Marcel Chyrzyński

b. 26 November 1971, Częstochowa

Marcel Chyrzyński obtained his Master’s degree with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków in 1995, where he studied composition with Prof. Marek Stachowski, orchestration with Prof. Krzysztof Penderecki and computer music with Marek Chołoniewski. He also studied with such Fulbright scholars from the U.S. as Richard Boulanger, Cindy McTee, and Rodney Oaks. Chyrzyński perfected his compositional skills on numerous courses, including the Internationale Akademie für Neue Komposition in Schwaz in Austria (1994), Young Composers Summer Course in Białystok (1995) as well as the Summer Composers’ Course in Radziejowice (1996,1997), Internationale Werkstatt für Neue Musik und Computer in Stuttgart (1995) and International Workshop of New Music in Kraków/Stuttgart (1996). He has gained valuable experience and training under the tutelage of composers such as Paul Patterson, Sylvano Bussotti, Claude Lefebvre, Joji Yuasa, Bogusław Schaeffer, Lidia Zielińska and Hanna Kulenty.

​Among many Polish awards and citations, Chyrzyński has twice received First Prize in the Krzanowski Competition for Young Composers in Bielsko-Biała for Miniature for solo clarinet and for Three Preludes for clarinet and piano, First Prize for Four Love Lyrics for baritone and piano in the 3rd All-Polish Adam Didur Composers’ Competition in Sanok (1994), citation for Piece for Orchestra in the Composers’ Competition organised by Polish Radio in Warsaw (1996), Third Prize for Psalm 88 for mixed choir in the 2nd All-Polish Composition Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1996), Third Prize for …similes esse bestiis for mixed choir in the 3rd All-Polish Composers’ Competition Musica Sacra in Warsaw (1997) and First Prize for Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria in the Tadeusz Baird Composition Competition for Young Composers in Warsaw (1997).

In 1998, Chyrzyński obtained a doctoral degree in composition at his alma mater; and in 2010, the doktor habilitowany degree (professorial qualification) in music arts. Since 1994 he has worked as a lecturer and in 2010 became the Associate Professor at the Kraków Music Academy’s Department of Composition, Interpretation and Musical Education. Since 2014 he has been a director of the Institute of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory.

He has been a visiting professor in Mexico (Universidad National Autónoma de Mexico in Mexico City), South Africa (University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town, University of the Witswatersrand in Johannesburg), South Korea (Yeungnam University in Daegu, Inje University in Gimhae), Slovakia (Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava) and the United States (University of Southern California in Los Angeles), as well as at the Takefu International Composition Workshop in Japan.

Since 1995 he has been a member of the Polish Composers’ Union and in 2005-2007, 2009-2011 and 2013-2017 a member of the Main Board of PCU. Since 2005 he also became a member of the Polish Society for Electroacoustic Music. Since 2014 he has been a director of the International Festival of Krakow Composers. Since 2016 he has been a president of the Krakow Branch of the Polish Composers’ Union.

His works have been performed in Poland, Austria, Germany, England, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, Kosovo, Romania, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Georgia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil as well as in Slovakia, Ukraine and Belarus at numerous concerts and festivals, including Silesian Days of Contemporary Music in Katowice (1994, 2000, 2006, 2016), International Festival of Kraków Composers (1995-99, 2002-03, 2010-11, 2013, 2015-17), MOSAICO Music Festival in Kraków (1995), International Festival of Contemporary Music Warsaw Autumn (1996), Musica Moderna in Łódź (1997), Musica Polonica Nova in Wrocław (1998, 2006, 2008, 2014), International Festival of Sacred Music Gaude Mater in Częstochowa (1997, 1998, 2015), Internationale Studienwoche für zeitgenössiche Musik in Hamburg (1995), FIU Music Festival in Miami (2000), Musica Nova Festival in Helsinki (2000), Music Festival in Vitebsk (2001),  International Festival of Contemporary Music CONTRASTS in Lviv (2002), International Contemporary Music Festival The New Music Scene of Prishtina in Kosovo (2003), Festival  International  de musique en Catalogne in Ceret in France (2004), Cadaques International Festival of  Music in Spain (2004), Festival of Polish Music in Kraków (2005, 2006, 2008, 2015), UltraSchall Festival für neue Musik in Berlin (2006), New Music New Faces Festival in Kraków (2006), Festival of World Premiere in Katowice (2007), Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival in Canterbury (2009), ZXZW Festival in Tilburg in the Netherlands (2007, 2010), Portraits of composers in Warsaw (2011), Focus Music Festival in New York (2011), Poznań Spring Festival in Poznań (2013), International Contemporary Harpsichord Festival in Padova in Italy (2013), Encuentro Universitario de Clarinete Festival in Mexico City (2013), Golfstream in Kiev in Ukraine (2014, 2015), Music in Old Cracow Festival (2014), Kiev Music Fest in Kiev (2014), Sügisfestival in Tallinn in Estonia (2014), Cool Capital Biennale in Pretoria in South Africa (2014), Annelie de Man Festival in Amsterdam (2015), SWIK Festival in Eelde in the Netherlands (2015), Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival in South Korea (2016), Takefu International Music Festival in Japan (2016), Polish Music Festival in Moscow (2016), Kraków Spring Cello Festival (2017), Lviv Early Music Festival (2017) and Kraków Autumn Music Festival (2017).

Three of his compositions, Ferragosto per tromba, pianoforte e batteria, Quasi Kwazi I and Quasi Kwazi II, were perfomed at the Dimensions of Time and Silence concert which presented Polish and Australian music in Sydney (1998). His composition Extended Perception of Echo for Strings represented Polish contemporary music at the International Fair Midem Classique 2000 in Cannes.

Chyrzyński’s compositions have been published by PWM Edition and Edition Ferrimontana – Frankfurt, and have been released on 12 compact disc by DUX, ZPR Records, Acte Préalable, The Institute of Art, PWM-DUX and Polish Radio SA. Several of his works have been performed on Polish television and Polish, Dutch, German, Finnish, Estonian and Australian radio broadcasts.

Marcel Chyrzyński has also composed music for the theatre – he is particularly interested in contemporary plays. He has written music for plays such as Divine Words by Ramon dell Valle-Inclan, Herr Paul by Tankred Dorst, La Fête by Sławomir Mrożek, Fedra’s Love by Sarah Kane, Legoland by Dirk Dobbrow, Tätowierung by Dea Loher, The Madness by Pawel Jurek, Porno Generation by Pawel Jurek, Testosteron by Andrzej Saramonowicz, Konrad Machine by Mateusz Pakuła, Enter the Dragon. Trailer by Mateusz Pakuła, Antyzwiastowanie by Maria Spiss and Vengeance is a Woman by Pawel Kamza.

Selected Compositions

Orchestral