Maria Szymanowska

Szymanowska - a woman who conquered Europe with music
The heroine of the third edition of the International Festival 'Music on the Peaks'

If she were alive today, she would probably fight for gender equality and places on electoral lists for women, and attend the March Manify. However, Maria Szymanowska was born on December 14, 1789 in Warsaw. The era in which she lived did not offer her many opportunities for development, yet she achieved fame. During the III International Chamber Music Festival 'Music on the Peaks' in Zakopane in 2011, following in the footsteps of the outstanding pianist and composer, music lovers will be invited by Elisabeth Zapolska-Chapelle. On September 17th, a concert entitled 'Maria Szymanowska, portrait of the queen of tones' will take place at the 'Jasny Pałac' in Zakopane.

This year's Chamber Music Festival 'Music on the Peaks' aims to promote Polish music, especially those Polish composers who are often forgotten. By performing such an artistic program, we remind ourselves of their achievements, and above all, their life stories. From the concert dedicated to Maria Szymanowska, you will be able to learn many things about this wonderful, brave, and independent woman - composer. We always try to enrich our concerts with something new and unusual. This formula greatly enriches our knowledge about the artist - says Danuta Sztencel, President of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Association in Zakopane.
At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, only a man could be recognized as a musical 'maestro', yet Maria Szymanowska
(neé Wołowska) already appeared as the first professional pianist-composer and made a career not only
in Poland, but also throughout Europe. Her compositions gained recognition from personalities such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Alexander Pushkin, and Adam Mickiewicz, and she even received the title of 'First Pianist to Their Highnesses the Empress Elizabeth Alexandrovna and Maria Feodorovna' from Tsar Alexander I.
However, it was not only her musical talent that distinguished Maria Szymanowska in her era. She was also the first example of a working 'single mother', as after divorcing her husband Józef Szymanowski, she raised her children alone. Her younger daughter married Adam Mickiewicz.