Wojciech Kilar

Wojciech Kilar (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjt͡ɕex kilar]; b. July 17, 1932 in Lwów, Poland) is a Polish classical and film music composer. Wojciech Kilar was born in Lwów, Poland (since 1945 Lviv, Ukraine). He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice, Poland under the composer/pianist Władysława Markiewiczówna, graduating with top honors in 1955. He continued his graduate studies at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków from 19... more

Wojciech Kilar (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjt͡ɕex kilar]; b. July 17, 1932 in Lwów, Poland) is a Polish classical and film music composer. Wojciech Kilar was born in Lwów, Poland (since 1945 Lviv, Ukraine). He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice, Poland under the composer/pianist Władysława Markiewiczówna, graduating with top honors in 1955. He continued his graduate studies at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków from 1955 to 1958 under composer/pianist Bolesław Woytowicz. His studies continued in Paris with Nadia Boulanger from 1959 to 1960. He has won several prizes for his works and belongs (together with Krzysztof Penderecki and Henryk Górecki) to the Polish avant-garde movement of the Sixties. His orchestral work Krzesany (Climbing up the mountains) from 1974 became famous, but since the mid 1970s he has become well known as a composer of film scores, scoring more than 100 films in Poland, France, Germany, and Hollywood, working with directors such as... less