Irène Regina Wieniawska, later Lady Irène Dean Paul, published her compositions under the pseudonym of ‘Poldowski’. She was born in Brussels on 16 May 1879, the daughter of the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. She entered the Brussels Conservatoire when she was just twelve years old, studying composition with François-Auguste Gevaert. Upon her marriage to Sir Aubrey Dean Paul in 1901, she became a British national, but continued to study abroad. In 1907 she was briefly taught by Vincent d’Indy at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Her career flourished, and her works were soon being performed across Europe and in New York.