Professor Stanisław Moryto

Out­stand­ing con­tem­po­rary com­poser, organ­ist and ped­a­gogue. He was born on 8^th May 1947 in Łąck near Nowy Sącz. He grad­u­ated from the State Higher School of Music in War­saw: he stud­ied Organ Play­ing under Feliks Rączkowski (1971) and Com­po­si­tion under Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz (1974). In the period of 1973–81 he was Chair­man of the Pol­ish Music Youth Asso­ci­a­tion “Jeunesses Musi­cales de Pologne”, and from 1981 to 1997 he was Chair­man of the People’s Insti­tute of Music (from 1992 called the Pol­ish Insti­tute of Music), mem­ber of the National Coun­cil of Cul­ture (1984–1990) and the Pro­gramme Coun­cil of the National Insti­tute of Fry­deryk Chopin (2007–2010). He was the ini­tia­tor and Artis­tic Man­ager of the fes­ti­val Organ Music Con­ver­sato­rium in Leg­nica (1986–2011). In the period of 1996–2002 he was Vice-Rector, and then (2002–2005) Dean of Depart­ment of Com­po­si­tion, Con­duct­ing and The­ory of Music at the Fry­deryk Chopin Acad­emy of Music. Dur­ing the period of 2005–2012 he has been Rec­tor of the Fry­deryk Chopin Uni­ver­sity of Music in War­saw, where he is Full Pro­fes­sor. He is a Doc­tor Hon­oris Causa of Keimyung Uni­ver­sity in Daegu (South Korea).

He started his con­cert activ­ity as early as he was a stu­dent. He per­formed many times as a soloist and cham­ber musi­cian in Poland and Aus­tria, Bel­gium, Bul­garia, Czech Repub­lic, Den­mark, Fin­land, Spain, Ger­many, Hun­gary and Italy. He did record­ings for radio broad­cast­ing sta­tions and record com­pa­nies such as: Pol­skie Nagra­nia, Sonoton Pro Viva, Acte Préable, BeArTon.

He ini­ti­ated pub­lish­ing series of early and con­tem­po­rary Pol­ish organ music, e.g.: “Cra­cow Organ Tab­la­ture”, “Gdańsk Organ Tab­la­ture”, “War­saw Organ Tab­la­ture” (17^th Cen­tury), “Con­ver­sato­rium Col­lec­tion” and a series titled “First music edi­tions of Pol­ish composers”.

His com­po­si­tions have been recorded on a few dozens of Pol­ish and for­eign LPs and CDs (8 of which are author’s record­ings), and per­formed dur­ing con­certs and music fes­ti­vals in Poland and abroad (Aus­tria, Bel­gium, Belarus, Bul­garia, Czech Repub­lic, Den­mark, Esto­nia, Fin­land, France, Greece, Spain, the Nether­lands, Japan, Canada, Kaza­khstan, South Korea, Cuba, Lebanon, Lithua­nia, Latvia, Moldova, Ger­many, Nor­way, Rus­sia, Slo­va­kia, Switzer­land, Swe­den, Turkey, USA, Vat­i­can, Hun­gary, Great Britain, Italy). He is a lau­re­ate of nine com­posers’ com­pe­ti­tions. He was awarded with a num­ber of prizes at com­posers’ com­pe­ti­tions, and other dis­tinc­tions: Award of the Town of Leg­nica (2000), the Brother Albert Award (2008), the Włodz­imierz Pietrzak Award (2009), Award of the Phono­graphic Acad­emy (“Fry­deryk”) in the cat­e­gory “The Com­poser of the Year” (2010), Award of the Min­is­ter of Cul­ture (1995, 2011). In 2007 the Grand Mas­ter of the Sov­er­eign Mil­i­tary Order of Malta awarded him with Crucem, Magni Offi­cialis, and in 2011 Pres­i­dent of the Repub­lic of Poland dec­o­rated him with the Knight’s Cross of the Rebirth of Poland.

The most impor­tant com­po­si­tions: Noc­turne for Bari­tone and Cham­ber Orches­tra (1975), Ver­set for Organ (1979), Rap­sod for Female Voice and String Orches­tra (1979), “Das Echo fern­ster Glück­serin­nerung” for Bari­tone and Cham­ber ensem­ble (1981), Aria and Chorale for Solo Vio­lin (1982), A tre for Two Accor­dions and Per­cus­sion (1984), Can­tio Polonica for Organ (1985), Vers libre for Solo Per­cus­sion (1985), Con­ducts for Two Accor­dions and Organ (1987), Per uno solo for Per­cus­sion (1988), E-la for Solo Accor­dion (1989), No Title for Bass Clar­inet and Marim­ba­phone (1991), Con­certo for Cello and String Orches­tra (1992), Antiphones for Soprano (Mezzo-soprano) and Organ (1992), Three Psalms for Mixed a cap­pella Choir (1994), Te Deum for Soprano, Mixed Choir and Wind Orches­tra (1995), Holy God for Soprano, Tenor and Mixed a cap­pella Choir (1996), Five Kurpie Songs for Female a cap­pella Choir (1997), Veni Cre­ator for Organ (1998), Sta­bat Mater for Soprano, Mixed Choir and Sym­phony Orches­tra (1999), Pre­ces pro Polo­nia for 8 Voice Mixed a capella Choir (1999), Madri­gals for Mixed a cap­pella Choir (1999), Carmina Cru­cis for Reciter and Per­cus­sion (2000), Bit­ter Lamen­ta­tions for Soprano (or Mixed Choir) Reciter, Wind Quin­tet, Per­cus­sion and Organ (2001), Ave Maria for 5 Voice Female (or Chil­dren) Choir (2001), Five Songs to lyrics by Eliasz Rajz­man for Female Voice and Piano (2002), Four Songs for Soprano and Piano (2004), Missa solem­nis. Hom­mage à Josquin Desprez for Soprano, 3 Voice Mixed Choir and 6 Brass­wind Instru­ments (2004), Con­certo for Per­cus­sion, Harp and String Orches­tra (2004), Missa bre­vis pro Defunc­tis for Mixed a cap­pella Choir (2005), Seven Kurpie Songs for Mezzo-soprano and Piano (2006), Con­cert­ing Music for String Quar­tet and Sym­phony Orches­tra (2007), Five Kurpie Songs for Mixed a cap­pella Choir (2008), Litany for Mezzo-soprano, Alto and Organ (2008). Offer­to­ria for a cap­pella Choir (2009). Over­ture for Orches­tra “The Year 1410” (2010), Four Pieces in the Pol­ish Style for String Orches­tra (2011).