Born in 1929 in Warsaw, Polish-Australian violinist Wanda Wilkomirska died yesterday (1 May), aged 89. In young years she was mentored by Henryk Szeryng. She won prizes at competitions in Geneva (1946), Budapest (1949) and Leipzig (the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, 1950; 2nd prize), and at the Wieniawski International Violin Competition.
She has given world premiere performances of numerous contemporary works including Tadeusz Baird and Krzysztof Penderecki.
She performed in over 50 countries, in all continents. In 1999 she joined the teaching staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and since February 2001 has also worked for the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne.
Wanda Wilkomirska has often performed in a piano trio, accompanied by her sister Maria at the piano and her brother Kazimierz on the cello, as the Wilkomirski Trio. She also played with the greatest conductors and as a chamber musician with Krystian Zimerman, Daniel Barenboim, Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich. She recently allowed young Polish musicians Celina Kotz, Maciej Kulakowski und Lukasz Trepczinski to take the name of the Wilkomirski Trio.
Her numerous recordings include works of Bacewicz, Bach, Bartok, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Ravel, Shostakovich, Szymanowski, and Wieniawski.
