composer; b. 4th April 1976 in Warsaw. He studied composition with Marek Stachowski at the Academy of Music in Cracow (1996-2001), graduating with honours. He continued his education with Peter-Jan Wagemans at the Rotterdam Conservatory (2001-2002). He also participated in composition master classes in Radziejowice, 1997; Gdańsk, 1998; Buckow (near Berlin),1999; Darmstadt, 2008.
In 1996 Wojciech Ziemowit Zych received the 2nd prize at the Polish National Composition Competition for Students of Secondary Schools of Music in Tarnów, in 1997 – 3rd prize and honourable mention at the 4th Adam Didur Composition Competition in Sanok and a honourable mention at the Tadeusz Baird Competition for Young Composers. His Solilokwium II. Pejzaż myśli zamarzłych won 1st prize of the Andrzej Panufnik Competition for Young Composers (2000).
In 1999 he received a scholarshop granted by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Between 2007 and 2010 he was included in the Program of Promoting Young Composers – Young Composers' Tribute to Fryderyk Chopin by The Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music.
He was commissioned to write pieces for the Warsaw Autumn Friends’ Foundation, German Radio, the Polish Composers’ Union (as part of the project 60 Commissions for the 60th anniversary), "Wratislavia Cantans" Festival in Wrocław, "Sacrum Profanum" Festival in Cracow (Made in Poland – Miłosz Sounds, a project marking the Year of Czesław Miłosz 2011) and as member of the programme “Composing Commission” implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw. In the 2012/13 season he was a composer-in-residence at the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow.
His works have been performed at many festivals, including the "Warsaw Autumn" Festival (2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2014), Music Days of Cracow Composers (1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017), "Musica Polonica Nova" in Wrocław (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016), UltraSchall in Berlin (2006), “Velvet Curtain” Festival in Lviv (2006), Musikhøst in Odense (Denmark, 2007), "FOCUS! 2011 – Polish Modern: New Directions in Polish Music Since 1945" in New York, and ISCM World New Music Days in Kosice (2013).
In 2009 DUX Recording Producers released an album with his orchestral pieces Wojciech Ziemowit Zych. Orchestral Works (as part of the series Young Composers' Tribute to Fryderyk Chopin). In 2010 the album won the "Pizzicato Supersonic" Award of Radio Luxembourg. His work Constantly Present Longing was published on an album by Kwartludium [Ensemble?]. In 2009 Zych was signed by PWM music publishers.
Wojciech Ziemowit Zych is a professor at the Department of Composition of the Composition, Interpretation and Music Education Faculty at the Academy of Music in Cracow. In 2006 he obtained a PhD in arts. Since 2019 he has been teaching compositon at the Academy of Music in Cracow.
Between 2006 and 2008 he was a member of the repertoire committee of the International Festival of Contemporary Music "Warsaw Autumn".
Since 2007 he has been a member of the Polish Composers’ Union. He was awarded Annual Polish Composers’ Union Award (2017), Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2018), and Special Prize by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2018).
updated: 2014 (iz), 2021 (Paulina Szurgacz)
Solilokwium I. Umysł wrzący for flute, clarinet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin and cello (1999)
Solilokwium II. Pejzaż myśli zamarzłych for bass clarinet and 20 string instruments (1999)
Concerto for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra (2001, 2003)
I Symfonia (2001-2002)
Toccata holenderska for two bass clarinets and two pianos (2002)
Ballada I for bass clarinet, cello and harp (2002)
Meandry – Warstwy – Mechanizmy for big chamber ensemble (2002-2003)
Concerto for bass clarinet and orchestra (2003)
Ballada II for violin, bass clarinet and marimba (2003)
Hommage à Tadeusz Kantor for orchestra (2003)
Bagatela 1 for alto saxophone and baritone saxophone (2003)
Bagatela 2 for clarinet and bass clarinet (2003)
Enfant terrible for flute, clarinet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin and cello (2003-2004)
Przyjaciele Kaspara Hausera for flute, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, vibraphone, harpsichord and string quartet (2004)
Bagatela 3 for two trombones (2004)
II Symfonia (2004-2005)
P.S. [version I] for harpsichord (2005)
P.S. [version II] for piano (2005)
Nieuspokojenie for bass clarinet (2005)
Kooperatywa I for alto saxophone and accordion (2005)
Stale obecna tęsknota for bass clarinet, percussion (marimba, vibraphone), piano and violin (2005)
Passacaglia in memoriam Alfred Schnittke for bass clarinet and piano (2005)
Hommage à György Kurtág, 21 miniatures for violin and bass clarinet (2005-2006)
Poruszenia woli for orchestra (2005-2006)
Rozedrgranie for two pianos (2006)
Poetyka niedo-.../Niedo-...poetyka for harpsichord (2007)
Retoryka niedo-.../Niedo-...retoryka for string quartet (2007)
Różnia for two pianos and two percussions (2007-2010)
Akt oskarżenia w formie ronda for percussion duo (2008)
...List niedokończony..., list odnaleziony... for percussion duo (2008)
Kooperatywa II for cello and accordion (2010)
Chorągwie for quartet of bass recorders (2010)
Gest i puls for violin solo with spatial amplification (2010)
Postgramatyka Miłosza... Teraz szukajcie go w gajach i puszczach słownika for 15 instruments (2011)
III Symfonia for soprano, baritone, piano for 4 hands and chamber orchestra in spatial arrangement (2011-2013)
Kontr-atrofia for tenor saxophone (2012)
Dwumian β for tenor saxophone and bass clarinet (2012)
Dwumian α for two flutists (2012)
Mikrologia (czule) stosowana for cello (2013)
Opływ / Przepływ / Upływ for eight spatially amplified cellos (2014)
Zmienna ulotna for piano and percussion (2015)
Pochodna for flute (bass flute) and piano in spatial amplification (2016)
Drogi powietrza. Splątane echa, double concerto for amplified double bass flute, amplified double bass clarinet B and chamber orchestra in spatial arrangement (2016-2017)
Półskrzenie - półśnienie for percussion and piano in spatial distribution (2017)
Flarea for flute and harp (2017-2018)
Promień wszechbieli for accordion duo and string quartet (2018)
Wpośródwietrzne wstępowanie for two flutes and orchestra (2018-2019)
Kooperatywa III. Plac wibrującej nieobecności for bass clarinet and accordion (2019-2020)
articles & papers
Jabłoński Maciej, Umysł wrzący, czyli o muzyce Wojciecha Ziemowita Zycha, "Ruch Muzyczny" 2005, nr 16, s. 8-10.
Szczecińska Ewa, Topolski Jan, Wojciech Ziemowit Zych [wywiad], "Glissando" 2005, nr 3.
Nyffeler Max, Im Bewusstsein der Freiheit. Die nächste Generation von Komponisten aus Polen, “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” 2009, nr 6 (November – Dezember), s. 22-32.
Roemer Piotr, Opus perfectum et absolutum. O Różni na dwa fortepiany i perkusję Wojciecha Ziemowita Zycha, "Glissando" 2013, nr 22.
Roemer Piotr, Sztuka skomplikowana. Rozmowa z Wojciechem Ziemowitem Zychem, w: Teoria muzyki. Studia, interpretacje, dokumentacje, Wydawnictwo Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie, Kraków 2013.
Koło czy spirala? Uwagi do dyskusji o relacji teorii muzyki i praktyki kompozytorskiej wobec dawnego i aktualnego stanu języka muzyki w zakresie organizacji wysokości dźwięków, w: Teoria Muzyki : studia, interpretacje, dokumentacje, r. 7, nr 12 (2018), s. 145-161.
