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Wrocław | 15. Leo Festival

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

The 15^th anniversary Leo Festival will be held at the National Forum of Music on May 10-19, 2024. Christian Danowicz, artistic director of the Festival, invites you to this event.

“Inspired by the book Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, which deals with the issues of movement and time, I would like to encourage joint reflection on these universal issues during this year's Leo Festival and look at them through the prism of music and dance.”

Detailed programme - on the website: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/festiwale/leo-festiwal

Gdańsk | Weinberg.Epitafium.XXVIII.: concert on the occasion of the anniversary of composer's death

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

"Weinberg.Epitafium.XVIII." is another artistic event organized by Tomasz Raff commemorating the Polish composer of Jewish origin, Mieczysław Wajnberg. The concert on the 28^th anniversary of his death will take place on the 24^th of February, 2024 at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk. Admission to the concert is free!

This time, the event will take the form of a vocal-instrumental monographic concert, during which the first Polish performances of song cycles to words by Bazyli Żukowski (Op. 116) and Afanasija Feta (Op. 134), as well as the Sonata for viola and piano, Op. 28 and String Trio Op. 48 will take place.

Additional information: https://www.amuz.gda.pl/wydarzenia/weinbergepitafiumxxviii,1993

Warsaw | Piotr Moss & Sinfonia Iuventus

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

The 75^th birthday of Piotr Moss and the 55^th anniversary of his artistic work is an opportunity to celebrate a monographic concert. On the 17^th of February, 2024 at 7.00 p.m. in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio a representative selection of his symphonic compositions will be presented. Sinfonia Iuventus will perform together with soloist Łukasz Długosz conducted by Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk.

Piotr Moss is one of the most original musical talents of his generation, and also one of many Polish artists active mainly outside of the country. His work is rich and diverse. In the composer's catalogue, in addition to great vocal-instrumental works, concert and chamber works, you can also find music intended for radio, theater, film and television.

During the first part of the concert dedicated to him, we will hear the five-part Suite for orchestra "Zoo", which is a humorous reminiscence of the composer's visit to the Warsaw zoo, and the Concerto for flute and orchestra "Masques", the inspiration for which and the recipient of the dedication is one of the most outstanding flutists, Łukasz Długosz.

Press release

Tickets: https://sinfoniaiuventus.pl/piotr-moss-sinfonia-iuventus-3/

Katowice | Wit, bravado and legendary craftsmanship

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Witold Lutosławski would have celebrated his 111^th birthday this year and would probably have written a miniature on this occasion. He condensed what he wanted to say and was against exaggeration and talkativeness. On the 15^th of February, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., his miniatures will be presented by a chamber ensemble, and the soprano Magdalena Lucjan, winner of the last edition of the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition, will perform as a soloist.

We will hear the spectacular Variations on a Theme by Paganini (1941), played during the occupation in the Warsaw "Aria" café, the pedagogical pieces Dance Preludes (1954), Epitaph (1980) and Grave (1981) dedicated to deceased friends, and his last piece - Subito (1992) for violin and piano. We will also hear short songs Chantefleurs et chantefables (1990) set to surrealist poems for children, arranged by Eugeniusz Knapik for voice and piano.

More: https://nospr.org.pl/pl/kalendarz/lutoslawski-in-memoriam-koncert-w-110-rocznice-urodzin-i-30

Warsaw | Sinfonia Viva - 25-year-long music journey through Poland, the world and the Space!

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

A unique event will take place on the 10^th of February, 2024 at 7.00 p.m. in the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of the Polish Radio.

The Witold Lutosławski Festival will be an opportunity to celebrate together the rich history of the Sinfonia Viva orchestra and to enjoy extraordinary music. During the concert on the occasion of the orchestra's 25^th anniversary, the 2^nd Violin Concerto by Tomasz Radziwonowicz will be premiered conducted by the composer, general director and artistic director of the Orchestra. The violinist Gabriela Balcerek (Royal College of Music) - the youngest scholarship holder of the "Young Poland" programme - will perform as a soloist.

More on the Orchestra's website www.sinfoniaviva.com

A month with the International Wratislavia Cantans Festival on Mezzo TV

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

The NFM invites you to watch and listen to a special series of concerts broadcast on Mezzo TV dedicated to the International Wratislavia Cantans Festival and the National Forum of Music. The series will start on Saturday, the 3^rd of February and includes four concerts.

French television, which is the media patron of Wratislavia Cantans and specializes in the international promotion of artists from the fields of classical music, jazz and dance, in cooperation with the National Forum of Music, made recordings that will be presented to the whole world.

