official patronage

The 9th Polish Nationwide Student Academic Conference 'Neofonia' will be held along with the Intercollegiate Composers Concert on 17 and 18 December 2020 – this time not in the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, but virtually.

During this year’s edition participants will debate on the influence of new technologies on music and its future. The last century brought technological development in the field of sound synthesis which enabled inventing instruments that generate sounds using electro-acoustic transducers. One of the biggest transitions in music was caused by the miniaturisation processes that reduced electronics to the size of a laptop – a new instrument which has become common in the area of 21st century music practices. Technological context of music does not only relate to the devices or media of expression, but also to the organisation and functioning of the system in which music is present. The event is an excellent opportunity for young music researchers from various Polish academic centres to exchange their remarks and experience.

The opening lecture will be given by Dr Aleksandra Łukasiewicz Alcaraz from the Szczecin Art Academy, who will introduce us to the fascinating world of music created by computer programmes, robots and even cyborgs. Conference speakers will discuss such issues as new media, telematic music, postmedia music, music&science, virtual performers, music and reality.

The Intercollegiate Composers Concert has always been a part of the 'Neofonia Conference'. This year, pieces by young composers performed by, among others, the Trans-for-Matha Ensemble will be streamed live from Aula Nova in Poznań on 18 December 2020 at 7 p.m.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: www.amuz.edu.pl and www.facebook.com/kanamp2012 

The Chair of Music Theory and the Laboratory of Anthropology of Music Culture at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw invite you to an online scientific and artistic conference entitled "Reconstruction of the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major by Wojciech Albert Sowiński. Interpretation, implementation and organizational problems", which will be held on 19 December 2020 at 4.00 p.m.

The conference will be devoted to the piece reconstructed by the composer and conductor Jarosław Praszczałek, PhD (FCUM). Wojciech Sowiński was a Polish composer of the Romantic era, a contemporary of Fryderyk Chopin. His second piano concerto was written in the then fashionable brilliant style. Based on the available piano reduction, Jarosław Praszczałek managed to reconstruct the orchestra part.

The Scientific Council of the conference is composed of famous professors and artists associated with the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw: Maria Gabryś-Heyke, Marcin Łukaszewski and Leszek Lorent. This important meeting of enthusiasts of 19th-century Polish music will feature papers by Michał Piekarski from the Institute for the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences and lecturers of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music: Jarosław Praszczałek, Monika Kuchta and Tomasz Pawłowski. The recording of the reconstructed concerto performed by Tomasz Pawłowski will be presented for the first time after the conference, at 6.30 p.m.

The event was financed by a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

If you are interested in participating in the event, please contact the conference manager by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

The premiere of Marcin Błażewicz's Concerto for flute and orchestra will take place during the online concert of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra under the baton of Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk on 19 December 2020 at 8.00 p.m. The work was commissioned by the Piąta Essencja Foundation as part of the "Composing Commissions" programme of the Institute of Music and Dance.

Marcin Błażewicz is one of the particularly valued composers of his generation. He is also an animator of music life and a professor of composition at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. He performed a number of prominent functions in Polish and foreign associations and co-organised numerous festivals and concerts. One of his areas of interest is also philosophy of various trends and cultures, thus, when commenting on his output, he said: “In my case, composing is a discourse with a specific existential situation, with my own «shadow» (using the term coined by Jung). Therefore if a contemporary composer wants to talk about their concerns, they must not use the structures of musical grammar which are typical for past eras.” In his pieces, he seeks new colours and tones, but not for their own sake – they always serve the purpose of expression and the superior idea of composition. The solo part in his latest Concerto for flute and orchestra will be performed by one of the greatest virtuosos of the instrument, Leszek Długosz.

Beethoven’s epochal Violin Concerto in D Major is counted among the pieces that are considered milestones in the history of music. The piece will be performed by Roksana Kwaśnikowska, the winner of numerous awards in prestigious national and international competitions, admired at a number of concerts in Europe, Asia and North America (twice in New York’s Carnegie Hall). Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 seems to enjoy less popularity than her famous uneven “friends”, although it is equally brilliant. Contrary to them, it does not undertake titanic efforts to overcome adversities, but rather affirms everything that is good, beautiful and joyful.

Piotr Maculewicz

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

The concert will be broadcast on YouTube and on the website: https://sinfoniaiuventus.pl/ 

11th edition of Gdansk Art's Interpretation of Accordion Music will be held on 21 December 2020 at 7.00 p.m. on the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre YouTube channel. The programme will include premieres of the latest works by Polish composers.

