Conductor, composer, violinist (1879 – 1953). Grzegorz Fitelberg was born on October 18, 1879 in Dinaburg (Daugavpils) in a Polish Jewish family. Already at an early age the boy impresses the parents with his musical abilities, which are self-evident, as Grzegorz’s father was the conductor of the Cossack regiment orchestra. It was decided in the family to send the boy to Warsaw to acquire musical education. He studied in the Warsaw’s Institute of Music (1891-1896). Being 17-year-old, he successfully debuted as a composer, won the first prize in the competition in Leipzig for the performance of a violin sonata.
He played violin in the Great Orchestra and was the conductor of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra (1908-1919) with interruptions. In 1904 he debuted as a conductor. In 1905 G. Fitelberg becomes one of the founders and chief men of the Polish Composers Creative Association “The new Poland” (Mlada Polska) and the publishing house “Polish Music Society” (“Poļu mūzikas biedrība”). In 1908 he conducted in opera, in 1912 – in Vienna. From 1914 to 1919 he operated opera performances in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg), from 1920 to 1921 he was the conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, as well as four years he conducted in the Diaghilev’s Russian ballet in guest performances in Europe. He conducted orchestra in the summer of 1910 in Majori.
In the middle of the 30s G.Fitelberg created by the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw however during the Second World War because of the Jewish race he was forced to leave his homeland, in 1939 -1947 he lived in the United States and Portugal. After returning to Poland in 1947 took over leadership of the Polish Radio Great Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. In 1951 he was awarded the State Prize of 1st degree of the Polish People’s Republic.
He has composed musical compositions in romantic style (symphonies, overtures, symphonic poems, sonatas, ballads, songs).
The conductor died on June 10, 1953 in Katowice.
Since 1979 in memory of the famous musician the International Conductor’s Competition was organized named according to G. Fitelberg’s name.
Daugavpils got to know about the remarkable countryman not so long time ago, thanks to the Polish composer K. Penderecki, who performed in the city. According to the initiative of the Embassy of Poland in Riga and the Jewish Association in Riga nearby the walls of the Children’s Library in Daugavpils on Mihoelsa Street the memorial plaque with the musician’s name was opened in the summer of 2005. The place was chosen symbolically, because Latgale National Conservatory was in this house until the war, but the house of G. Fitelberg’s parents has not remained.