Robert Satanowski was a Polish conductor and general.

A teacher with a background in engineering, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 he joined the Soviet-aligned Polish resistance

Polish resistance movement in World War II

The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...

 in Volhynia

Volhynia

Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...

 where he became a leader of his own group of partisans. Later he joined the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie, where he reached the rank of a general. Later he joined the Polish Navy

Polish Navy

The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...

, but in 1949 he resigned from the military.

He started a career in music, becoming the director of Lublin Philharmony (1951-1954) and Bydgoszcz Philharmony (1954-1958). Over the years he held various other posts.