Mieczysław Korcz

He was born on 17.11.1935 in Ostrów Wielkopolski. At the age of 10, he began learning to play the violin. He first encountered the horn as a student at a commercial secondary school. He continued to learn to play this instrument in high school under the supervision of Linus Geisler. In 1956, he began his studies at the State Higher School of Music in Wrocław, where until 1958 he studied in the horn class of Maksymilian Zimoląg (Max Zimolong) and then of Professor Adam Przybyła.

He began his professional career in 1954 in the Wrocław Symphony Orchestra (currently NFM Wrocław Philharmonic), playing alongside Maksymilian Zimoląg. In 1958, he became the first French horn player of this orchestra. In 1960, he became the French horn player of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. In the early 1970s, due to dental problems and partial loss of sensation in his mouth due to anaesthesia, he was forced to specialize in the lower horn parts. During his work in the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, he also conducted chamber music, making numerous archival recordings for Polish Radio.

As a horn player, he collaborated, among others, with the Rybnik Coal District Philharmonic (today the Rybnik Philharmonic) under the direction of Antoni Szafranek, where he held the position of 1st horn player. He ended his artistic activity upon his retirement in 1991.

Mieczysław Korcz conducted many years of pedagogical activity. He began it during his stay in Wrocław, where he taught the horn class at the local State Music High School. After arriving in Silesia, he started working at the Music School in Rybnik around 1962. In the years 1974-2000 he taught the horn class at the primary and secondary music school in Bytom. Since 1978 Mieczysław Korcz was a teacher at the Academy of Music in Katowice, where he worked as a senior lecturer. Mieczysław Korcz’s students and graduates have won many awards and distinctions in macro-regional, national and international competitions, are members of many orchestras in Poland as well as teachers of music schools and academic lecturers. He was a multiple jury member in macro-regional, national and international competitions, festivals and auditions. He also taught many open lessons and courses for horn players as well as teachers of primary and secondary schools. He participated in creating the curriculum for primary and secondary music schools. He ended his teaching activity in 2005.

Almost all horn players associated with the organization of the Young Horn Player Academy are graduates of senior lecturer Mieczysław Korcz or have encountered his teaching activity. Respecting the achievements and accomplishments of their Teacher, who was also a great Human, they came up with the initiative to name the Young Horn Player competition after him.

Mieczysław Korcz died on 16.12.2020 in Katowice.