Winners of Composition Competition for songs to words by Zbigniew Herbert announced!

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

9 compositions were submitted to the Composition Competition for songs to words by Zbigniew Herbert, all of which met the conditions specified in the Rules and Regulations. 2 prizes and 2 distinctions were awarded.

On the 19^th of January, 2024, the Competition Jury, composed of: Prof. Jadwiga Rappe - chairman, Prof. Ryszard Minkiewicz, Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk, MA and Kamil Cieślik, MA – secretary, decided to award the following prizes:

The 2nd prize ex aequo in the amount of PLN 750 (gross) each was awarded to Ms. Joanna Liwo for the song From the Technology of Tears (emblem: jamowygołąb58) and to Ms. Maria Trzpis for the song To the river (emblem: HRB1983).

Honorable mentions were given to Mr. Franciszek Rusek for the song Testament (emblem: cladonia3000) and to Ms. Malwina Wiaduch for the song Kołatka (emblem: Aglaisio12).

1st prize was not awarded.

Details: https://amuz.gda.pl/aktualnosci/wyniki-konkursu-kompozytorskiego-na-piesn-do-slow-zbigniewa-herberta,401

Katowice | NOSPR: Marin Alsop and Gabriela Montero

NOSPR 9 2 24 Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Piano in a masterful way! Gabriela Montero - Venezuelan pianist and composer, winner of the third prize at the 13^th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in 1995, will perform as a soloist in Katowice on the 9^th of February, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. She will be accompanied by the NOSPR conducted by Marin Alsop.

The first to be presented will be Allegro de Voiron, a neoclassical gem for orchestra by Michal Spisak. This will be followed by the Venezuelan artist's performance of her Concerto No. 1, "Latino" dedicated to Montero's homeland. The second part of the concert will be filled with Richard Strauss' Life of a Hero. The NOSPR invites you on a journey: from France, to Venezuela, to the secret realms where the time of heroes takes place.

Ticket information: https://nospr.org.pl/pl/kalendarz/nospr-alsop-montero

Wrocław | Crossroads for two accordions

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Rafal Łuc and Maciej Frąckiewicz are two accordion masters well known to the public and fascinated by contemporary music. During their concert at the National Forum of Music on 1^st of February, 2024 at 7 p.m., they will present works by Polish composers premiered on their joint album Dualabilis released in 2020 by Opus Series. Composer Marta Śniady will participate in the realization of the electronic layer of the piece provocatively titled Evil Nigger by Julius Eastman.

We will hear works by Polish accordionist and composers: Nocturne by Andrzej Krzanowski and Chorale and Fantasy by Mikołaj Majkusiak. The last of the works released on the Dualabilis CD that the duo will present will be an accordion fresco of almost symphonic momentum by Tomasz Opałka entitled Crossroads.

Ticket information: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/component/nfmcalendar/event/10217

Zielona Góra | "Polish Music Scene": Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf and Maciej Gański

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

"Polish Music Scene" is a unique program of the National Institute of Music and Dance, whose main goal is to promote Polish artists and native composers. Thanks to the programme, world-renowned Polish musicians: viola player Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf and pianist Maciej Gański will perform at the Zielona Góra Philharmonic on the 3^rd of February, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Programme consists of both original compositions for viola and piano, as well as those arranged for such a duo - works rarely on the concert programmes, by Henryk Szopowicz, Jan Astriab, Piotr Maszyński, Zygmunt Stojowski, Jan Michał Wieczorek, Stefan Bolesław Poradowski. The artists will also present Mieczyslaw Wajnberg's Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 28, and works arranged by Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf himself: Witold Lutosławski's Lullaby for Anne-Sophie and Emil Młynarski's Mazurka in G Major, Op. 7.

3rd Antoni Cofalik Violin and Viola Competition

Event date: 2024-05-13

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Oskar Kolberg 1^st degree Music School in Raciechowice announces the 3^rd Antoni Cofalik Violin and Viola Competition, which will take place on June 13-15, 2024. The deadline for submitting applications is the 13^th of May.

The competition is open to violinists and violists born after the 31^st of December, 2007.

The compulsory programme of the Competition includes works by Polish composers, including miniatures by Antoni Cofalik from the collections W zoo, W cyrku and Ptaszarnia.

Prof. Antoni Cofalik will be the chairman of the jury.

All participants of the Competition will receive diplomas of participation. Prizes will be awarded to the winners. A special prize will be awarded for the best performed piece by Antoni Cofalik. The culmination of the Competition will be the Winners' Concert, which will take place in the Concert Hall in Raciechowice.

