Grażyna Bacewicz

Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969) was a Polish composer, violinist, and one of the most significant female figures in 20th-century music. A student of Kazimierz Sikorski in Warsaw and Nadia Boulanger in Paris, she combined virtuosity as a performer with a prolific compositional output. Her works include seven violin concertos, seven string quartets, symphonies, chamber music, and solo violin sonatas, many of which remain cornerstones of the repertoire. During World War II she performed in underground concerts, and in the post-war years became a leading voice of Polish modernism, her music regularly featured at the Warsaw Autumn Festival.