On 19 February 2018, the New Music Incubator (NMI) will conclude its Konstancin project with a public concert in Molenbeek, Brussels. NMI projects bring together professional new music practitioners (musicians, composers, improvisers, electronic music artist, sound artists, etc.) from the EU countries for a period of collaborative creative research. The participants are professional artists who…Continue Reading New Music Incubator: Konstancin
The latest issue of Musicology Today—Volume 14, Issue 1 (Dec 2017)—is now available online at degruyter.com. This issue features many interesting articles about the long-running and influential ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music. Some of the distinguished authors included in this issue are Warsaw Autumn Director and former ZKP President Jerzy Kornowicz, music critic and theorist Małgorzata…Continue Reading ‘Warsaw Autumn’ In Musicology Today
Over 200 artists gathered on the stage situated in the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures [Spotkania Kultur] in Lublin to perform Seven Gates of Jerusalem — the monumental work based on the Old Testament texts composed by Krzysztof Penderecki. Relatively rarely performed due to its gigantic performance and logistical requirements, the piece was conducted by the Maestro Penderecki…Continue Reading Seven Gates Of Jerusalem – Lublin
On February 24 the Kosciuszko Foundation presents “Donna,” a concert featuring Metropolitan Opera singers Edyta Kulczak, mezzo-soprano and Dísella Làrusdóttir, soprano, accompanied by Tadeusz Domanowski, piano. The concert is dedicated to a legendary Polish opera singer Marcella Sembrich-Kochańska on her 160 Birthday Anniversary. A wine reception will follow the concert. Marcella Sembrich (1858-1935) was born into a poor…Continue Reading ‘Donna’ Celebrates Marcella Sembrich-Kochańska
On February 15 and 16, the NOSPR in Katowice will present two concerts entitled “Muzyka Polska za mało znana” [Lesser-known Polish Music], featuring rarely performed music by Polish composers. The first day will feature Aleksander Tansman’s Suite pour trio d’anches, Antoni Szałowski’s Trio (1936), and Witold Lutosławski’s Trio (1945), performed by the Krakowice Trio d’anches (Damian Lipień – bassoon, Maksymilian Lipień…Continue Reading Lesser-Known Polish Music
From Frank Harders, our dear friend at Boosey & Hawkes in Berlin, we received a brand new CD featuring several major works by Józef Koffler. Born in 1896 in Stryj (a city in the Lviv Region of Ukraine today), Koffler studied music in Vienna and was drafted into the Austrian Army in 1916. After World…Continue Reading Gifts to PMC January 2018
On February 8 the elegant headquarters of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City hosted a special event celebrating the centenary of Poland’s regained independence with a lecture entitled “Paderewski and World Politics,” given by PMC Director Marek Zebrowski. Zebrowski’s lecture was illustrated with dozens of rare photographs from the Polish Music Center’s Paderewski Archive: the Paso…Continue Reading Kosciuszko FDN & PMC Honor Paderewski
Wojciech Maciejewski, the younger brother of composer, pianist and choral conductor, Roman Maciejewski (1910-1998), died in Warsaw on February 11. He was 94 years old. A kind and gentle yet firm individual, Wojciech was a tireless champion of his brother’s musical opus. Born in Leszno in 1923, he spent the World War II years in…Continue Reading Wojciech Maciejewski Obituary
Leszek Łakowski—Love Songs Leszek Kułakowski – piano, Piotr Kułakowski – double bass, Tomasz Sowiński – drums, Joanna Knitter – vocals, Tomasz Grzegorski – saxophone, Maciej Grzywacz – guitar Soliton Records (2017) From a review by Adam Baruch at Polish-Jazz.Blogspot.com: This is a beautiful album by Polish pianist/composer Leszek Kułakowski, who shows herein yet another facet of his…Continue Reading Discography February 2018
Emanuel Ax in L.A. & O.C. In January, Polish-born pianist Emanuel Ax was featured in several solo and chamber recitals around Los Angeles and Orange County. This beloved elder statesman of the piano performed at two educational institutions: Soka University Performing Arts Center in Aliso Viejo (Jan. 16) and Colburn School of Music in downtown Los Angeles…Continue Reading Performances February 2018