On December 4 in their program entitled “Twenty Somethings (1875-Present),” the Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra (UPCO) will perform several compositions originating from Prague to Poland. Amongst the various selections, Maciej Balenkowski’s Sinfonietta – Time is Ticking will be given its US Premiere. This award-winning piece reflects Polish tradition by capturing the unique echoes of the…Continue Reading Maciej Balenkowski US Premiere
Danish guitarist Mikkel Andersen will play the US premiere of the guitar version of Marcin Stańczyk’s Aftersounds at the University of Miami on November 13, 2015. Marcin Stańczyk (b. Nov. 16, 1977) is a law graduate from the University of Łódź and completed studies in music theory and composition with Zygmunt Krauze at the Music Academy…Continue Reading Stańczyk US Premiere
A new choral piece by Paweł Łukaszewski—Veni Sancte Spiritus for Two Unaccompanied Mixed Choirs, dedicated to the memory of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki—was performed by the orchestra and choir of the Kraków Philharmonic for the first time on October 2 at an oratory concert at Kraków Philharmonic Hall. The program also featured Przybądź Duchu Święty [Come,…Continue Reading Łukaszewski World Premiere
The opera Czarodziejska Góra [The Magic Mountain] was given its world premiere on June 26, 2015 at the Malta Festival in Poznań, Poland. This opera is a joint work of four creators: composer Paweł Mykietyn, director and actor Andrzej Chyra, playwright Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk and visual artist Mirosław Bałka. The libretto is based on the famous…Continue Reading Premiere of Magic Mountain
The jubilee series of events entitled “Program Triptych” was held from June 18-20, 2015 in celebration of 70 years of the Polish Composers’ Union [ZKP]. The first concert on June 18 was held in the Royal Castle in Warsaw. It featured the premieres of two new compositions by Krzysztof Knittel: Znaki [Signs] for electronic media…Continue Reading Premieres At Triptych – Celebrating ZKP 70th Anniversary
The 6th Musica Electronica Nova (MEN) Festival was held on May 15-23, 2015, under the subtitle “Elecktro-Vision,” in Wrocław. This Festival was an exciting chance to hear new works by Polish composers. The following compositions were given their world premiere during the 2015 MEN Festival: Franciszek Araszkiewicz (b. 1986): Minutki I for cello quartet, electronics…Continue Reading Premieres at Musica Electronica Nova Festival
The International Festival of Kraków Composers (formerly known as Days of Music by Kraków Composers) was held from April 18-26, 2015. A fixture in the cultural life of Kraków since 1989, the main purpose of the Festival is the promotion and presentation of contemporary works by the city’s composers—from well-established professionals and professors, through the…Continue Reading World Premieres At The Festival Of Kraków Composers
Aleksander Nowak‘s work Naninana (2015) for amplified keyboard instrument and string orchestra arranged in two groups was first performed in Warsaw, Poland on May 29, 2015 during the official opening of the new headquarters of the National Audiovisual Institute [NInA]. The composition was written for the opening, which was presided over by Minister of Culture…Continue Reading Nowak Premiere at NInA
The two most important cities in the Kujawy Region of Poland—Bydgoszcz and Toruń—hosted world premieres on June 5 and 6 that spotlighted music by leading local composers. Soloists of Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz and the Toruń Symphony Orchestra led by Piotr Wajrak presented works by Marcin Kopczyński (based in a nearby town of Inowrocław) and…Continue Reading World Premieres by Regional Composers
The 9th annual St. Augustine Music Festival will be held as a series of six free concerts over the last two weekends in June: June 18-20 and June 25-27. On the last day of the Festival, the world premiere of St. Augustine Suite for chamber orchestra by Polish-born violinist and composer Piotr Szewczyk (b. 1977) will…Continue Reading Szewczyk Premiere In Florida