Szenkar, Eugen (actually, Jeno)

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Szenkar, Eugen (actually, Jenő)

Szenkar, Eugen (actually, Jenő), Hungarian, conductor; b. Budapest, April 9, 1891; d. Düsseldorf, March 28, 1977. He studied music with his father, a prominent organist; later attended classes at the Academy of Music in Budapest. He conducted at the German Theater in Prague (1911-13), the Budapest Volksoper (1913-15), the Salzburg Mozarteum (1915-16), in Alten-burg (1916-20), the Frankfurt am Main Opera (1920-23), the Berlin Volksoper (1923-24), and the Cologne Opera (1924-33). With the advent of the Nazi regime, as a Jew he was forced to leave Germany in 1933; lived in Russia until 1937; subsequently conducted the Brazilian Sym. Orch. in Rio de Janeiro (from 1944). He returned to Germany in 1950; was Generalmusikdirektor in Düsseldorf from 1952 to 1960.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire