On Sunday, October 4, a new piece by Marcin Stańczyk entitled Blind Walk will be premiered at La Biennale di Venezia by Ensemble Musikfabrik, under the direction of Johannes Schöllhorn. During the performance of Blind Walk, audience members will be blindfolded—this is done in order to sharpen memory of sounds and “more precisely track and…Continue Reading Stanczyk Premerie
On October 24, the LutosAir Quintet (above) will perform the world premieres of two new pieces by young Polish composers Wojtek Blecharz – Hour/Plateau for wind quintet, space, light and video (2015) and Piotr Ślęczek – A Song of the New Order (2015). The concert will be held in the Manggha Muzeum in Warsaw during…Continue Reading Premieres At HMG Festival
Organized by the Tri-City ensemble NeoQuartet and the Neo Arte Association, the 4th edition of the Neo Arte – New Music Spectrum Festival will be held on October 8-11, 2015. The festival aims to present the most interesting trends in contemporary music around the world, connecting artists from different cultures and disciplines of art. The…Continue Reading Neo Arte Festival – Premieres & Monograph
Piotr Witt is a noted writer and historian who, for many years, contributed commentaries and essays for international radio broadcasts of Radio Free Europe. Mr. Witt’s latest work is a fascinating book examining the origins of Chopin’s tremendous success in Paris. With an excellent title—Przedpiekle sławy [Fame: The Antechamber of Hell]—this work was originally published in…Continue Reading Witt on Chopin
The Szymanowski Composers’ Competition is organized by the Karol Szymanowski Music Society in collaboration with the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. The subject of the competition is a piece for great symphony orchestra including: 3 flauti (3. muta in fl picc.), 3 oboe (3. muta in cr.ing.), 3 clarinetti (3. muta in cl.b.),…Continue Reading 2nd Szymanowski Composers Competition
On October 3rd, the late Polish composer, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, will be celebrated at London’s Barbican Centre shortly before the 5th anniversary of Gorecki’s death. Polish music expert, Professor Adrian Thomas, will preface the event with an introduction to the life of Henryk Gorecki. The programme includes a screening of a film entitled ‘Please Find’…Continue Reading Górecki Day at London’s Barbican
Construction on the National Music Forum building is now finished and open to hosting concerts, conventions, symposiums, conferences and other exciting events with state-of-the-art equipment. The NFM building was designed by Kuryłowicz & Associates Architecture Studio, selected through an international architectural contest. The architect was inspired by a musical instrument – its shape and the…Continue Reading #New Concert Hall In Wroclaw
In our June 2015 issue of this Newsletter, we reported on the publication in Polish translation of Madame Paderewska’s Memoirs, recently discovered and edited by Maciej Siekierski, Curator of European Collections at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives in Stanford, California. Now, as promised, there is an English version, Helena Paderewska: Memoirs, 1910-1920, published by…Continue Reading Helena Paderewska’s Memoirs
OCTAVA Ensemble in Chicago OCTAVA ensemble, one of the most interesting vocal groups of the young generation in Poland, will present an exclusive a cappella program entitled “Polish Pure Sounds.” Performed for the first time in the US on October 9 in Chicago, “Polish Pure Sounds” presents the most valuable Polish vocal music and emphasizes…Continue Reading Early Polish Music In October
Under the direction of its new artistic director, John Magnum, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County has announced its concert programs for the 2015-16 season. Featured are performances by pianists Lang Lang and Yuja Wang – both known for virtuosity spiked with showmanship. Almost every year since 2008 either Lang or Wang has starred in…Continue Reading Lang Lang Performs Chopin In O.C.