Appendix I - Selected Biographies

Summary

BERNYK, PROF. ALEXANDER M. b. IV 12 1912–d. IX 1979. Born on the East Side of Manhattan, he was a respected teacher in the CUNY system and beloved in Polish and Ukrainian singing circles. In his teens he formed a musical trio, played in Arlington Hall, and joined the Moniuszko Society. An honor student at Stuyvesant H.S., he received is B.S. in music education from NYU. Taught at Manhattan College, Hunter College and, after the merger of Hunter and Lehman, at Lehman until his retirement in 1976. Organist and choirmaster at O.L. of Częstochowa Parish, South Brooklyn, and at Fort Hamilton Chapel. His greatest satisfaction came from his work with Ukrainian and Polish choirs. He conducted the Dumka Ukrainian Chorus, taught at St. Basil's College Prep in CT. He conducted PSAA choirs, was General Director of Dist. VII, and PSAA General Director from 1947–1950. An honorary director of Dist. VII and of the Jutrzenka Choir, No. 226. 1934–1979 Polish Singers Alliance of America, Jutrzenka Singing Society No. 226, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BLYSKAL, BARBARA B. b. IX 9 1938, Astoria, NY, daughter of William and Kazimira (Markowska) Kostecki. Teacher, organist, and singer. Received B.S. from Hunter College (1960). Taught (1960–1989) at public schools in Lawrence and Inwood, NY. Organist (1970–1990) at O.L. of Częstochowa and St. Casimir’s, Brooklyn, NY. General Secretary and honorary member of the PSAA, and President of the Jutrzenka Singing Soc. (NY). Polish-American World Citizen of the Year in 1989. Resides in Staten Island. Who's Who in Polish America. 1st edition 1996–1997, 36.

BOJANOWSKI, JERZY. b. VI 18 1893, Kamienskoje (near Ekaterinoslav, Ukraine) of Polish parents–d. IX 10 1983 in Milwaukee, WI. Opera and symphony conductor. Studied with F. Szopski in Warsaw at the Kolegium Muzyczne and with Fr. Schreker in Vienna at the Akadmic fur Musik U. Darstllende Kunst. Began professional career in 1918 as choir director at Warsaw Grand Opera. Conducted at the Opera in Poznań and member of the faculty of the State Conservatory (1919–1924), Director of Opera Pomorska (United Civic Theaters Toruń-Bydgoszcz-Grudziądź, 1925–1927), director of the Civic Opera in Lwów (1927–1928), conductor of the Warsaw Grand Opera and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (1928).