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
Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak is a recipient of one of this year’s Readers’ Awards for opera singers of the year at the 2015 International Opera Awards. The awards were presented on April 26, 2015 during a gala at the London Savoy theatre. According to Filip Lech of Culture.pl: The International Opera Awards are presented by Opera…Continue Reading Kurzak Wins International Opera Award
The International Competition for Young Composers “Generance” has been organized by the Janaček in May Festival in Ostrava, Czech Republic for 37 years already. The competition is aimed at young composers from four countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The subject of this year’s compositions was: for a solo instrument with accompaniment, for…Continue Reading Young Polish Composers Honored In Ostrava
Violinist Kinga Augustyn, who is already known to audiences in California after appearing at the 2012 Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles (pictured at right), has just been recognized with the 2015 “Outstanding Pole Abroad” Award [Wybitny Polak za granicą]. This year marks the fifth anniversary of this prestigious competition organized by the Polish National Emblem Foundation [Fundacja…Continue Reading Laurels for Augustyn
Two Polish musicians were recently awarded the Decoration of Honor “Meritorious for Polish Culture” from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage [MKiDN]: virtuoso violinist and cultural organizer Janusz Wawrowski, and pianist, theoretician and composer Marcin Tadeusz Łukaszewski. They were officially decorated at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw by University Rector,…Continue Reading Wawrowski & Łukaszewski Decorated
From February 20 to March 1, the 9th US National Chopin Piano Competition was organized by the Chopin Foundation of the United States in Miami. Following eight days of grueling competition, the nine Competition Jury members—Agustin Anievas, Chair, Sergei Babayan, Ian Hobson, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Kevin Kenner, Dean Kramer, Jon Nakamatsu, Katarżyna Popowa-Zydroń and Margarita Shevchenko—announced…Continue Reading US Nat’l Chopin Competition Winners