This project has an over 10-year-old tradition and accordion plays the main role in it. Avant-garde works by contemporary composers, classic compositions and transcriptions are presented during the concerts. Each year a great number of premieres take place, which are very important for accordion music development. There were many composers who created their compositions especially for Gdansk Art's Interpretations of Accordion Music. Marek Czerniewicz, Krzesimir Dębski, Anna Maria Huszcza, Paweł Kwapiński, Mikołaj Majkusiak, Krzysztof Olczak, Cezary Paciorek, Gerhard Steäbler, Edward Sielicki, Paweł Sławiński czy Maciej Zimka are among them. The concerts take place in December in unique places like Old-Town Town Hall, St. John's Church or City Culture Institute's Hall.

This year the audience will have a chance to hear works by: Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk, Mikołaj Majkusiak, Krzysztof Olczak, Cezary Paciorek, Paweł Ratajek, Paweł Zagańczyk. Those compositions will be performed by Elżbieta Rosińska – accordion, Anna Wandtke – violin, Paweł Ratajek – accordion, Paweł Zagańczyk – accordion.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

This year's last free improvisation workshops for children "Tell me a story", organised by the Polish Society for Contemporary Music, will be held on 17-18 December 2020 in Nowa Ruda, Lower Silesia.

The classes will be conducted in small groups by accordionist Bartosz Kołsut, guitarist Paweł Kwaśny, composer Jarosław Siwiński and double bassist Małgorzata Kołcz. Children aged 3-5 will learn, play and improvise in the company of their parents, talented musicians and amazing books. Each meeting will last about 90 minutes with a short break.

The main idea of ​​the project is to trigger graphic-inspired improvisations. Children will create their own stories based on picture books. The improvised fairy tales will be then "translated" into musical language under the guidance of class teachers. Improvisation is the most basic, primary and joyful form of music performance, which is why the workshops combine children's creativity and imagination with books and contemporary music. In addition to improvising and playing with books, children will learn various techniques of producing sound, which expose its color and dynamic values, and will also have a chance to play percussion instruments on their own.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: https://www.facebook.com/ptmw1923 

The Open Theater (Teatr Otwarty) celebrates the 100th birth anniversary of Karol Wojtyła with a "Special gala of Christmas carols to close the Year of John Paul 2nd". The concert recorded in the Artus Court in Gdańsk will be broadcast online on 27 December 2020 at 6.00 p.m. on YouTube channel (Dariusz Wojcik – Teatr Otwarty).

Christmas atmosphere, very unique climate and traditions are the beauty that keeps us together. Polish Christmas carols are filled with spirituality, sarmatian temper, slavic pensiveness and longing, tenderness, feeling, merriness and melancholy. These elements can be found in activities and writings of St. John Paul 2nd. His merits for Poland and the world are not to be missed. Family life as a part of tradition was also of a great importance for John Paul 2nd. Festivities such as sharing wafer and singing Christmas carols are are the best example of family traditions that integrate all members in one place at the same time. Polish national poet – Adam Mickiewicz – said during one of his lectures at the Sorbone University in Paris: "Polish Christmas carols are so unique and one of the kind. I haven’t heard of any country that would have such a treasure as Poland has".

The upcoming concert will be performed by Joanna Nawrot (soprano), Jacek Szymański (tenor), Dariusz S. Wójcik (bass), Andrzej Wojciechowski (clarinet) and Rafał Lewandowski (piano). The artists will present music related to John Paul 2nd, such as Nocturne in E flat major and Scherzo in B minor by Frederic Chopin, Moje Miasto Wadowice with music by Adam Dec and Paweł Jarosz, an old Polish song Góralu czy ci nie żal, arias by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Benedictus from Christmas Oratorium by Camille Saint-Saëns. We will also hear Polish Christmas carols and pastorals such as Witaj gwiazdko złota by Zygmunt Noskowski, Nad stajenką gwiazda płonie by Jan Maklakiewicz, W nocy narodzony by Tadeusz Trojanowski, Oj maluśki maluśki and Jezusa naorodzonego, as well as carols of other nations.

The Honorary Patronate: Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage – Jarosław Sellin; the Voivod of Pomorze Dariusz Drelich.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: www.teatrotwarty.pl 

The Academy of Music in Łódź invites you to the 8th AŻ Festival, which will be held online for the first time in history! The free broadcast will be available on the Academy's YouTube channel daily from 27 December 2020 to 1 January 2021 at 6.00 p.m. The programme will satisfy every audience: there will be a symphonic celebration of the Beethoven Year, a concert with baroque music, some opera music and themes from Hollywood, jazz and swing, as well as contemporary music.

