Professor Marcin Błażewicz, composer, lecturer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, and member of the Polish Composers’ Union died on 5 April 2021 in Podkowa Leśna at the age of 68. He studied philosophy at the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw (now the Cardinal Wyszyński University), and later composition with Marian Borkowski at…Continue Reading Marcin Błażewicz Obituary
The Kraków International Festival of Composers has been part the cultural life of the city since 1989 (formerly known as the Days of Music by Kraków Composers and, from 2014-2019, the International Festival of Kraków Composers). The main purpose of the Festival is the promotion and presentation of contemporary professional work of Kraków composers—classics and…Continue Reading 2021 Kraków International Festival of Composers
POLMIC’s Easter Surprise Together with the director Mieczysław Kominek, our friends at the Polish Music Information Centre in Warsaw (POLMIC) once again came through for us with a most thoughtful and timely gift. For many years already, we have been on the receiving end of POLMIC’s largesse and have happily accepted sets of unique recordings…Continue Reading PMC GIFTS: Feb-March 2021
Lisa Cooper Vest—assistant professor of musicology in the Thornton School of Music, and presenter at the recent PMC Spring Górecki event—has recently published a book entitled Awangarda: Tradition and Modernity in Postwar Polish Music (University of California Press, 2020). Dr. Vest will explore this new publication at an online discussion hosted by the USC Levan…Continue Reading Book Chats—”Awangarda: Tradition and Modernity in Postwar Polish Music”
Composer and musicologist Jan Węcowski died in Warsaw on 11 February 2021, at the age of 89. Since 1964, he was a member of the Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP) and in 1973-1975 he was president of the ZKP’s Warsaw Branch. He was a long-term lecturer at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy Music in Warsaw and the editor-in-chief of…Continue Reading Jan Węcowski Obituary
“Usually hidden behind their sounds, giving the floor to the performers of their works, during the Festival of Premieres composers are in the center of attention. Celebrating their creativity and courage to confront us with habits, to provoke, challenge and surprise us” – emphasizes Ewa Bogusz-Moor. In 2021, the Festival of Premieres will be…Continue Reading 9th Festival of Premieres “Polish Modern Music” Program
Michał Balas, a student of the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź, is the winner of the 1st Polish National Dominik Połoński Cello Competition, which ended on 28 March 2021. The young cellist delighted the jurors with his sincerity, great virtuosity and playing finesse. Michał Balas received the title of “Cello Individuality 2021” as…Continue Reading Michał Balas has received the title of “Cello Individuality 2021”
The International Conference “Trombone in the 20th and 21st Century Polish Music – Inspirations and Perspectives“ will take place at the Academy of Music in Łódź on 9-10 April 2021. All lectures, concerts, and master classes with foreign guests will be held online; the recordings will be made available on the Academy’s YouTube channel. The conference was…Continue Reading “Trombone in the 20th and 21st Century Polish Music” Conference
On 25 April 2021 at 7.00 p.m. the world premiere of Krzesimir Dębski‘s Job—an opera based on Karol Wojtyła’s drama—will be held online through the YouTube channel of the Polish Royal Opera. “I myself wrote a new drama with Greek form, Christian spirit, eternal content […]. A drama about suffering: Job”. This is how the…Continue Reading Online Premiere of “Job” by Krzesimir Dębski, text by Karol Wojtyła
The Jazztopad Festival, in partnership with Polish Cultural Institute New York, continues The Great Improvisation series online live-streamed from the National Forum of Music (NFM) in Wrocław, Poland. The series presents various faces of jazz—from bold avant-garde and daring improvisation through to the mainstream. The ideal acoustics of the NFM halls provide a perfect environment…Continue Reading Jazztopad ‘Great Improvisation’ Series Livestream Continues