ILGNER, Bogusława

Bogusława Ilgner (born July 9, 1913, in Lwów; died October 4, 1982, in Rabka) was a pianist, composer, and educator. She studied piano at the Music Conservatory in Lwów. During World War II, she served as a liaison officer for the Home Army (Armia Krajowa). After the war, she settled in Rzeszów with her husband. There, she began working at the State Music School, teaching piano and conducting children's choirs. It was during this period that she began composing her first songs. In 1952, she wrote the first Polish children's opera, *Czarodziejski kwiat* (The Magic Flower), performed by children (soloists, choir, orchestra, and ballet). She moved to Warsaw in 1955. She took a position at the Primary Music School in the Włochy district while simultaneously teaching at the Secondary Music School on Miodowa Street and at the Higher School of Ballet, where she lectured on music theory. She continued to compose songs and, in the early 1960s, created her second children's opera, *Pierścień dziwolągów* (The Ring of Oddities).