Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, an Oscar-winning Polish composer known for his score in Finding Neverland, passed away in Krakow at the age of 71, as announced by the Polish Music Foundation. In recent years, Kaczmarek has been battling Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).
Kaczmarek had a rich career in music, contributing scores to over 50 films and television projects primarily during the 1990s and 2000s. His work includes scores for films like Unfaithful, Bliss, Aimee and Jaguar, The Visitor, and Get Low, as well as for the grand French-Italian miniseries War and Peace in 2007.
Kaczmarek’s journey into music was unconventional. Born in Konin in 1953 and originally trained as a lawyer, he left a potential diplomatic career to pursue music. He began composing for an experimental theater in Poznan, led by avant-garde director Jerzy Grotowski, during the 1970s. He also established his ensemble, the Orchestra of the Eighth Day, which gained recognition in Europe through tours and released an album titled Music for the End in 1982. During this time, he won numerous accolades, including five wins in Europe’s Jazz Forum magazine poll.
In 1989, Kaczmarek moved to the United States, where he wrote music for theaters in Chicago and Los Angeles. He earned a Drama Desk Award for his score in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s revival of Tis Pity She’s a Whore, featuring Val Kilmer and Jeanne Tripplehorn.
Kaczmarek worked extensively with Polish director Agnieszka Holland from 1995, creating scores for several of her films and television projects. His approach to film scoring was highly intuitive, focusing on an immediate emotional response to the visuals, which he described as the essence of his creative process.
His score for Finding Neverland was particularly celebrated, capturing the innocence and imaginative world of children, which he described as the soul of the film. This work earned him an Oscar and nominations for a BAFTA and Golden Globe.
Polish Composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Oscar Winner for 'Finding Neverland,' Dies at 71 https://t.co/jOe4cHi8yS
— Variety (@Variety) May 21, 2024
Inspired by the Sundance Institute, Kaczmarek founded the Instytut Rozbitek in the early 2000s to nurture new creative projects across film, theater, music, and new media. He also initiated and led the Transatlantyk Poznan International Film and Music Festivals in 2011 and 2012.
Kaczmarek’s contributions to promoting Polish culture internationally were recognized with Poland’s Knight’s Cross, Order of Polonia Restituta in 2015, and a lifetime achievement award from the Polish Film Academy in 2023. Source
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