Born Today! 31.07.2023

František Zdeněk Xavier Alois Skuherský (July 31, 1830 – August 19, 1892) was a Czech composer, pedagogue, and theoretician.Born in Opočno to František Alois Skuherský, the doctor of Duke Colloredo-Mansfeld and founder of the Opočno hospital. He graduated from the Hradec Králové gymnasium and studied philosophy and shortly medicine at Charles University. Also in Prague, he graduated from an organ school. In music, especially composing, he paid attention since childhood. He signed his first works in the pseudonym Opocensky. After his studies, he made a living by teaching people music in their homes. In the years 1854 to 1866 he was a theatre kapellmeister in Innsbruck and conductor of the town's singing choir, and later director of the University's cathedral. During this time he composed six operas, some of which premiered at Innsbruck. After the death of his wife, who gave him three children, he came back to Prague where in 1866 he became the director of a prominent organ school until he retired in 1890. This school was attended by such famous composers as Leoš Janáček and Josef Bohuslav Foerster. At the same time he worked as a regenschori at a Prague cathedral, a teacher of music theory at a Czech University, and continued studying and composing Church music to the end of his life. He died in České Budějovice where he is remembered by a street named after him.

Piotr Maszyński (1855–1934) was a Polish composer. He is particularly noted as a composer of art songs in Polish songs, and to a large number of carols published 1888–1905 in separate volumes of Lutnia magazine. He is buried in Powązki Cemetery, Warsaw.

Heinz Bongartz (31 July 1894, Krefeld – 5 May 1978, Dresden) was a German conductor and composer. He was the first artistic manager of the Dresdner Philharmonie (Dresden Philharmonic Concert Halls) under the East German regime.

Nobuyuki Nakajima (中島 ノブユキ) – is Japanese musician, composer, arranger, pianist, who studied composition in Tokyo and Paris. Noted not only for his masterful piano, but also for his talent of composing and arranger of elegant and thrilling ensembles, based on the impressive depth and variety of his musical literacy. He has composed original soundtracks for Japanese TV series such as the NHK Taiga drama Yae no Sakura (nominated for the 42nd International Emmy Awards, Drama Series). In recent years, he participated in Jane Birkin's world tours (Jane Birkin sings Serge Gainsbourg "Via Japan") as musical director, orchestrator and pianist (over 70 concerts in 27 countries) 2011-2013. Since 2016, he also joined her world tour "Gainsbourg Symphonique" as the orchestral arranger and pianist.