Katowice | Melodrama of the new sounds

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

In his new Concerto for quarter-tone accordion and instrumental ensemble, the Vienna-based composer Grzegorz Pieniek opens the curtain to the world of completely new sounds. On the 4^th of February, 2024 at NOSPR at 6.00 p.m. the work will be premiered by accordionist Eneasz Kubit and the New Music Orchestra conducted by Szymon Bywalec.

The concerto was commissioned four years ago, but due to specific difficulties, it will only be performed now. As the organizers emphasize, "Mainly because of a special instrument - a quarter-tone accordion, built specially for the occasion. In fact, in this situation we can say that what was created here was not a piece for an instrument, but... an instrument for a piece.

More: https://nospr.org.pl/pl/kalendarz/orkiestra-muzyki-nowej-in-the-alps

Cracow | "London Calling": Krauze, Penderecki, Greenwood

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

In 2024, Sinfonietta Cracovia will discover new areas of music for the Cracow audience together with musicians of the famous London Sinfonietta. The concert as part of the "Sinfonietta Nova" series will not only be a meeting with artists from London, but also an encounter with new repertoire. Premiere of Threnody in Memory of Krzysztof Penderecki, created by Zygmunt Krauze will take place on the 15^th of February at the Łaźnia Nowa Theater at 6:00 p.m.

The curator of the concerts of the Sinfonietta Nova series in 2024 is Andrew Burke, head of the London Sinfonietta, and during three concerts (February 15, April 7 and February 20), the leaders of the London orchestra will join in making music together with Sinfonietta Cracovia.

The concert on the 15^th of February will be a performance with the concertmaster of the London Sinfonietta, Jonathan Morton, and a journey through the music of the 20^th and 21^st centuries: from the works of Krzysztof Penderecki, through the monumental soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film There Will Be Blood, to the ambient sounds of contemporary artists and the premiere of a new piece by Zygmunt Krauze with with the participation of the composer himself, who will play the piano.

Press release

Tickets: https://www.sinfonietta.pl/koncerty/london-calling

Programme of the 34. Musica Polonica Nova Festival announced!

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

What is this year's edition of the Musica Polonica Nova Festival, which will take place at the National Forum of Music on April 10-14, 2024, about?

Above all, about inspiration, fluid boundaries and connections. The history of contemporary music, like virtually every art, is conditioned by two tendencies. The first is to strive to maintain autonomy and continuity of tradition, the second is to look for new inspirations and means of expression. For a long time, musical art was primarily a material art, drawing inspiration and driving force for development from itself. Nowadays, however, the fear of the influence of external trends has weakened, and composers are increasingly reaching for elements of both the dominant popular culture and numerous subcultures. Boundaries in art still exist, but it is becoming easier to cross them. Contemporary music is no longer elitist, it is opening up to the world of everyday life and non-specialized audiences, outside academic circles. Sometimes it makes critical intercepts, venturing into the vast field of pop culture. But it also happens that composers simply sincerely, without a hint of irony, take full advantage of popular music, enjoying its energy.

Paweł Hendrich

Artistic Director

Programme: https://www.nfm.wroclaw.pl/festiwale/musica-polonica-nova

Cracow | 16. Opera Rara

The 16^th Opera Rara Festival will be held in Cracow on February 1-18, 2024, the programme of which will include the premiere of Aleksander Nowak's latest opera I, Şeküre and rarely performed masterpieces by old masters.

The opera I, Şeküre is inspired by the plots of the great novel My Name is Red by the Turkish Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk. The libretto was created by the composer himself. At the Juliusz Słowacki Theater in Cracow, the work will be premiered by soloists, the Polish Radio Choir and musicians of the Music Cooperative contemporary ensemble and Capella Cracoviensis. The sounds of new music will be combined with a video installation by Marcin Chlanda and Jakub Kotynia. By the way, Orhan Pamuk was present during the concert performance of fragments of the opera last year in Poznań.

Solaris by Karol Nepelski based on the novel by Stanisław Lem will inaugurate the Festival at the National Synchrotron Radiation Center SOLARIS. The performance is a co-production of the Opera Rara festival and the H. Modrzejewska Old Theater., the music cooperative Hashtag Ensemble (which will take part in the performance of the piece) and the Warsaw Stage Society. The event's partners are the Jagiellonian University and the Contemporary Music Space Hashtag Lab.

Detailed programme of the Festival available on the website: http://operararakrakow.pl/

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