During the second half of March, the celebrated Cracow Duo—comprised of cellist Jan Kalinowski and pianist Marek Szlezer—returns for a tour of California. The Strad magazine described the ensemble thus: “Kalinowski and Szlezer, friends since childhood, have a wonderfully natural rapport and there is an arresting quality to their playing that gives life to the music”….Continue Reading Cracow Duo Back in California
Dariusz Swoszowski’s new work–Dźwięki historii Tarnowa–premiered during a concert at the Music School Complex in Tarnów. The concert, entitled “In the World of Rhythm,” was held on February 21, 2022. Paweł Swoszowski, a percussionist and pedagogue, was the soloist. Swoszowski graduated from Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and has worked with many renowned…Continue Reading Dariusz Swoszowski Premiere
The results for the First Composer’s Competition for an Instrumental Duo with Harp, have been announced. Organized by the Stanislaw Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, this competition consisted of submitting an original compositional work for two instruments, with one of them being harp. Sixteen works were submitted and judged by high profile members of…Continue Reading Winners of 1st Composers’ Competition for an Instrumental Duo with Harp
Opus Series Records aims to present contemporary music in a manner that can be broadly understood by a wide audience. The last few decades have shown that the richness of new music styles does not allow for the easy classification of creative phenomena, which is why the Opus Series documents a wide range of music…Continue Reading New on Opus Series Records
The Holiday Season brought us a few nice surprises as soon as we returned to campus after the New Year and collected the PMC mail. Music for the Accordion Accordionist Wiesław Ochwat sent us a fascinating CD, Maciej Zimka—Out of the Circle, a series of chamber works for accordion and violin and accordion and guitar….Continue Reading PMC Gifts: January 2022
February 5th marked the 120th anniversary of Bronisław Kaper’s birth. This Oscar-winning composer of film music was celebrated in Poland a few years ago with an excellent CD album, Spotkanie, featuring performances by the Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestra Monika Wolińska. Eight tracks on this 2015 release present the selection of cues…Continue Reading Kaper Remembered
The newest album by Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński, entitled ‘Anima Æterna’ and recorded on the Erato label, was recently awarded the 2022 International Classical Music Award [ICMA] in the “Baroque Vocal” category. Jakub Józef Orliński has quickly emerged as one of the most vibrant performers on the international classical music scene. Orliński will make…Continue Reading Orliński Wins ICMA & Performance in L.A.
As the 2022 spring semester gets underway, USC Thornton students are preparing for a return to live performances, and the school is proud to announce that all departmental and ensemble events are open to in-person, limited capacity audiences. After months of closed venues, Los Angeles County and university event regulations have made it possible for…Continue Reading USC Thornton Symphony performs Lutosławski
A concert celebrating twenty years of performance by the Cracow Duo was held on 4 December 2021, at the elegant Florianka Hall in Kraków. Cellist Jan Kalinowski and pianist Marek Szlezer have known each other since childhood, and they entertained the audience—as they have successfully done for the past two decades—with a special program of…Continue Reading 20 Years of Cracow Duo