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Born: January 21, 1912 - Sofia, Bulgaria
Died: June 9, 1989 - Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
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The Bulgarian conductor, Ljubomir Stojanow Romansky, studied Slavic and musicology at the universities of Sofia and Berlin. After piano and composition studies in Sofia, he graduated in 1940 at Staatlichen akademischen Hochschule für Musik in Berlin in concert and opera conducting with honours and earned a doctorate in philosophy.
The professional career of Ljubomir Romansky began in 1940 as Kapellmeister at the Frankfurt Opera. After World War II, he was again active in Frankfurt; then, from 1946, as Music Director in Wiesbaden and the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln. In 1950 he became Chief Conductor in Gelsenkirchen, first the Municipal Theatre, from 1959 the newly built Music Theater in the area, and in 1967 also General Music Director of the city of Gelsenkirchen, where he remained in the office until his retirement in 1977.
In 1946, Ljubomir Romansky became the Director of the Frankfurter Singakademie. Under his direction the choir was established as one of the prominent concert choirs of Germany. He performed with the Frankfurter Singakademie in several concerts in Frankfurt and on many tours in European music centers with great success. He led this prestigious choir until 1985. The town of Herne entrusted him in 1955, the management of its Jugendkonzerte (youth concerts) and later its symphony concerts. In 1956 he became Director of the Städtischen Chores Herne, which he established as a major oratorio choir. This choir soon took up a respectable place among the choral societies of Germany. Romansky led this choir until his death in 1989. From 1986 to 1988 he was also Director of the Romanos-Chores für östliche Liturgie in Essen and conducted with great success, Church Slavonic chants.
With his choirs Ljubomir Romansky celebrated successes at various music festivals abroad, such as the Festival van Vlaanderen in Tongeren. After his retirement in 1977, he conducted many concerts at home and abroad as a guest conductor.
His Honours and Awards include: In 1964 the City of Frankfurt am Main awarded Romansky for his contribution to the Frankfurter Singakademie the Medal of Honour; and in 1967 for his decisive role in the reconstruction of musical life after the war, the Goethe Plakette; in 1976 he was awarded by the French government with "Knights of the Order of Academic Palms" for his interpretation of French music; in 1977 he was awarded by the Federal President with the Federal Service Cross of the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany. From the Deutschen Sängerbund (German Choral Association), he was awarded in 1982 the Silver Medal of Honour for his work as choir director at Herne. He also received for his achievments as choral conductor the Merit Medal of the Sängerbundes Rhine-Westphalia (Singing Associasion of Federal Rhine-Westphalia.). In Bulgaria, he was awarded the Order of “Cyril and Methodius", and he was awarded the Polish Order of Culture “Zasluzony”. Romansky was an honorary member of the European Liszt Centre. |
