The 4th conference in the 'Polish Music Abroad' series, organised by the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, will be held on 16-17 September 2021 as part of the 64th 'Warsaw Autumn' Festival of Contemporary Music. This year, the conference will be devoted to the 'Warsaw Autumn' Festival – Its Role and Significance for the Musical Life of the Countries on Both Sides of the Iron Curtain (And after its Fall).
The aim of the fourth conference devoted to Polish music abroad is to reflect on the role and significance of the 'Warsaw Autumn' International Festival of Contemporary Music to the music and musical life of countries of both sides of the Iron Curtain – also after its fall. 'Warsaw Autumn' is not only the festival of new music, but its position has been unique from the very beginning – the festival was launched in 1956 on the wave of a political thaw and for many years it was often the only source of information about new musical trends for the musical circles in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. At the same time, by coming to Warsaw the West had an opportunity to get to know contemporary music created in Poland and in other countries on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain.
'Warsaw Autumn' as a place where the East and the West met has been discussed on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, after all these years it is worth looking back at this unique festival – its history as well as the political and culture-creating role it has played for composers and artists both from the East and from the West. Did 'Warsaw Autumn' and the music presented at the festival leave a permanent mark on the music and cultural life of the world divided as it was by the Iron Curtain? And since its fall – how has the role of 'Warsaw Autumn' changed? What was the significance of 'Warsaw Autumn' after 1989 and what role does the festival play today, in a completely different geopolitical reality? We encourage you to watch our conference presentations and discussions about all these topics, taking into account various views and methodological perspectives.
The conference will be streamed online on FB and YT (Institute of Art channels).
Programme details: https://bit.ly/2Xt3frp