On October 1, the International Day of Music, winners of the 2017 ‘Koryfeusz’ Polish Music Awards were announced at the Award Gala – “Róbmy swoje,” held in the W. Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio in Warsaw. Organized by the Institute of Music and Dance (IMiT), the Koryfeusz Award was created in 2011 on the initiative of the music community in order to recognize its most outstanding members. It is a distinction intended to honor individual artists, performers, musicologists, critics, journalists, humanists, researchers, animators, promoters and cultural managers, as well as groups of artists, institutions, artistic events and a variety of projects that are creative, animated and educational. ‘Koryfeusz’ Awards are given to artists holding Polish citizenship or to Polish institutions operating in Poland and abroad in the categories of: Personality of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, Debut of the Year and Honorary Award.
The 2017 winners are:
- Debut of the Year: Marianna Żołnacz, flute
- Personality of the Year: Szymon Nehring, piano
- Musical Event of the Year: Grammy Award for Penderecki conducts Penderecki vol. 1 (Warner Music Poland)
- Honorary Award: Jerzy Maksymiuk, conductor
The Gala program featured the premiere of Zygmunt Konieczny‘s Piano Concerto, which was commissioned by the Film and Jazz Music Foundation and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage within the framework of the “Composing Commissions” program implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance. Gala performers included guitarists Marek Napiórkowski and Artur Lesicki, pianist Piotr Latoszyński and a jazz ensemble featuring Dominik Bukowski – vibraphone, Krzysztof Herdzin – piano, Michał Barański – double bass, and Paweł Dobrowolski and Sebastian Frankiewicz – drums, joined by the Polish Radio Orchestra and all conducted by Krzysztof Herdzin and Maciej Koczur. The Award Gala was streamed live online at www.koryfeusz.org.pl and www.polskieradio.pl.
[Source: koryfeusz.org.pl]