2016 edition of the Kiejstut Bacewicz International Chamber Music Competition came to an end on April 17, 2016. The 1st prize was awarded to pianist Han-Wen Yu (Taiwan) and cellist Mon-Pou Lee (Spain/Taiwan) who presented a brilliant interpretation of Claude Debussy’s Sonata for cello and piano at the event’s final concert.
Han-Wen Yu and Mon-Pou Lee met in Berlin, where they both currently live. 30-year-old Han-Wen Yu studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, while a 22-year-old cellist Mon-Pou Lee studies at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Together they have toured in Germany, Czech Republic and Italy, and plan to give concerts in Spain, the USA and Taiwan, as well as at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Berlin Philharmonie and Gasteig Munich. In 2015, the duo won the Concorso Internazionale di Musica "Marco Fiorindo" in Italy. In Łódź, the artists received the cash prize (8.000 PLN each) and an invitation to perform at the Łódź Philharmonic.
This year’s edition of the Competition hosted over 100 chamber music ensembles (ie. over 250 artists) from all over the world, who performed a variety of chamber works, ranging from Haydn and Beethoven to Poulenc, Shostakovich and Penderecki. The Jury, comprising 11 members, decided to award the following prizes:
2nd prize
quintet: Krzysztof Cegliński (piano), Sławomira Wilga (violin), Maria Sosnowska (violin), Magdalena Agatowicz (viola) and Anna Cierpisz (cello)
3rd prize
duo: Aleksander Krzyżanowski (piano) and Iwo Jedynecki (accordion);
ex-aequo: Goun Kim from South Korea (piano) and Dominik Manz from Germany (cello)
distinctions
trio: Michał Kluska (piano), Weronika Pucka (violin) and Anna Cierpisz (cello);
duo: Kristina Raczyńska (piano) and Łukasz Hajduczenia (baritone);
duo: Ryszard Alzin (piano) and Michał Janicki (baritone) - award for the best performance of work by Polish composer
The laureates received also extra-curricular awards – concerts at the Philharmonic in Krakow, Opole, Łomża and Academy of Music in Łódź.
The Competition was held at the Grażyna and Kiejstut Academy of Music in Łódź under the honorary patronage of Prof. Piotr Gliński (Minister of Culture and National Heritage), Prof. Zbigniew Rau (Governor of the Łódź Voivodeship), Witold Stępień (Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship) and Hanna Zdanowska (Mayor of the City of Łódź).
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.
More information: www.amuz.lodz.pl