Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Sketch
Date | Event |
---|---|
1918 September 22 | Born in Warsaw, Poland |
1923 | Began studying piano and harmony with his mother |
1926 | Studied violin with Maurice Frenkel (student of Leopold Auer) |
1927-1928 | Continued violin study in Berlin with Willy Hess |
1928-1932 | Studied with Carl Flesch in Berlin and Baden-Baden at the suggestion of Bronislaw Huberman |
1933 | Gave first public performances in Warsaw, Bucharest, Vienna, and Paris |
1934-1939 | Studied composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger; also studied the humanities (i.e., ancient history, philology, and philosophy); became acquainted with Georges Enesco, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, and other prominent musicians in Paris |
1935 | Decorated with the Order of "Cultural Merit" by the Queen Mother of Romania |
1936 November | Entered Paris Conservatory, studying with Gabriel Bouillon; brief study with Jacques Thibaud |
1937 June | Graduated with First Prize from the Paris Conservatory |
1939 | Moved to London; joined Polish government in exile; appointed translator and liaison officer to General Sikorski, the Prime Minister of the Polish Government-in-exile |
1939-1942 | Performed more than 300 concerts for Allied troops, hospitals, prisoner of war centers, etc. |
1942 | Served as translator for General Sikorski's trip to Mexico to seek sanctuary for Polish refugees |
1943 November 24 | Made Carnegie Hall debut; gave Polish Relief recital |
1943 | Invited to reorganize string department at the National University of Mexico |
1945 | Appointed director of the string department at the National University of Mexico |
1946 | Became a Mexican citizen |
1954 | Met and played for Artur Rubinstein, who encouraged him to resume his concert career; Rubinstein introduced Szeryng to Sol Hurok |
1955, 1957 | Awarded Grand Prix du Disque |
1957 | Made a twenty-city United States concert tour |
1960 | Became Mexican Cultural Ambassador |
1960, 1961 | Awarded Grand Prix du Disque |
1963 | Received Médaille d'Argent de la Ville de Paris and Edison Award; became Officier d'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, Paris |
1965 | Named Citizen of Honor, Richmond, Virginia |
1966 August | Henryk Szeryng Festival of Music was held in Mexico City |
1966 | Appointed honorary director of the Conservatory of Music in Mexico City; decorated as Commander of the Order of the Finnish Lion in Helsinki for his promotion of the music of Sibelius |
1967, 1969 | Awarded Grand Prix du Disque |
1969 | Designated honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music, London |
1970 | Appointed special music adviser to the Mexican delegation at UNESCO; received citation from city of Philadelphia; awarded "Key to the City of Kansas City" |
1971 May | Received "Wiener Floetenuhr" award and an "Edison" for a recording of Mozart violin concertos |
1971 September | Performed a "Salute to the Kennedy Center" on behalf of Mexico and was named a "founder artist of the center" |
1971 October | Gave first performance since Paganini's time of rediscovered Violin Concerto no. 3 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Gibson, coinciding with the release of the first recording of the work |
1972 January | Played recital for UNICEF at Teatro Real in Madrid in presence of H.R.H. Princess Sofia of Spain and was presented with Alfonso El Sabio Cross |
1972 | Received the insignia of France's Légion d'Honneur |
1972 December | Donated his Stradivarius violin to the City of Jerusalem to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the State of Israel |
1973 June | Named Honorary Citizen of Alicante (Spain) |
1974 January | Donated his Guarnerius "Sanctae Theresiae" violin to Mexican President Luis Echeverria to be used by gifted young Mexican violinists, preferably leaders of the Mexican National Symphony Orchestra |
1974 | Received citations from the city and county of Los Angeles |
1975 | Named Citizen of Honor, San Luis Potosí |
1978-1988 | Taught for two months of the year at the National University of Mexico; traveled on a diplomatic passport as Mexican Cultural Ambassador |
1978 July 18 | Named Citizen of Honor, city of Prades, for Festival of Prades; received Citation from the city of Miami, Florida |
1981 | Named Citizen of Honor, Poznan, Poland |
1982 | Received citation from Kansas City |
1983 | Celebrated "Golden Jubilee" for 50th year on the concert stage; performed a sixty-concert tour; received many special events, awards and citations |
1984 January 6 | Married Waltraud Büscher |
1985 | Designated Officier de l'Ordre de St. Charles, Monaco; awarded "Key to the city of San Diego" |
1985 May | Received Scroll of Honor from Israel Philharmonic |
1985 December | Named Officier de Légion d'Honneur |
1986 March 20 | Appointed "Sagamore of the Wabash" in Indianapolis |
1987 | Awarded Croix d’Or du Mérite de la République Populaire Polonaise |
1988 February | Designated Honorary Fellow, Israel Cancer Association |
1988 March 3 | Died in Kassel, Germany, of a cerebral hemorrhage |