The Baroque Orchestra of the Academy of Music in Łódź will present the music of the "giants of the Baroque" on 27 December. On 28 December, the PRIMUZ String Orchestra under the baton of Łukasz Błaszczyk and Stanisław Słowiński Septet will perform Słowiński's Violin Concerto No. 1 "Visions".

The programme of the Festival will include a concert of contemporary percussion music performed by Ewelina Hajda, Małgorzata Kolasa and The Bacewicz Percussion Ensemble. On New Year's Eve, students and graduates of the Faculty of Performing Arts will present fragments of operas and movie songs in the concert "From opera to Hollywood". We will hear film music by American and Polish composers, including Roman Palester, Henryk Wars, Jerzy Petersburski, Zygmunt Wiehler and Władysław Daniłowski. The final concert, dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven, will be performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Academy of Music in Łódź and a soloist – pianist Jacek Wendler, who qualified for the upcoming Chopin Competition in Warsaw. 

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: http://www.amuz.lodz.pl/pl/wydarzenia/8-az-festiwal-online 

The aim of the project "Mirecki, Stolpe, Żeleński – forgotten masterpieces of Polish chamber music" is to present to the widest possible audience the forgotten Polish chamber music of the 19th century, in particular the piano trio genre. The project will be premiered on 27 December 2020 at 6:00 p.m. on Tadeusz Szeligowski Society page.

Program of the concert includes 3 forgotten piano trios: Trio in F-dur, op. 22 by Franciszek Mirecki (1823), Romance. Duettino for violin, cello and piano by Antoni Stolpe (1866) and Trio in E-dur pp. 22 by Władysław Żeleński (1870). These works are of significant aesthetic, compositional and artistic value, which deserve to be permanently included in the repertoire of musicians all over the world. The choice of the repertoire is not accidental – the composers lived and wrote in the 19th century, and all the trios were written over the course of around 50 years; so they show the history of the development of the piano trio genre, which significantly evolved in the Romantic era. Moreover, young Władysław Żeleński completed his first composition studies with Franciszek Mirecki. For years, the works of Mirecki, Stolpe and Żeleński were only available in libraries in the form of manuscripts, some of them were lost or never found. There are also very few published works by these composers.

The concert will be performed by Apeiron Trio – a titled ensemble composed of young and passionate musicians, one of the most important areas of artistic activity is promoting the work of Polish composers.

The project is implemented as part of a creative scholarship and a scholarship in the field of promoting culture awarded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information at: http://towarzystwo-szeligowskiego.pl/ 

"Alla Polacca" is the title of the first Polish album containing Polish music for the guitar-harp duo. The pieces on the album were recorded by the unique ACh Duo, formed by guitarist Aleksander Pankowski vel Jankowski, a graduate of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and harpist Noemi Hańczyk, a graduate student at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław. The premiere of the album, released by the Association for Polish Guitar Music Development under the small great music (QBK) record company, will take place on 15 January 2021.

The name of the disc is inspired by the title of one of the parts of Suite in modo polonico by Alexandre Tansman, which was included on the album in an original arrangement for guitar and harp, made by the composer himself. The recording of Suite is the very first full recording of this piece in the world – it was never fully recorded after its creation. The album also contains original transcriptions of Fryderyk Chopin's works arranged by Anna Wołowczyk (Prelude in D flat major, Op. 28 No. 15) and by the performers themselves (Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2). The entire publication is complemented by compositions played solo by the artists – Grzegorz Jurczyk's Fogbound Mountains for guitar (2013) and Roman Ryterband's Deux images for harp (1943).

The artists of Ach Duo began their collaboration in 2012 during their studies at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music School Complex in Szczecin under the guidance of guitarist Piotr Pałac. Ever since, the duo has been winning recognition at national and international festivals. In 2018 the musicians intensified their collaboration, which led to their current achievements, including 1st place at the International Harp Competition Suoni d’Arpa in Saluzzo (Italy, 2018), as well as 2nd place at the International Harp Competition Marcel Tournier in Cosenza (Italy, 2018) and 3rd place at the II International Guitar Competition "Ida Presti" in Samobor (Croatia, 2020) that came with the special audience prize of a recital in Croatia in 2021. The duo’s repertoire features both harp and guitar pieces by such composers as Alexandre Tansman and Máximo Diego Pujol and their own musical arrangements. The unusual combination of musical instruments and the original repertoire define ACh Duo’s uniqueness as the only ensemble of its kind actively performing in Poland.

The album is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund as part of The "Musical trace" program implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.

More information: www.AChDuo.com; https://facebook.com/AChDuo