Richard Czerwonky

Richard Czerwonky (23 May 1886, Birnbaum {Międzychód, Poland} — 16 April 1949, Chicago, Illinois) was an American virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor of Polish descent, concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1906–1909) and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (1909 to 1918). As a distinguished pedagogue, he taught at Bush Conservatory and DePaul University in Chicago. Czerwonky was an outspoken promoter of women in classical music, notably serving as the inaugural conductor of the Women's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago from the ensemble's first rehearsals in 1924 and through the first two seasons before passing the baton to Ethel Leginska in 1927. Born in Birnbaum (Międzychód in Polish), a town in present-day Greater Poland Voivodeship ruled by Germany between 1871 and 1919, Czerwonky showed an outstanding natural talent in early childhood. Between 1902 and 1905, he studied with renowned Joseph Joachim at Hochschule für Musik in Leipzig; during his tenure, Richard won the Mendelssohn Prize and went on his first extensive European tour. In 1906, twenty-year-old Richard Czerwonky made his orchestral debut with Berliner Philharmoniker. The same year, he relocated to the USA on the Boston Symphony Orchestra's invitation to join as an assistant concertmaster. In 1909, he left Boston and became the concertmaster, soloist, and assistant conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Czerwonky produced his first recordings at the dawn of the industry, with three "long-playing" Edison Blue Amberol cylinders released between 1914 and 1916, featuring 12475434 by Felix Borowski, Liebesfreud by Fritz Kreisler, and Wieniawski's Legende with piano accompaniment by Robert Gayler. (Richard continued recording throughout the 78 RPM gramophone era, releasing his Waltz and other chamber violin pieces.) In 1918, Czerwonky moved to Chicago and joined the Bush Conservatory of Music faculty, serving as Head of the Violin Department between 1919 and 1935. He remained in the Chicago area for the rest of his career, teaching at the DePaul University School Of Music since 1935 and serving as the DePaul Symphony conductor. As a composer, Czerwonky wrote extensively for violin, piano, and orchestra, with many works published by Carl Fischer Music and Oliver Ditson. He is well-known for the 1940 arrangement of V. Monti's Csárdás for violin and piano.