Polish Composer Joanna Bruzdowicz has Died, Aged 78

An advocate of Polish music and contemporary music, Bruzdowicz was one of several Polish women who studied with Nadia Boulanger

As a child prodigy, Bruzdowicz came from a musical family and began her composition studies at the age of six. Following studies in Warsaw and France, she established herself as a composer in Belgium before residing permanently in southern France.

A student of Oliver Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, and Nadia Boulanger, Bruzdowicz wrote opera, symphonies, chamber music, works for children, and music for film and television. Her compositions have been featured in TV programs across Europe and has been praised for its “poetic palette of sound” and “ultramodern and refined” qualities.

Bruzdowicz’s music reflects the Polish school of sonorism and the expressive neoclassicism of Grazyna Bacewicz. She came to international recognition early in her career primarily from her operas, including The Penal Colony, The Women of Troy, and The Gates of Paradise. She was also recognized from her collaboration with French film director, Agnès Varda.

Bruzdowicz was the recipient of the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture and the Honorary Award of the Polish Composers’ Union.

STEVEN HONIGBERG, AUDREY ANDRIST | THE SONG OF HOPE AND LOVE | JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