Born at Debica (Poland) on November 23

Graduated from the Cracow Academy of Music; appointed to a professorship at this Academy

Awarded 1st, 2nd und 3rd prize in the 2nd Competition of Young Polish Composers organized by the Polish Composers´ Association for his works "Strophes", "Emanations" and "From the Psalms of David"

UNESCO award for "Threnos"

1st prize in the Cracow Composition Competition for his work "Canon"

Großer Kunstpreis von Nordrhein-Westfalen for his work "St. Luke´s Passion"

Lecturer at the Folkwang Academy in Essen

Prix Italia for his "St. Luke´s Passion"

Sibelius Gold Medal

Scholarship to Berlin from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst

Prix Italia for "Dies Irae"

Award of the Polish Compser´s Association

Principal of the Cracow Academy of Music

Professorship at Yale University, New Haven

Gorrfrieg-von-Herder-Preis of the F.v.S. Foundation Hamburg

Prix Arthur Honegger for "Magnificat"

Médaille de la Ville de Paris

Sibelius Prize of the Wihouri Foundation

Polish National Award

Premio Lorenzo Magnífico

Stefania Niekrasz Medal

Karl-Wolf-Award (Art prize of the Israeli Wolf Foundation)

Grammy Award for the "Concerto per violoncello ed orchestra no.2"


Principal Guest Conductor of the NDR-Sinfonieorchester Hamburg

Manuel de Falla Gold Medaille from Accademia de Bellas Artes, Grananda

Commander´s Cross of the Order of Merit on the Federal Republic of Germany

Chevalier de Saint Georges

Gold Medal of the Protection of Historic Monuments of Warshaw for the rebuilding of Luslawice

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art

University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award of Music Composition for "Adagio ·4. Symphony for large orchestra"

Music Director of the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico

Distinguished Citizen Fellowship of the Institute for Advanced Study at Indiana University Bloomington

Prize of the International Music Council/UNESCO for Music

Officier of the Order of Cultural Merit of the Principality of Monaco

Freeman of the City of Strasbourg

1994-1995 Primetime Emmy Award of the Academy of Televison Arts & Sciences

1995-1996 Primetime Emmy Award of the Academy of Televivion Arts & Sciences

Crystall Awars of the Economic Forum, Davos

Patron of the Festival "Europäische Wochen Passau"

Honorary Professor of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory

Artistic Advisor at the Beijing Music Festival

Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters

Corresponding member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, München

Composition Award of the Promotion Association of the European Industry and Trade, conferred on 10 September on the occasion of the Penderecki Festival in Krakow

Honorary Professor of the Beijing Conservatoire

Medal of the Grand Duke Gedimas Vilnius

Special Award of the Business Center Club (Warshaw);

"Four Hundred Years of Warshaw´s Municipality" Medal

Musis award of the city of Duisburg in connection with the Köhler-Osbahr Foundation

Honorary Board of the Vilnius Festival ´99

Grammy Award of "Metamorphosen-Concerto per violino ed orchestra no.2"

AFIM Indie Award for the "Credo" recording on Häussler Classic

Cannes Classical Award as "Living Composer of the Year"

Ordine Al Merito della Republica Italiana

Honorary Citizen of Puerto Rico

Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts Category

Grammy Award "Best Choral Composition" for "Credo"

Romano Guardini Prize of the Catholic Academy in Bavaria

Honorary Citizen of the City of Debica, Poland

Honorary Director of the Principe de Asturias Foundation Choir

Eduardo M. Torner-Medal of the "Conservatorio de Musica del Principado Asturias"

Honorary President of the "Apayo a la Creacíon Musical, Ovideo"

Staatspreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen

Premium Imperiale

Order of the White Eagle

Commander of the Three Star Order, Riga, Latvia


Krzysztof Penderecki was given honorary doctorates by the Universities of Rochester, Bordeaux, Leuven, Belgrade, Madrid, Poznán, Lucerne, by the St. Olaf College, Northfield/Minn. as well as the Georgetown University Washington, D.C., the Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, the University Leipzig, St. Petersburg, Yale and Seoul. He is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music (London), the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Rome), the Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien (Stockholm), the Akademie der Künste (Berlin), the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires), the Society of Music Friends (Vienna) and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Solidna Firma Status

Diploma of Honorary Professor of Yerevan, Komitas State Conservatory

Gold Medal of the Minister of Culture of Armenia