Wladyslaw Szpilman's Music Career

Wladyslaw Szpilman was born into
a family of musicians. He first trained at the Chopin Music
School in Warsaw,
and then went to the Berlin Academy of Arts to continue his studies in piano
and composition. After returning to Warsaw, Szpilman earned a reputation as a
performer and composer, and became the house pianist for the Polish Radio. His
performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in C minor was the last live performance on
the Polish radio before it was closed down by bombardment from the Germans.
After miraculously surviving the war, Szpilman gained his old job back at the
Polish Radio. He also composed extensively and gave performances as a soloist
as well as in ensembles. He passed away in 2000, bearing the name of the most
popular musician of post-war Poland.

Sources:

"Music
and the Holocaust: Szpilman, Wladyslaw."Music and the Holocaust: Home.
Web. 26 May 2011. http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/places/ghettos/warsaw/szpilmanwladyslaw/.

"Szpilman's
Warsaw: The History behind The Pianist." United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum. Web. 26 May 2011. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/pianist/.