The VI National Witold Lutosławski Competition for Young Composers will take place at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre in Białystok, Poland from September 4-8, 2016. Competition organizers say: “It is a unique musical event in the country, it is comparable only with the International G. Fitelberg Conducting Competition in Katowice.” Prize winners from…Continue Reading National Lutosławski Competition for Composers
The world premiere of Zygmunt Krauze’s Poem of Apollinaire for speaking pianist and 12 instruments took place in Warsaw on June 26, performed by Orkest de ereprijs with the composer at the piano under the baton of Wim Boerman. The piece was commissioned by the Association of Polish Composers [Związek Kompozytorów Polskich] and was staged during the Concert…Continue Reading Krauze Recent and Upcoming Premieres
On the evening of August 7, Wojtek Blecharz’s music for invisible places was given its world premiere by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) during their Free Micro-Concert: Young Composers Concert 3 in the Hearst Plaza of Lincoln Center in New York City. It was one of the 50 premieres that ICE performed over the course of two weeks, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of…Continue Reading Blecharz Premiere
The 59th International ‘Warsaw Autumn’ Festival of Contemporary Music [Warszawska Jesień] will be held in various venues throughout Warsaw from September 18-26, 2016. This year’s Warsaw Autumn will direct audiences’ eyes, ears and attention to the stage—understood both literally and symbolically. The starting point will be “opera,” associated with a specific theatrical space a musical work in…Continue Reading Premieres at Warsaw Autumn
Taking a break from his position as the Permanent Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Polish-born conductor Grzegorz Nowak will spend most of August in Poland, giving concerts with several of the country’s top ensembles as part of the Chopin and His Europe Festival. He will be joined by incredible soloists, including cellist Andrzej Bauer and pianists…Continue Reading Nowak in Poland
On July 30, 2016 at the Sembrich Museum in Bolton Landing, NY, Polish violinist Kinga Augustyn performed a recital of Polish music with pianist Matthieu Cogne. On the program: Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880): Legende, Op. 8; Frederic Chopin: (1810- 1849): Nocturne in C Sharp Minor (arr. Antoni Cofalik) and Mazurka in A Major (transcription from D Major, arr. Fritz…Continue Reading Augustyn Performs Polish Music
Polish flautist and new music champion Iwona Glinka will perform a recital during the National Flute Association conventionin San Diego, CA on August 12. Her program of international works was chosen for this prestigious honor from more than 500 proposals submitted by musicians from around the world. While in California, she will also perform in Los Angeles as…Continue Reading Glinka in California
The final three volumes of “The History of Music in Poland” have been published in collaboration with Sutkowski Edition and the Institute of Music and Dance, completing the monumental 15-volume series. The final volumes include “Between Romanticism and New Music” (by Zofia Helman), “Romanticism: part 1” (by Zofia Chechlińska) and “The Baroque: part 2” (by Alina Mądry),…Continue Reading ‘History of Music in Poland’ Series Complete
In his July 4 article for Dziennik Łódzki, Łukasz Kaczyński provided a highly critical review of the 2016 Transatlantyk Festival, which recently moved to Łódź together with its founder, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Entitled “Wielka łódź na jałowym biegu” [The great boat on a course to nowhere], the article discusses how the Festival was lavishly supported by the…Continue Reading Transatlantyk on the Rocks
Director Henryk Martenka and Prof. Piotr Paleczny, the Artistic Director of the International Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland have just announced the final selection of contestants for this year’s auditions. Out of a total of 164 applications, 56 pianists from 19 countries were selected to participate in the 2016 Paderewski Competition. Poland will be represented by…Continue Reading Paderewski Piano Competition Lineup