Antoni Wit has served as Managing and Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic – the National Orchestra of Poland since January 2002. He had earlier worked with the Pomeranian Philharmonic (1974–77), the Orchestra and Choir of Polish Radio and Television in Kraków (1977–83), the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria (1987–92) and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (1983–2000). He was the longest serving director of the National Polish Radio so, with which he started regular recordings, foreign tours, television appearances and recordings of film music. In both his radio recordings and regular concert programming Antoni Wit emphasized Polish music, giving many first performances of works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutosławski and Wojciech Kilar.
Antoni Wit studied music in his native Kraków, conducting with Henryk Czyż and composition with Krzysztof Penderecki at the State Higher School of Music. He continued his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He also graduated from the law departament of the Jagiellonian University.
The Second Prize at the Herbert von Karajan International Competition in Berlin in 1971 marked the beginning of Antoni Wit’s international career. He has performed in the most important European music centres, as well as in the two Americas, and the Middle and Far East. He has conducted such famous orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Royal Philharmonic, the bbc Symphony, and the nhk Tokyo.
His discography includes over 100 records on labels such as emi-hmv, cbs, Naxos, nvs Arts, Pony Canyon, and Polskie Nagrania. Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater for emi won an award from British critics in 1985. The recording of Prokofiev’s piano concertos (with Kun Woo Paik) released by Naxos was awarded the Diapason d’Or and the Grand Prix du Disque de la Nouvelle Académie in 1983. In January 2002 Antoni Wit received the pres-tigious Cannes Classical Award for the Naxos recording of Messiaen’s TurangalEla-Symphonie (Midem Classique 2002). He has also recorded for Naxos all of Lutosławski’s symphonic works (with the National Polish Radio so). His first recording with the Warsaw Philharmonic won the ‘Fryderyk 2002’ Award (works by Lutosławski, Meyer, and Penderecki, for cd Accord). In June 2003 Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic recorded all of Chopin’s works for piano and orchestra for Decca (with Kun Woo Paik) and in September the world premiere performance of Wojciech Kilar’s September Symphony for cd Accord (Antoni Wit is the work’s dedicatee). In 2004 the recording of Penderecki’s St Luke Passion by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus under Antoni Wit (for naxos) received the ‘Classical Internet Award’ and
a Grammy nomination.
Antoni Wit’s honours include the ‘Orpheus’ Critics’ Award for the best performance of a Polish composition during the Warsaw Autumn Festival (1984, 1996) and the ‘Diamond Baton’ Polish Radio Award for outstanding artistic achievements and the promotion of Polish music in Poland and abroad.
Antoni Wit also pursues a teach-ing career. He is a professor of conducting at the Music Academy in Warsaw.