On July 4, Krakow-based Szymon Mika took the top honors in the Smietana Competition sharing the podium with Second Prize winner Felix Lemerle of France, and ex-aequo Third Prize winners Ronald Baloghow from Hungary and Rotem Silvan of Israel. The Final Gala Concert this year included performances by the prize winners as well as by…Continue Reading Szymon Mika Wins The Jarek Smietana Competition
The American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) and The Chicago Chopin Society are proud to announce the winner of the 2015 ACPC Marcella Kochanska Sembrich Vocal Competition, Katarzyna Sądej. She will perform in concert during the 67th Annual ACPC Convention on Friday, August 7, 2015 at 8 PM in the Embassy Suites Hotel, 5500 N….Continue Reading 2015 ACPC Vocal Competition Winner
On June 22, during the International Sacroexpo Exhibition in Kielce, composer Krzysztof Penderecki received the Per Artem ad Deum medal awarded by the Pontifical Council for Culture. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include composers Wojciech Kilar, Krzysztof Zanussi, Ennio Morricone, and this year, the eminent sculptor Prof. Wincenty Kućma. [Sources: beethoven.org.pl, perartemaddeum.com]…Continue Reading Penderecki Receives ‘Per Artem At Deum’ Award
Organist Krzysztof Urbaniak was recently given the Marshal of Łódź’s award in the “Personality” category for his achievements as an artist and cultural promulgator. Urbaniak is currently the artist-in-resident of the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź. In this role, he is not only an appreciated young organist and university lecturer, but also a consultant…Continue Reading Krzysztof Urbaniak Honored By Łódź
On June 15, 2015, the winners of the 56th edition of the Tadeusz Baird Competition for Young Composers were announced. The jury was composed of Jerzy Bauer – chairman, Zbigniew Baginski – secretary, Krzysztof Baculewski and Sławomir Czarnecki. Named for composer and pedagogue Tadeusz Baird, the competition is organized by the Polish Composers’ Union [ZKP]…Continue Reading Baird Young Composers’ Competition
On April 30, 2015 the Wojciech Kilar Award’s Expert Council, consisting of directors of the most important Polish cultural institutions, selected the winner of the first edition of Wojciech Kilar Award. The inaugural winner is Elliot Goldenthal, one of the most versatile composers of contemporary music. Winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe and World Soundtrack…Continue Reading 1st Wojciech Kilar Award Winner
ZKP Annual Awards The annual awards of the Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP) were announced on May 26. Presided over by Zygmunt Krauze, the jury included Beata Bolesławska-Lewandowska, Jerzy Kornowicz and Barbara Przybyszewska-Jarmińska, recognizing the following composers: Hanna Kulenty—for her outstanding body of compositions, strong individuality and combination of musical vigor with interesting structural solutions; Zbigniew…Continue Reading ZKP Awards
On April 23, the Fryderyk Awards Gala was held at the Teatr Polski in Warsaw and the 2014 winners were announced in front of leaders of Poland’s music industry. This 21st edition of the Awards was broadcast on TVP2. Organized by ZPAV—Poland’s Phonographic Academy—the full list of the 2014 winners is here at zpav.pl. The…Continue Reading Fryderyk 2015 Laureates
Polish Radio celebrated its 90th anniversary with a gala event at the National Opera in Warsaw on April 21. During the evening, Jacek Kaspszyk, the Artistic Director of Warsaw Philharmonic was presented with the Diamond Baton Award, one of the most important professional accolades given by the Polish Radio. Maestro Kaspszyk was praised for “being…Continue Reading Diamond Baton For Kaspszyk
Every year, TVP Kultura bestows their “Gwarancje Kultury” Awards on those who were ‘guarantors’ of excellent culture experiences during the past year. Those awarded are the most interesting artistic personalities and cultural events in the categories of: Theatre, Literature, Film, Classical music, Jazz, Rock, Visual Arts, Culture Manager, Culture Online and “Supergwarancje”. The 2014 winners…Continue Reading ‘Guarantee Of Culture’ Award