George de Godzinsky

{{Short description|Composer (1914-1994)}}

{{More citations needed|date=November 2023}}

{{Infobox classical composer

| name = George de Godzinsky

| image = GeorgeDeGodzinsky.jpg

| alt =

| caption = George de Godzinsky {{circa}} 1960

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1914|04|05}}

| birth_place = Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1994|05|23|1914|04|05}}

| death_place = Helsinki, Finland

| notable_family =

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}}

George de Godzinsky (5 July 1914 – 23 May 1994) was a Finnish composer, pianist and conductor. De Godzinsky is known for his Schlager music although he composed music for movies and operettas.

De Godzinsky was born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. He was of Polish, Czech, Georgian and Romanian ancestry through his father, Franciszek de Godzinsky, and of Dutch and Swiss descent through his mother, Maria Othmar-Neuscheller.{{Cite web |url=https://biografiasampo.fi/henkilo/p2050 |title=George de Godzinsky |last=Jalkanen |first=Pekka |date=4 May 2001 |website={{ill|Biografiasampo|fi}} |language=fi |access-date=25 October 2023}}{{Cite web |url=http://pomus.net/001437|url-status=usurped |title=George de Godzinsky |last=Marjanen |first=Jari J. |date=20 February 2008 |website={{ill|Populaarimusiikin museo|fi}} |language=fi |access-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213140433/http://pomus.net/001437 |archive-date=13 February 2017}}

George de Godzinsky's father was a Saint Petersburg-based civil servant and businessman who had strong ties to customers in Finland. During the Russian revolution the family escaped to Finland.

Between 1930 and 1937 de Godzinsky attended the Helsinki Conservatory. In 1935–36 de Godzinsky joined, as the lead pianist, the legendary opera singer Feodor Chaliapin on his renowned Far East tour. De Godzinsky performed with Chaliapin in fifty-seven concerts in Manchuria, China and Japan. In 1939 de Godzinsky embarked on a career that would make him the chief conductor at a number of prominent Scandinavian theaters such as the Swedish Theatre, Helsinki, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, and the Gothenburg City Theatre, Gothenburg. The United States, Bergen, Norway, Warsaw, Poland and Paris, France tours of the Finnish National Opera, Helsinki, pursued between 1959 and 1965 proved to be some of de Godzinskys career highlights. Moreover, between 1961 and 1965, he conducted the Finnish entries for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Hew is also known as the long-term conductor of the vocal quartet Kipparikvartetti.{{r|sampo-1}}

De Godzinsky died in Helsinki, Finland, aged 80.{{r|sampo-1}}