bob_brown

Recently at a local brass concert, the director, Fred Mills formerly of the Canadian Brass, played a composition by the Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. As one of his remarks, he stated that the airport in Rio de Janiero was named after Jobim.

That got me to thinking. Are there any other airports anywhere named after famous composers?

I know of two more: W. A. Mozart Airport in Salzburg and Giuseppe Verdi Airport in Parma. (I presume these two are named after the composers and not after a well known politician like the airport in Munich.)

Can any of you tell me about any others?

rkkwan

Chopin in Warsaw.

Christina

I didn't know Warsaw was named Chopin, that's kind of interesting since he didn't even live there or compose there in his adult life.

John Lennon Airport in Liverpool.

Patrick

Interesting, Christina. I was in Warsaw a couple years ago and there was a huge Chopin Festival going on in the big park. If he isn't from there or didn't compose there, why is he such a "favorite son" of Warsaw?

Scarlett

Chopin grew up in Warsaw, he went to music school in Warsaw and gave concerts in Warsaw.

Marc_David_Miller

Although not airports, Aeroflot names some of its fleet after Russian composers, including Scriabin and Mussorgsky.

Gardyloo

The official name for New Orleans airport (MSY) is Louis Armstrong International.

bob_brown

I have learned some interesting facts here. I did not know any of them, particularly the naming of the aircraft. Neat touch.
I suppose we could expand this to any muscian, not just composers.

The one some people are misled by is Franz Josef Strauss airport in Munich.

eliztrav

Raffaello Sanzio Airport in Falconara-Ancona.

eliztrav

Oops! Sorry. That's an artist, not a composer!

Christina

He is Polish by birth and had a fondness for the country (just listen to his mazurkas), so he is from there, but he didn't live there as an adult, which is what I said, although perhaps you thought I meant he wasn't even from there. His family did live near and in Warsaw when he was a child.

His father's family was French near Nancy (and you can see a photo of their family home in the museum there), but his father had emigrated to Poland before his birth. Frederic was born in a small town near Warsaw and they moved into the city when he was just a baby (I think his father was a teacher, but can't recall what kind). His time in Warsaw was as a student, mainly, because he moved to Paris when he was only about 21 and never went back to Poland. His composing was mainly done in Paris, therefore, although he wrote some in various other locations when traveling or on sabbatical (such as with Georges Sand in Nohant or Majorca). I think he was in London a while and perhaps Germany, also. He did compose some early works while still in Warsaw, of course, musical geniuses like that always start young, but his professional life was really in Paris.

yk

Rafael Hernandez Airport (BQN) in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

angel_UK

The airport in Warsaw is called Okecie,not Chopin.

Or am I missing something here??

Yours in confusion

Gardyloo

Only slightly off-topic, but the New York City public high school that has turned out numerous composers and other artists is named, along with a major airport, for its founder - Fiorello Laguardia.

rkkwan

angel - Go take a look:

http://www.polish-airports.com/index...amp;action=401

Maybe the name was changed recently, maybe not. I'm not sure.

yk

angel_UK-

Here is a website in English:
http://www.polish-airports.com/index...&new_id=17

The Warsaw Okecie airport was renamed Frederic Chopin Airport in 2001.

Sorry, rkkwan, you should've googled a bit more. ;-)

angel_UK

Thanks to rkkwan and yk. I apologise and stand corrected!

I didn't realise it was that long since I had been there and they had added the name in the meantime

icithecat

Canada has the Pierre Elliote Trudeau airport in Montreal.

Sorry, that is poseur, not composer.