music both at home and in most European countries. He also played his solo and chamber music compositions. From 1966 to 1987 he taught at the State College of Music (now Academy of Music) in Kraków, holding the chair of the Department of Music Theory from 1975 to 1987. Since 1987 he has been professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne and is a frequent lecturer on the subject of contemporary music in many countries, including Russia, Germany, Austria, Brazil and Japan. Between the years 1985 and 1989 he held the office of President of the Polish Composers’ Union.

Krzysztof Meyer is a winner of numerous awards, including First Prize in a Young Composers’ Competition in France (1966), the Aaron Copland Scholarship (1966), the First Prize for Symphony No. 3 in the Fitelberg Competition (1968), and Grand Prix in the Prince Pierre de Monaco International Composers’ Competition for his opera Cyberiada (1970). He was twice the recipient of the Special Mention at the Tribune Internationale des Compositeurs UNESCO in Paris for his String Quartet No. 2 and String Quartet No. 3 (1970 and 1976). He is also a laureate of the Ministry of Culture Award (1973 and 1975), the First Prize winner of the Karol Szymanowski Competition in Warsaw for Symphony No. 4 (1974), and the recipient of a Special Medal bestowed by the Government of Brazil for his String Quartet No. 4 and Concerto retro (1975 and 1977). Among other distinguished prizes that Krzysztof Meyer has received are the Johann Gottfried von Herder Prize (Vienna, 1984), the annual Award of the Polish Composers’ Union (Warsaw, 1992), the A. Jurzykowski Award (New York, 1993) and the Johann Stamitz Prize (Mannheim, 1996). Krzysztof Meyer is a member of the Freie Akademie der Künste in Mannheim.

Meyer’s compositions have been performed all over the world at international festivals of contemporary music, including the Warsaw Autumn, Musicki Biennale Zagreb, Holland Festival, Musikprotokoll-Graz, Aldeburgh Festival, Schleswig-Holstein, and the Lucerne Festival. Some of his works were commissioned by or composed for the most eminent soloists (Lyric Triptych for Peter Pears, the Flute Concerto for Aurèle Nicolet, the Concerto da camera per oboe for Lothar Faber, the Pezzo capriccioso for Heinz Holliger, the First Cello Sonata for David Geringas, Canti Amadei for Ivan Monighetti, and his Second Violin Concerto for Dmitri Sitkovetsky).