Witold Szalonek ur. 1927 w Czechowicach-Dziedzicach, zmarł w 2001 roku w Berlinie. W latach 1949-56 studiował w PWSM w Katowicach grę na fortepianie u Wandy Chmielowskiej i kompozycję u Bolesława Woytowicza; studia kompozytorskie kontynuował na przełomie 1962-63 u Nadii Boulanger w Paryżu.
In 1967 he started teaching composition in PWSM, he reached the position of Head of the Composition Theory Department, which he held from 1970 to 1974. In 1970 he received the Deutcher Akademischer Austauschdienst grant in West Berlin. In 1973 he was offered a position of professor at the Akademie der Künste, where he started teaching composition in Borys Blacher’s former class.
In 1963 he discovered and systematized contrived sounds, generated by woodwinds. In 1990 he received the title of doctor honoris causa at the Wilhelm University in Münster, and in 1994 – the Annual Polish Composers’ Association Award. Since 1970 he conducted seminars and courses, teaching his own composition methods. He lectured at the most prestigious music academies and universities in Denmark, Germany, Finland, Poland, and Slovakia.
Witold’s compositions are performed on numerous contemporary music festivals, including Darmstadt International Summers Courses for New Music, World Music Days MTMW, The Warsaw Autumn, Vitasaari Time of Music, the Gulbenkian Music Festival in Lisbon, Berlin Inventionen, Moscow Alternatives, and Lvov Contrasts. Witold Szalonek is also the author of many theoretical works concerning Chopin’s works, Claude Debussy, sonorism, and contrived sounds.