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 main Gala honored laureates in the pop and jazz categories, as well as the recipients of the 2015 Golden Fryderyk Awards: Lech Janerka (jazz), Kazimierz Kord (classical music) and Janusz Muniak (pop music).  Other winners in the jazz category were:  Album of the Year – Marcin Wasilewski Trio for Spark Of Life (ECM 2400), Jazz Debut of the Year – Nikola  Kołodziejczyk Orchestra and Artist of the Year – Marcin Wasilewski.

Also on April 23, celebrations for the winners of this year’s Classical Music category were held in the Column Hall of the University of Warsaw. Hosted Piotr Polk and Andrzej Puczyński, Chairmen of ZPAV, the event featured the vocal sextet proMODERN – Poland’s only vocal ensemble specializing in contemporary music—who also won the night with two awards (pictured above). The proMODERN ensemble is comprised of: Łucja Szablewska – soprano, Ewa Puchalska – mezzosoprano, Elżbieta Wróblewska-Rydzewska – mezzosoprano, Andrzej Marusiak – tenor, Artur Janda – baritone, and Piotr Pieron – bass/Artistic Director.

The awards given in the Classical Music Category were as follows:

Album of the Year – Choral, Oratorio and Opera:

Where are you. Pieces from Warsaw
Performers: proMODERN contemporary vocal sextet
Sarton Records CD 015-2

Album of the Year – Chamber Music:

Paweł Łukaszewski: Musica Sacra 5
Performers: Baltic Neopolis Orchestra, CANTATRIX, “Musica Sacra” Cathedral Choir of Warsaw-Praga, Morpheus Saxophone Ensemble, proMODERN
DUX 1135

Album of the Year – Solo Recital:

Kaja Danczowska. Skrzpce/Violin
Recording archives of Kaja Danczowska, 1974– 2007
Agencja Muzyczna Polskiego Radia PRCD 1721-1727

Album of the Year – Symphonic and Concert music:

Kilar/Moś/Aukso
AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy, Marek Moś – cond.
Instytucja Kultury Katowice – Miasto Ogrodów PRK 070

Best Recording of Polish Music Abroad:

Grażyna Bacewicz: Symphony for String Orchestra
Ewa Kupiec – fortepian i Capella Bydgostiensis pod dyr. Mariusza Smolija
NAXOS CD 8.573229

Best Recording of Polish Music:

Where are you. Pieces from Warsaw
proMODERN contemporary vocal sextet
Sarton Records CD 015-2

Golden Fryderyk:

Kazimierz Kord – the Artistic and Administrative Director of the National Philharmonic from 1977-2001, and Honorary Director since 2002 was honored “for exceptional contributions to the musical culture in Poland”

[Sources: zpav.pl, zpav.pl, filharmonia.pl]